It occurs to me after much research that pomo theory cannot be defined,
which is sort of the whole point -- that nothing can be defined, have
meaning, etc.
My operative definition is that postmodernism is *image in search of
identity*. No wonder I would say to Annie that the infamous
sentence-in-question was not an instance of no clothes on the emperor, but
no emperor under the impressive clothes (of course, now I've had occasion
to go back to the *whole* text and ponder whether or not there's a very
small emperor under the weighty clothes).
My colleague here says that postmodernism is "post me" and that a person
who utters "post modern" is shirking his/her responsibility to come to
grips with the epoch. He says it's just the soft underbelly of the
baby-boomers with no gumption, no backbone (and it's too late in life to
be growing a spine). -- He's saying all this while I'm typing. I think
I'll invite him to join this conversation! --
Let's just say that "image in search of identity" has worked well for me.
That's as plain as I've been able to make it for myself, though I'm sure
that the more theoretically gifted can complexify it significantly!
In good humor!
Beth
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Beth Baldwin, Ph.D. *
Office of Continuing Education *
University of North Carolina at Greensboro *
Greensboro, NC 27412-5001 *
910-334-5301, ext. 44 *
bobaldwi@hamlet.uncg.edu *
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