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Postmodernism

Movement
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A broad cultural movement challenging modernism's assumptions of progress and universal truth, characterized by irony and fragmented forms.

Detailed Definition
Postmodernism in poetry denotes a late-20th-century aesthetic characterized by fragmentation, intertextuality, irony, self-reflexivity, and skepticism toward grand narratives or stable meaning; rejecting modernist ideals of coherence and transcendence, postmodern poets like John Ashbery, Lyn Hejinian, or Anne Carson employ collage, pastiche, and indeterminacy to reflect the instability of language, identity, and historical truth in a media-saturated, pluralistic world.
Example
Example in poetry:
Postmodernism|Fragmentation, pastiche, irony in verse; Self-reflexive questioning of form; Rejection of grand narratives; Playful subversion of tradition
Additional Notes
Postmodernism in poetry often plays with fragmentation, intertextuality, irony, and skepticism of universal truth.
Also Known As
Late modernism Anti-foundational art Fragmented aesthetics Post-modern theory Postmodern Period Postmodern style
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