Difference Wiki

Modernism vs. Postmodernism

The main difference between modernism and postmodernism is that modernism is a movement that started from the 19th or early 20th century, whereas the movement of postmodernism begun after the Second World War.

Key Differences

Modernism has a rational approach, while postmodernism has an irrational approach to things.
Modernism focuses more on the writer and interiority of text on the converse; postmodernism focuses more on the reader and exteriority of the text.
Samantha Walker
Jan 26, 2020
The movement of modernism started from the 19th or early 20th century, whereas the movement of postmodernism started after the Second World War, but it became famous in the 1960s.
Modernism shows less interest in the field of politics; on the flip side, postmodernism showed a great influence on politics.
In the modernist school of thought, there is the existence of a stable and coherent “self” that is independent of culture and society. Conversely, in the postmodernist school of thought, the “self” is considered as a myth and a composite of a person’s social experiences and cultural contexts.
Janet White
Jan 26, 2020
Modernism had a belief in universally true and reasonable beliefs; inversely, postmodernism did not believe in universal truth.
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The language of modernism was transparent; on the other hand, the language of postmodernism is fluid and arbitrary.
There is a rejection of literary conventions in modernism movement; on the other side, there is the parody of literary conventions in postmodernism.
Janet White
Jan 26, 2020
Modernism believed in Western hegemonic values contrarily postmodernism rejects Western hegemonic values.
Samantha Walker
Jan 26, 2020
Modernism movement characterized by art; on the contrary, the postmodernism movement characterized by the field of technology, its advancement, and its use in different areas.

Comparison Chart

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A movement that started from the 19th or early 20th century
A movement that started after the Second World War

Language

Transparent
Fluid and arbitrary
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Approach

Rational and scientific
Irrational and unscientific

Text Focus

Interiority
Exteriority
Samantha Walker
Jan 26, 2020

Interest in Politics

It showed
It did not show
Harlon Moss
Jan 26, 2020

Literary Conventions

Rejection
Parody
Harlon Moss
Jan 26, 2020

Characterized By

Art
Technology

Modernism and Postmodernism Definitions

Modernism

Modern thought, character, or practice.
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Postmodernism

Of or relating to art, architecture, or literature that reacts against earlier modernist principles, as by reintroducing traditional or classical elements of style or by carrying modernist styles or practices to extremes
"It [a roadhouse]is so architecturally interesting ... with its postmodern wooden booths and sculptural clock" (Ruth Reichl).

Modernism

Sympathy with or conformity to modern ideas, practices, or standards.

Postmodernism

Of or relating to an intellectual stance often marked by eclecticism and irony and tending to reject the universal validity of such principles as hierarchy, binary opposition, categorization, and stable identity.

Modernism

A peculiarity of usage or style, as of a word or phrase, that is characteristic of modern times.

Postmodernism

Any style in art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that reacts against an earlier modernist movement.

Modernism

Often Modernism The deliberate departure from tradition and the use of innovative forms of expression that distinguish many styles in the arts and literature of the 1900s.

Postmodernism

An attitude of skepticism or irony toward modernist ideologies, often questioning the assumptions of Enlightenment rationality and rejecting the idea of objective truth.

Modernism

Often Modernism A Roman Catholic movement, officially condemned in 1907, that attempted to examine traditional belief according to contemporary philosophy, criticism, and historiography.

Postmodernism

Genre of art and literature and especially architecture in reaction against principles and practices of established modernism

Modernism

(uncountable) Modern or contemporary ideas, thought, practices, etc.

Modernism

(countable) Anything that is characteristic of modernity.

Modernism

Any of several styles of art, architecture, literature, philosophy, etc., that flourished in the 20th century.

Modernism

A religious movement in the early 20th century, condemned as heretical by Pope Pius X, which tried to reconcile Roman Catholic dogma with modern science and philosophy.

Modernism

Modern practice; a thing of recent date; esp., a modern usage or mode of expression.

Modernism

Certain methods and tendencies which, in Biblical questions, apologetics, and the theory of dogma, in the endeavor to reconcile the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church with the conclusions of modern science, replace the authority of the church by purely subjective criteria; - so called officially by Pope Pius X.

Modernism

Genre of art and literature that makes a self-conscious break with previous genres

Modernism

The quality of being current or of the present;
A shopping mall would instill a spirit of modernity into this village

Modernism

Practices typical of contemporary life or thought

Modernism vs. Postmodernism

The movement of modernism started from the 19th or early 20th century. The movement of postmodernism begun after the Second World War, but it became famous in the 1960s. Modernism has a rational approach. It gives importance to science, logic, and reason. Postmodernism has an irrational approach to things. It denied the logical thinking and logical ways of gaining knowledge.

Modernism had a belief in universally true and reasonable conclusions, whereas postmodernism did not believe in universal truth. Modernism believed in Western hegemonic values. Postmodernism rejects Western hegemonic values. Modernism movement characterized by art. The works of artists considered as unique creations. Authors and artists were anxious about producing art and literary works. While the postmodernism movement was characterized by the field of technology, its advancement, and its use in different areas.

Modernism shows less interest in the field of politics. Postmodernism showed a significant influence on politics. The language of modernism was transparent. It was a type of language having one to one relationship between the signifier and signified. The communication of postmodernism is fluid and arbitrary. It was the type of communication that was rooted in power-knowledge relations.

In the modernist school of thought, there is a stable and coherent “self” that is independent of culture and society. In the postmodernist school of thought, the “self” is considered a myth. It believed to be composed of social experiences and cultural contexts. There is no real definition of self in postmodernism. Modernism focuses more on the writer and interiority of text. However, postmodernism focuses more on the reader and exteriority of the text. Modernism constructs a coherent view of the world. Postmodernism tends to remove the difference between high and low.

What is Modernism?

Modernism is a famous school of thought which started from the 19th or early 20th century in Europe and North America. Modernism supported the objective approach to life. Modernists were optimistic about absolute values and ethics to run the world successfully. This movement was the reformation in the fields of art, music, and literature. In the modernist school of thought, there is a stable and coherent “self” that is independent of culture and society. Modernism also refers to Neo-Classical. It adheres to the enlightenment assumptions concerning the role reason, or rationality, or scientific reasoning. It tried to improve every aspect of life with science and technology.

Modernism was driven by the belief that a person can learn much from the past that could be beneficial to the present. Modernism believed in Western hegemonic values. It gave importance to science, logic, and reason. Modernism had a belief in universally true and reasonable conclusions. It gave the concept of freedom in the form of democracy and free markets. Modernism constructs a coherent view of the world. Modernism theory of knowledge connects knowledge to reality. The reality, according to modernism, is something based not on facts but the interpretation of facts.

Modernism movement characterized by art. The works of artists considered as unique creations. Authors and artists were anxious about producing art and literary works. The language of modernism was transparent. It was a type of language having one to one relationship between the signifier and signified. Modernism focuses more on the writer and interiority of text. Modernism adopted traditional styles of poetry and verse, along with new literary forms and expressions. It also promoted experimental writing styles, such as the stream of consciousness and interior monologue.

What is Postmodernism?

The movement of postmodernism is the period after modernism. It started after the Second World War, but it became famous in the 1960s. Postmodernism has an irrational approach to things. It had an unscientific approach to life. It denied the logical thinking and logical ways of gaining knowledge. The postmodernism movement characterized by the field of technology, its advancement, and its use in different areas. The language of postmodernism is fluid and arbitrary. It was the type of communication that was rooted in power-knowledge relations.

In the postmodernist school of thought, the “self” is considered a myth. It supposed to be a composite of social experiences and cultural contexts. The concept of identity in postmodernism is fluid and performative. Identities are known to be the masks to perform our “selves” like actors on a stage. It rejected Western hegemonic values. It showed a significant influence on politics. The postmodern texts are simple and clear. However, postmodernism focuses more on the reader and exteriority of the text.

The main features of postmodernism include the ambivalent stance towards realism, the irony in narration, the use of new techniques in literature like metafiction, black humor, intertextuality, irony, and pastiche. Postmodernism tends to remove the difference between high and low. Postmodernism advocated the belief that there is no universal truth.

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