Postmodernism can be understood as a philosophy that is characterised by concepts such as RE-IMAGINING, PASTICHE, PARODY, COPY, BRICOLAGE

Pastiche is a work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist

Parody is a work or performance that imitates another work or performance with ridicule or irony

Bricolage is a useful term to apply to postmodernist texts as it ‘involves the rearrangement and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’ (By Baker and Jane)

Intertextually is another useful term to use, as it suggests signs only have meaning in reference to other signs and that meaning is therefore a complex process of decoding/encoding with individuals both taking and creating meaning in the process of reading texts.

Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised–which encourage an audience to want more information. Creates puzzles and questions for the audience.

Ellison and ellipsis– cut things out, movie not in real time

Flashback– to go backwards

Flash forward– to go forward

Dramatic Irony– we know something that the characters do not

Parallel narrative– 2 stories happening at the same time

Light and shade– heavy scenes and light scenes

Conceptual theoretical idea that helps you live in the times we live in now.

Characterized by new technology new media.

Parody v Pastiche

pastiche is a work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist

parody is a work or performance that imitates another work or performance with ridicule or irony

intertextuality: surface signs, gestures & play

preoccupation with visual style: memento is very visual.

fragmentary, decentred nature

Meta narrative overall big structure

BRICOLAGE is a useful term to apply to postmodernist texts as it ‘involves the rearrangment and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’ (Barker & Jane, 2016:237). Similarly, INTERTEXTUALITY is another useful term to use, as it suggests signs only have meaning in reference to other signs and that meaning is therefore a complex process of decoding/encoding with individuals both taking and creating meaning in the process of reading texts

• Conceptional, theoretical idea that helps us to understand the times we are now
• Characterized by new technology
• Fragmentary set of interrelationships
• References its self – self-referential
• He’s self-referential
• He is fragmentary
• Often characterized by parody and pastiche
• Pastiche Imitates work of a previous artist
• Parody – irony/mocks/ridicules
• Characterized by intertextuality – surfaces signs, gesture, play, self-referential – preoccupation with visual style – lacks dept and deeper meaning
• Worry there is no/dis-concern meta-narrative (overall big structure) – deeper meaning/big questions
• Bricolage – involves rearrangement and juxtapose of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning.
• Post Modernism – how do we know anything – fiction from reality? – How do we distinguish
• Live in a consumerist, materialistic world – all for a big company
• Rearrangement for previously seen things – Memento
• Surfaces and styles become the most important in Post-modern world – feeding consumerist world.

•  RE-IMAGINING, PASTICHE, PARODY, COPY, BRICOLAGE

• helps us understand the times we are currently in
• REFERENTIAL – references itself all the time – seeing the same thing over and over (the movie – the main character refers to himself constantly, through his tattoos)

pastiche is a work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist ( movie is a pastiche)

parody is a work or performance that imitates another work or performance with ridicule or irony

Intertextuality: surface signs, gestures & play

• movie has preoccupation with visual style
• as things are surface signs, gestures & play, theres a worry theres no meter-narrative (the big question/ overall big structure)

BRICOLAGE – ‘involves the rearrangment and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’ – Barker & Jane – momento – shows us scenes we have scene before

postmodernism suggests – ‘no longer able to distinguish fiction from reality’. whats real whats not? – momento – suggests notes are unreliable (post modernism) unsure on whats real)

feeds comsumerous culture – post modernism: surfaces and style become the most important defining features.

Narrative Theory – Revisited

Todorov – Tripartite Narrative Structure – beginning/middle/end. It has an equilibrium (beginning) then disruption (middle) then a new equilibrium (end).

Freytag – Freytag’s Pyramid – exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement.

Propp – Stock characters – that perform stock functions – hero, helper, princess, villain, victim, dispatcher, father, and false hero.

Claude Levi -Strauss – Binary Oppositions – e.g. good vs bad, rich vs poor, educated vs stupid, old vs young.

Seymour Chatman – Satellites and Kernels – kernels are moments elements that are essential to the narrative development. Satellites are moments that could be removed and the overall logic would not be disturbed. Think about the way satellites orbit something bigger like a planet. Satellites can therefore be thought as useful to develop character, emotion, location, time and so on, but NOT ESSENTIAL. In this way they are really useful creative elements but not essential to the story.

When watching the film I will be looking at the narrative structure through Todorov’s Theory.

The beginning of the film is not like a typical narrative structure as the key event happened before and we are trying to find out what happened before he lost his memory. However, like many other narratives the start is still used to set the scene and introduce us to the main characters.

Seymour Chatman – Satellites and Kernels. Kernal = memory lose – otherwise the plot wouldn’t make sense. Satellite – his Jaguar – could be any car.

• Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
• Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development
• Enigma Code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information (Create puzzles and questions).
• Elision or Ellipse: are when you drop rid of something, something is missing (e.g. a flight takes 8 hours in a film it takes 20 seconds)
• Flash-forward: when we jump forward in time
• Flashback: when we jump back in time
• Foreshawdowing: a warning or indication of a future event.
• Parallel/Simulations Narratives: Are when two different people’s narratives are shown.
• Non-Sequitars: is when a something happens in the film that gets them nowhere / is pointless.

Postmodernism can be understood as a philosophy that is characterised by concepts such as RE-IMAGINING, PASTICHE, PARODY, COPY, BRICOLAGE. It’s an approach towards understanding, knowledge, life, being, art, technology, culture, sociology, philosophy, politics and history that is REFERENTIAL – in that it often refers to and often copies other things in order to understand itself.

new expressions of identity and being – often found in popular culture and/or modern technology, are actually new iterations (versions) of previous expressions of popular culture. It is therefore possible to understand postmodernism as a complicated and fragmentary set of inter-relationships, a practice of re-imagining, pastiche, bricolage and self-referentiality, which may be understood alongside another key expression / concept: intersectionality

Postmodernism can therefore be understood as deliberate, intended, self-conscious play, signs about signs, notes to notes? Often (and again unlike other creative movements such as modernism or structuralism) this may be frivolous, trite, casual, surface, throw-away. It may even be ironic, joking, or literally, ‘just playing’. However, it is always a deliberate copy (of the old). Therefore, the old has been re-worked into something new,