Synopses & Reviews
The Move Beyond Form focuses on works of art, music, literature, and film since 1960 that convey meaning through a creative undoing of form. Mary Joe Hughes suggests that cultural production of this time period conceived the world not so much as a series of separate entities, including art objects, but as an endless maze of relations and interconnections. By focusing attention on the in-between spaces, these works were able to provide nuance and meaning to a way of thinking that is difficult to demonstrate through language alone. This original study exposes the interrelationships in postmodernism, a perspective that is particularly relevant to contemporary culture, including globalization, electronic technology, and the echo chambers of the media.
Review
To come
Review
'A sophisticated and engaging work that makes a significant contribution to the field of contemporary aesthetics and critical theory." - Christopher A. Dustin, Professor of Philosophy, College of the Holy Cross
Synopsis
Fictional narratives of the late twentieth century often cross boundaries. This study argues that the undoing of structure in postmodern art form demands a different way of thinking and represents a commentary on the material and social conditions of the late twentieth century and beyond.
Synopsis
Fictional narratives of the late twentieth century and beyond often escape their boundaries. Such works do not present themselves as self-contained 'things' - complete, discrete, and coherent. This study argues that the undoing of structure in postmodern art form demands a different way of thinking and represents a commentary on the material and social conditions of the late twentieth century and beyond. With a focus will be on fictional examples, both literary and cinematic, and reference to music and the visual arts as well, Mary Jo Hughes calls into question how the postmodern aesthetic has been regarded.
Synopsis
The Move Beyond Form focuses on works of art, music, literature, and film since 1960 that convey meaning through a creative undoing of form. Mary Joe Hughes suggests that cultural production of this time period conceived the world not so much as a series of separate entities, including art objects, but as an endless maze of relations and interconnections. By focusing attention on the in-between spaces, these works were able to provide nuance and meaning to a way of thinking that is difficult to demonstrate through language alone. This original study exposes the interrelationships in postmodernism, a perspective that is particularly relevant to contemporary culture, including globalization, electronic technology, and the echo chambers of the media.
About the Author
Mary Joe Hughes is the Assistant Director of the Arts and Sciences Honors Program and Adjunct Professor of the Humanities at Boston College, USA. More information can be found at her website: http://maryjoehughes.com/
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Tale of Competing Critical Narratives
1. The Move Beyond Form in Context
2. Transforming Space over Time: The Visual Arts
3. Musical Interplay: Tan Dun's The Map and other Examples
4. Refusing Self-Containment: Coetzee's Diary of a Bad Year
5. Dissolving Boundaries, Exposing Webs
6. Echoing Spaces Beyond the Boundaries
7. Hybrid Zones in the Mirror Arcade: The Receding Real
8. Traversing Medial Spaces Beyond the Ending
9. ReMaking