[UA] Post-Modern...really?

[Ryan Fitch-Davis]

Well, 'post-modern' is one of those terms that is a lot like 
'post-impressionism'... being defined by being in consequence of something.

Modernism & modern art/poetry/fiction/bleah was about the alienating 
effects of industrialization, urbanization and the accelerating rate of 
societal change. We all experience alienation from the world, the 
isolation of being annother member of the faceless urban mob. The ideas 
of modernism simply are not that interesting any more, though it left us 
a legacy of artistic works that continue to resonate with our experience.

IMHO, 'post-modernism' has taken the issues of moderism and simply moved 
on. It tends to look for meaning in a universal sense, as contrasted 
with the extremely isolationist ideas of Deconstructionism. It's about 
'wierd for wierd's sake' in that it looks for the strange and mystical 
as clues to what's really going on. We know there are vast forces at 
work, changing the world we experience in ways we can neither predict or 
control, and possibly not comprehend. So the logical question to ask, 
and thus the area to explore, is "Why?"

The fictional genre of 'urban fantasy' is an perfect example of 
postmodernis asthetics. It's bringing the jungle back into the steel and 
concrete world of the city, finding the little corners where rationalist 
reality breaks down. It's about finding gods in a coffee shop, fairies 
in the empty lot next door, or about a secret subculture that consumes 
the memories of ghosts like drugs.

Some Examples:
/Twin Peaks/, /Lost Highway/ etc. by David Lynch.
   Strange and bizarre, but dripping with subtle interconnections with 
things unseen.
/American Gods/ by Neil Gaiman
/Destiny Turns On The Radio/ by... Terrantino? I know he's in it.
/House of Leaves/ by Danielewski.

In an interview about /Lost Highway/, Lynch said someting to the effect 
of "It may not make sense on an intellectual level, but it does on an 
intuitive level." It's wierd because it defies rationalism, and operates 
on different principals.

Unknown Armies is set in this sort of world, where the masses are 
ignorant of the forces that truly make things happen. A cityscape, bleak 
and cold that is filled with strnageness and magic if you go looking for 
it. A universe that is stranger than you think and possibly stranger 
than you can think.


Anyway, I'm sure the folks out on the list will find some errors 
above... I don't allways do my homework :) Also, this isn't some fixed 
piece but something that I wrote just sitting here, so don't expect it 
to hold up to real criticism.

Haroudo Xavier wrote:
> I made a lot of sense. Im scaried. :)
> 
> But, talking about it, i had studied a lot of PM cinema...and sure, UA has
> some characteristics, more on "what UA does", than at "UA itself". Still, i
> would like to have more basis on it. I "feel"it as a PM stuff, but can't
> really pin point what.
> 
> And talking about it...how is possible to classify UA magic concept? Or
> simple isnt? For someone that will not play or read the game, how you
> explain how the magick system, effects, way, etc, is different from other
> systems, effects, ways?
> 
> []s,
> 
> Haroudo Xavier
> 
> "I like a man who grins when he fights"
> Winston Churchill
> 
> "Satellite from days of old, lead me to your access code!"
>  Ed, Cowboy Bebop
> 
> "Omnia Mutantir, Nihil Interit"
> Neil Gaiman, Sandman 75
> 
> I have nothing to offer but
> blood, toil, tears, and sweat.
> W. Churchill, XXth century
> 
> In a mixed ship, the last thing a trooper hears before a drop (maybe the
> last
> word he ever hears) is a woman's voice, wishing him luck. If you don't think
> this is important, you've probably resigned from the human race.
> - Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Greg Stolze <holycrow at mindspring.com>
> To: <ua at lists.uchicago.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 11:47 AM
> Subject: Re: [UA] Post-Modern...really?
> 
> 
> 
>>>Hi Everyone,
>>>
>>>Someone just mentioned Mage was a "modern" RPG game. What makes UA a
>>>Post-Modern one?
>>
>>Perhaps its postmodern because it not only doesn't take itself completely
>>seriously, it doesn't take the idea of "taking things seriously"
> 
> completely
> 
>>seriously.  Howevever, it DOES take the idea of not taking the idea of
>>taking things seriously seriously -- VERY seriously, in fact.
>>
>>[[ACTIVATE JEFF FOXWORTHY MODE]]
>>
>>And if the preceding paragraph made sense to you... you just might be...
>>postmodern.
>>
>>[[RETURN JEFF FOXWORTHY MODE TO STANDBY]]
>>
>>-G.
>>
>>Or you could just use "The Simpsons" definition of postmodern -- "Weird
> 
> for
> 
>>the sake of weird."
>>
>>Living with a toddler?  Well, I guess it's not that much different from
> 
> any
> 
>>other room mate who thinks that squatting naked on the kitchen floor
> 
> eating
> 
>>pretzel sticks is a good way to start the morning.
>>
>>Oh wait.  It is different.
>>
>>www.waylay.com
>>www.thehungersite.com
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>UA mailing list
>>UA at lists.uchicago.edu
>>http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua
>>
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Run down by the drunken taxicabs of Absolute Reality.

sithriel at earthlink.net


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