Welcome to Intro to Postmodernism Metamodernism in Comics!
Things are about to get real technical, so get ready to cover the basics.
Before we begin- it's important to note that these terms don't have strict definitions.
So while there aren't strict definitions, we do have SOME guidelines on how to distinguish between the two.
Let's start with defining postmodernism.
Postmodernism can feel a little bit like... well, this.
Characterized by rejecting objectivity, truth, authority, and reason, many postmodern artists and authors tend to abandon traditional narrative structures and trends. Works feel nihilistic or apathetic in nature.
Postmodernism often focuses on intertextuality, pastiche, irony, and oftentimes humor in addition to extremely self-aware subject matter.
So maybe Hell was a bit dramatic. But postmodernism can often feel helpless and a bit apocalyptic in a way.
But that doesn't mean all art or literature created during this time was all negative and nihilistic.
In fact, postmodern art has provided us with some of the most important and vital pieces of deconstruction and skepticism that have changed the way we think.
Postmodernism came into popularity postwar after many had lost faith and belief in our sociopolitical systems globally.
During this time, artists created works that brough to light many issues either not discussed previously or simply not criticized previously.
Take Watchmen for example.
Unlike prewar comics that functioned as political propaganda, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons designed a dark, serious world that functioned as a parallel reality to our own dark, serious reality previously misconstrued.
A graphic novel that tells the story of old and wizened superheroes that once upon a time changed the course of global history, now outlawed, retired, or sold out to the government for work. This version of the superhero completely flips the script on the traditional superhero.
Metamodernism takes place chronologically post-postmodernism, with the earliest mentions of the term; coming from Linda Hutchinson in 1995.
However, it functions as the space between modernism and postmodernism.
Linda Hutchinson theorized that people were getting tired of postmodern ideals, that maybe the constant rejection of truth or objectivitywas wearing them down.
Metamodernism blends some of the most important parts of postmodernism with the less nihilistic elements of modernism.
Metamodernism is often described by scholars as an informed naivete or pragmatic idealism.
Graphic novels around the mid-late 1990s, early 2000s show this return to ironic sincerity.
Take The Sandman for example.The Sandman maintains a level of self-awareness and dark subject matter, but it doesn't fall to the total dejection of postmodern works. The Sandman discusses the importance of dreams as integral pieces of our humanity, leveling out the piece to feel more like a piece of pragmatic idealism.
There you have it folks! A short intro to postmodernism metamodernism in comics.
Thanks for tuning in. Stay tuned for more to come!
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A Fényképek Forrásmegjelölések
2603464 - Aleksandar Pasaric - (Engedély Free To Use / No Attribution Required / See https://www.pexels.com/license/ for what is not allowed
)