Postmodernism: Nostalgia and Non-Linear Narrative

Lesson Objective

To explore nostalgia and non-linear narrative media text as a sign of postmodernism.

What is meant by the term nostalgia?

Nostalgia

a sentimental or wistful affection for a period in the past.

Using remakes and a glossy positive memory of the past to create distracting entertainment from contemporary times.

Mad Men

Recycling images of the past According to Denzin, postmodernism

“encourages a masculinized culture...and continues to argue that the path to happiness and fulfillment is sexual and lies in the marital, family bond. “

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfuMhXcLa-Q

Other examples include

The Artist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK7pfLlsUQM

Oz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DylgNj4YQVc

Frederic Jameson: “The Postmodern Nostalgia Film” Frederic Jameson argues that the

“postmodern nostalgia film” represents the commodification of history.

Postmodernism, he asserts, is “the cultural dominant” of late or multinational capitalism

Read and summarise the article

Non Linear Narratives

Breaking up the rules of narrative, starting at the end, jumping around in time or even making a film run backwards to create something new. MANIPULATION OF TIME AND SPACE.

Examples of Non-Linear Narratives

500 Days of Summer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-xJ15AN9ts The prominent postmodern feature of this film is its fragmented timeline. It starts where it ends and everything in the middle is all jumbled up. The film jumps from one day at the beginning of the relationship to a day near the end, and so on and so forth telling the story of Tom and Summer, mostly though, Tom’s love for Summer.

Momento Slumdog Millionaire

Example: http://vimeo.com/64192749

Task

Write your own treatment for a nonlinear narrative short.

Distort the time line of the film so the the beginning, middle and end are jumbled up.