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Postmodernism For Beginners Paperback – August 21, 2007

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 119 ratings

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If you are like most people, you're not sure what Postmodernism is. And if this were like most books on the subject, it probably wouldn't tell you.

Besides what a few grumpy critics claim, Postmodernism is not a bunch of meaningless intellectual mind games. On the contrary, it is a reaction to the most profound spiritual and philosophical crisis of our time - the failure of the Enlightenment.

Jim Powell takes the position that Postmodernism is a series of "maps" that help people find their way through a changing world. Postmodernism For Beginners features the thoughts of Foucault on power and knowledge, Jameson on mapping the postmodern, Baudrillard on the media, Harvey on time-space compression, Derrida on deconstruction and Deleuze and Guattari on rhizomes. The book also discusses postmodern artifacts such as Madonna, cyberpunk, Buddhist ecology, and teledildonics.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author


Jim Powell lives in Santa Barbara, California where he enjoys surfing, writing, playing piano, and painting. His other books include Mandalas: The Dynamics of Vedic Symbolism, Energy and Eros, The Tao of Symbolism, Eastern Philosophy For Beginners, Derrida For Beginners, and Postmodernism For Beginners. Jim has a Master's Degree in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Sanskrit and Indology. His thesis was on Vedic mythology. He also holds a Master's Degree in English Literature and wrote a thesis on Mark Twain's relationship with the Mississippi River..


Joe Lee is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, and clown. With a degree from Indiana University centering on Medieval History, Joe is also a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey's Clown College and the author and illustrator of Greek Mythology For Beginners and Dante For Beginners. Visit him at joeleeillustrator.com

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Beginners; Reprint edition (August 21, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1934389099
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1934389096
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.39 x 8.99 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 119 ratings

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4.3 out of 5 stars
119 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book helpful for understanding postmodern theory. They appreciate the clear explanations and graphics that demystify the subject. The writing style is simple yet not elementary, and the illustrations and explanations are great.

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9 customers mention "Knowledge level"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful for students taking a postmodernism course. It explains everything regarding the theory and its theoretical framework. The author uses simple words and gradually grows concepts. They find the ideas presented an experiment in radical thinking.

"...But I can tell you he does use simple words, grows concepts gradually, and is not trying to show off how admirably different he is...." Read more

"...you wade through the dark waters of the theories and theorists surrounding postmodernism." Read more

"...This is an excellent text that teaches the theory and its theoretical framework in simple, easy to understand terms, but without condescending to..." Read more

"...and begin to grasp the essential concepts of Deconstruction, poststructualism, and, of course Postmodernism...." Read more

8 customers mention "Content"6 positive2 negative

Customers find the book's content easy to understand. They appreciate the simple terms and gradual growth of concepts. The writing style is not too elementary, with great illustrations and explanations. The author uses simple words without condescending to readers.

"...But I can tell you he does use simple words, grows concepts gradually, and is not trying to show off how admirably different he is...." Read more

"...This is an excellent text that teaches the theory and its theoretical framework in simple, easy to understand terms, but without condescending to..." Read more

"I thought I knew what postmodernism was, but this book helped me understand it in better detail and begin to grasp the essential concepts of..." Read more

"Despite the cover and the title, the writing style is actually not all that elementary, the author is not afraid to use $5 words...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2015
    Jim Powell, the author of Postmodernism for Beginners does not say that this will be easy. I was a philosophy major and then spent four years in graduate school studying theology which is at least somewhat similar to philosophy. I read this book slowly. Appreciated the cartoons, of which there were many, not so much that they advanced the thought, but that briefly they delivered me from it.

    Everything I know about postmodernism I have learned from this book, so when I tell you that reading anything else will probably be even more difficult, I am accepting the authors evaluation of his fellow postmodern authors. But I can tell you he does use simple words, grows concepts gradually, and is not trying to show off how admirably different he is. I think he is as clear as one can be taking this mountain of knowledge and describing it in 156 pages.

    There are at least three difficulties that cannot be easily overcome. First, there is not agreement on what postmodernism is, so the best he can do is take you down a list of postmodern heroes and tell you what they think or did, always haunted by the reality, if there is such a thing as reality, that there are others who did other things. (But who cares anyway because it is not what it is that counts but what you think it is. Try that one out the next time you are on a quiz show. Or taking a test. Or telling a cop how fast you were going.)

    Second, the normal language of postmodernism has been created to express ideas strange to most of us modernists. So we have strange words for strange ideas. Powell gives us a lift by eschewing or explaining most of these words. But he has to use some of them.

    Three, while postmodernism is a philosophy, it is also an art form, (painting, architecture, dance, music, literature, and Madonna. {Yes, Madonna for she knows that appearance means more than reality so she is totally simulation. She is “simulacra.” One of those words I told you about. Get used to it. “Rhizomatic” will have come earlier and despite its importance in a non-centered universe does not show in the appendix. Why is that? I think he just forgot it, but who knows.}) So we cannot settle for just understanding a corner of this world and think we understand postmodernism. (For instance there is no center for center implies marginalization. Since the marginal see themselves as central the axiom that one plus one equals zero applies.) If you understand that immediately you may be ready for all of this. )

    After reading Postmodernism for Beginners do I understand postmodernism? Of course not. Well, just a little. More than I did. If you would like to understand it and know nothing, I do think this is a book to get you started. I’m not sure I want to know any more than I now know.

    I do know that the postmodernist, or at least many of them, have no belief in a meta-story so there goes the resurrection, reincarnation and even a hopeful evolution. Since I am 79 this is really bad timing guys. Some think post-modernism is dead. That cheers me a little. If it is dead, do I get my meta-stories back? I would like to die thinking if I am not to play a harp, or reappear as a genius frog or have participated in the evolution of the species, at least that I have improved my little corner of the world. But sad to say, the meta-story of “improving” is also out along with better or worse. Tsk. Are you sure you want to know this?

    Let me admit it. I am going to read it again.

    You may have just read a post-modern review of a book on post-modernism. Put this jumble in your head and proceed to wherever.
    21 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2008
    but that's not the books fault. read the long review written by one of the other commentators. postmodernism is hard to define and this comic-book style book helps you wade through the dark waters of the theories and theorists surrounding postmodernism.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2020
    I purchased this book because I was working on a scholarly paper for a conference. The theoretical lens I'm planning on using is Post Modernism, which I had a vague concept of thanks to a pair of graduate theory courses in graduate school. This text explains Post Modernism from its beginnings in architecture, its influence on art, literature, and philosophy.

    Reading this, in addition to my Theoretical Anthology from grad school, I though to myself "FINALLY! A text that explains how Post-Modern theory works in terms that I can understand and in writing that doesn't sound like it's blowing pipe smoke at me."

    This book is a level or two above "Post Modernism for Dummies" but approaches the subject matter as if you, the reader, know nothing about the subject and explains everything regarding Post Modern theory. This is an excellent text that teaches the theory and its theoretical framework in simple, easy to understand terms, but without condescending to the reader.

    Excellent text! Excellently written.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2016
    I thought I knew what postmodernism was, but this book helped me understand it in better detail and begin to grasp the essential concepts of Deconstruction, poststructualism, and, of course Postmodernism.
    Loved it, wish I had found this sooner!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2016
    Well this book was so helpful to students taking a postmodernism course that someone, possibly not one of them...stole it from the library. Does make it all make "sense" ...sort of. A bit after the fact now, however...
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2016
    Made postmodernism easier to understand. Helpful book.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2012
    Look its not a great book what it does for the reader who wants basic concepts and will continue to look/read elsewhere is review some basic concepts. Not more and not even well. Postmodern thought requires time, research and some very expansive reading to discern and even then. I am not speaking to those who have just written it off. If you need some basic foundation to get on the page a place to begin but hardly a solid foundation. It's some veneer. Enough to allow the reader intimidated by the subject to begin reading somewhere.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2020
    pretty entertaining and relatively informative for a comic-book-like-book

Top reviews from other countries

  • Laurent Grenier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Short but well put together and well rounded.
    Reviewed in Canada on August 9, 2020
    The book goes to cover postmodernism from a variety of viewpoints ranging from philosophy to art and literature. Brief but profound.
  • peterc
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clear informative narrative
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2018
    Of all the how to books on postmdernism this is the finest that i have seen. It deals with concepts and writers, giving time for each. It is clear to me that the author knows his subject with confidence, and so can communicat that understanding. Thoroughly recommended.
  • Subhankar Roy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in India on April 12, 2017
    It's really a good book for the beginners.Presentation is attractive and well arranged. This book surely will help in preparing ground and obviously provides a road way that will help for further reading.
    Overall Jim Powell's book worth buying.
    Customer image
    Subhankar Roy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in India on April 12, 2017
    It's really a good book for the beginners.Presentation is attractive and well arranged. This book surely will help in preparing ground and obviously provides a road way that will help for further reading.
    Overall Jim Powell's book worth buying.
    Images in this review
    Customer image Customer image
    Customer imageCustomer image
  • Amazon Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars Too many dicks
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2017
    I dont mind a few marks on second hand books, i expect it, but this book had a bit too many. The last owner must have spent most of his/her time distracted as the book was full of penis sketches
    I didnt pay for the extras and I didnt want them..