ashlayla, Habermas

Habermas was a little easier to read than Lyotard, but I still had a hard time understanding what he was saying. I feel like after having the class discussion on Lyotard I was able to understand him better and, in a way, I was able to understand Habermas a little more because Lyotard references him. Because I’ve had a harder time understanding some of the authors we’ve read, I’ve had a harder time understanding and defining postmodernism.

In his article, Habermas referenced art a lot to prove his point, although, I'm still having a hard time figuring out what his point is. However, while I was reading, one quote (from the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) brought a question to mind: "Postmodernity definitely presents itself as Antimodernity." (98) Did Habermas use this quote in his article to say that postmodernism is against everything modern? To me, postmodernism pulls a lot from modernism and even classical movements. To me, postmodernists learn and put into their work what modernists and classicists used in their work and taught to others. I feel like the following quote from Habermas’ article supports what I think postmodernity is:

“…the term ‘modern’ again and again expresses the consciousness of an epoch that relates itself to the past of antiquity, in order to view itself as the result of a transition from the old to the new.” (98) Habermas went on to say that each time a new era arose in Europe, the word modern would show up. This makes me think that whenever something enters the stage of either being classical like music, or modern like clothing trends, then postmodernists will borrow what made these classical and modern things popular to make something new. That being said, I think I have finally figured out what postmodernism is (and I hope it's right). An example that I can think of that supports what I think postmodernism is can be found in architecture. Blending structures that are classical and modern gives us something completely new and different, like urbane urbanism or anthropomorphism. Postmodernism, in my opinion, is a blend of the classics and moderns made into something completely new and different.