Postmodernism has been a buzzword in contemporary society for the last decade. But how can it be defined? In this Very Short Introduction Christopher Butler challenges and explores the key ideas of postmodernists, and their engagement with theory, literature, the visual arts, film, architecture, and music. He treats artists, intellectuals, critics, and social scientists `as if they were all members of a loosely constituted and quarrelsome political party` - a party which includes such members as Cindy Sherman, Salman Rushdie, Jacques Derrida, Walter Abish, and Richard Rorty - creating a vastly entertaining framework in which to unravel the mysteries of the `postmodern condition`, from the politicizing of museum culture to the cult of the politically correct.

Table of Contents:
1: The rise of postmodernism
2: New ways of seeing the world
3: Politics and identity
4: The culture of postmodernism
5: The `postmodern condition`
References
Further reading
Index

Author Information:
Christopher Butler, Professor of English Literature and a Fellow of Christ Church College, Oxford University