Abstract
Ihab Hassan is a pioneer and key figure in the theoretical debate on postmodernism in the late half of the twentieth Century. In a relative stagnant period of literary criticism theory, he surveys various types of pioneer literature, proposes for the first time the theory of postmodernism, and elaborates on the characteristics and theoretical implications of postmodernism. He extends the theory of postmodernism further to the fields of culture and philosophy, and with it his influence has also spread from the United States to Europe and other parts of the world. Hassan defines the fundamental characteristics of postmodernism as "indetermanence." After exploring the complex relationships of the continuity and discontinuity between modernism, avant garde and postmodernism, he puts forward the concept of "paracriticism." Hassan's contributions to the theory of postmodernism lie mainly in proposing, defining, propagating and practicing the theory of postmodernism.
First Page
50
Last Page
56
Recommended Citation
Mao, Juan. 2015. "Ihab Hassan: The Pioneer of the Theorization of Postmodernism." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 35, (4): pp.50-56. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol35/iss4/11
