The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism (Routledge Companions)

What is 'deconstruction'? What authors are considered 'postmodern novelists'? The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism combines a series of fourteen in-depth background chapters with a body of A-Z entries to create an authoritative, yet readable guide to the complex world of postmodernism. Following full-length articles on postmodernism and philosophy, politics, feminism, lifestyles, television, and other postmodern essentials, readers will find a wide range of alphabetically-organized entries on the people, terms and theories connected with postmodernism, including: Peter Ackroyd; Jean Baudrillard; Chaos Theory; Death of the Author; Desire; Fractals; Michel Foucault; Frankfurt School; Generation X; Minimalism; Poststructuralism; Retro; Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak; and Trans-avant-garde. Students interested in any aspect of postmodernist thought will find this an indispensable resource. "Recent years have witnessed radical changes in our social and political existence, with traditional ideas and ways of living increasingly being called into question. Such questioning has led to a crisis of authority that goes under the general name of postmodernism. But what does this word mean and why is it so important? The Routledge Companion to Postmodernism provides all the answers you need. It is an accessible and comprehensive survey of the intellectual developments that have brought about a wholesale shift in cultural perspectives. Combining detailed essays, written by experts in the subject, with an invaluable A-Z guide to 'who's who' and 'what's what' in postmodernism, this is the guide to a phenomenon that has shaped today's world."--Jacket The book is a reference resource to combine the complex and closely related fields of semiotics and linguistics. Ten essays cover the following concepts: abduction, code, grapheme, modelling, philology and syntax. It also focuses on theories and schools, including American structuralism, pragmatism and the Prague School This reference combines the complex and closely-related fields of semiotics and linguistics. The book has 10 introductory essays and over 200 A-Z entries which cover key concepts, key individuals and key theories and schools in the field. The Routledge Companion to Semiotics and Linguistics opens up the world of semiotics and linguistics for newcomers to the discipline, and provides a useful ready-reference for the more advanced student. Philosophy, particularly the recent French philosophical tradition, has been both a prime site for debate about postmodernism and a source of many of the theories of what constitutes postmodernism.