A seminal text for anyone interested in postmodern culture, 11 Sep 2001

Whether postmodernism is a 'good thing' or a 'bad thing', whether it is something to be embraced or contested, whether it is already passe or if it even ever existed (!) are questions that have preoccupied many people and are still yet to be answered (or are never to be answered, for fervent adherents to the 'movement'). Partly this had to do with a certain amount of confusion surrounding the term; but this confusion is not necessarily part of the term itself, it has also to do with a lot of critical excesses and theoretical gibberish that have been noted in the area. You will not find that Linda Hutcheon's book.

What is especially distinctive about Hutcheon's position is that it is very clearly defined - something which is really important in an area such as postmodernism - although some postmodernists might deny even that! But Hutcheon does know where she stands, she builds her argument very carefully, contextualises it with regard to previous literature, and applies it effectively to texts she treats as postmodernist.

Some might disagree with Hutcheon's orientation, in that she follows a strong Marxist path throughout her book. But to have a specific orientation was never a minus, and whether one agrees with Hutcheon in that is purely a matter of personal attitude.

It is a book highly recommendable for anyone interested in the study of postmodernism.

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