Lyotard Post-class blog

In class we went over the reading “Answering the Question what is Postmodernism?” by theorist Jean-François Lyotard. We discussed how people can be anti-realist which means that they break the rules. In Epic Theatre, also known as Brechtian Theatre (1898-1956), the audience becomes a spectator who can question and analyze the play. They are forced to confront social problems and seek solutions. They also become active participants as opposed to passive which relates to how Barthes talks about ‘the gap’ and being able to interject in that space. I have personally read and seen a Brecht played called “The Threepenny Opera”. It involved the actors breaking the “fourth wall” which essentially means that they talk directly to the audience. This is considered to be anti-realist and thereby creating a v-effect which creates a space between the artist and the reader/viewer.

We also discussed thoroughly the quote “Let us wage a war on totality” (46). What I took from this was that in our society, we are now more alert to differences so why do we not step outside of that? I think that everyone likes to stick to their comfort zones and don’t bother critically analyzing and challenging stereotypes as well as theories that we stick with. We need to challenge not only how others think but how we think as well. Stereotyping leads to labeling everyone else as “other”. Ultimately, this leads to limiting our viewpoints and ignoring our diverse world thereby resulting in a narrow-minded society.

Lastly, we discussed how the quote “Pornography… is becoming a general mode for the visual or narrative arts which have not met the challenge of the mass media”. This summer, I bought an issue of the Paris Vogue. Upon reading through it, I came across a series of photos of people modeling the clothes nude. This struck me as extremely avant-garde as in American magazines this would never be published. I found myself wondering what the French reaction was to this series of photos. I was surprised that it had not been criticized and challenged by the mass media in America, as it was being published and distributed. Perhaps we have always looked to the French as a society of people who have always been ahead of us in fashion thus not challenging what trends they set. I will bring in the magazine to class as my media example on Thursday.