Structuralism, Post-structuralism, Modernism, Post-modernism and Zeitgeist.

STRUCTURALISM:

Structuralism is the method of interpretation and analysis of aspects of human cognition,behaviour, cultural and experience,which mainly focuses on relationship of constract  between some elements in a conceptual system. It considers the structures between some signs to be more important than what a sign may mean on its own. Structuralism gives a wide range of discourses that study underlying structures of significance. They can occur whenever the meaningful events or practice or action takes place. Struturalists beleive that if readers don't understand the signs,they may misread a text. Also they beleive that every system has its own structures and that structures are the 'real things' that lie beneath 'the surface' or the appearance of meaning.

Structuralism is an orderly system of the linguistic medium. It used to think and to perceive. Meaning are attributed to things by human mind, those are not contained within them. Struturalist approach takes one further away from the text-from specific to general. In the struturalist approach to literature there is a constant movement away from the interpretation of the individual literary work and a parallel drive towards understanding the larger, abstract structures which certain them. Deconstruction arose as a response to structuralism and formalism. 

POST STRUCTURALISM:

Post-structuralism is the intellectual movement that emerged in philosophy and the humanities in the 1960's  and  1970's. It's on deconstruction.

Impossible to construct laws of interaction and social order. Post-structuralism is a late 20th century movement in opposition to the structuralism. 

The fire of this new movement was first ignited by Jacques Derrida in 1966 when he delivered a lecture on "Structure, sign and play" in an international symposium. In this lecture Derrida exposed the problems of structuralism. After Derrida's lecture on "Structure,sign and play" in 1966, the fire of the constructionism and post-structuralism approach to literature became stronger when he published three game-changing, revolutionary books in 1967. To understand this theory of post-structuralism or deconstruction,we need to have a look at the major traits of this theory.

1. Meaning is not fixed.

2. Philosophy of absence.

3. No binary opposition.

4. Writing is superior to speech.

5. No relationship between 'signifier and signifier.

In nutshell,we may summarize the whole discussion by saying that post-structuralism was a philosophical reaction against structuralism. It began with Derrida's lecture an 'Structure ,sign and play' in 1966. In simple words, reality is texted,not achieving any knowledge through language. It is use to deconstruct a text.

MODERNISM:

According to M.H.Abrams, "The term 'Modernism' is widely used to identify new and distinctive features in the subjects,forms,concepts and style of literature and other art in the early decades of the present century ". Modernism is an artistic and cultural movement that flourished in the first decades of the 20th century,about the time of WWL. It is a cultural trend. Modernist writers believed that the traditional social, religious,and political order had broken down. The guiding principles of the movement were ,

1. A break from old tradition.

2. Continued advancement.

3. And, the fact that art should be valued for being art.

It emphasis on bold experimentation in style and form  to represent the fragmentation of society. Some elements of modernisms are rejection of traditional themes and subjects, disillusionment and loss of faith in the American dream. Rejection of the ideal hero, interest in the inner workings of the human mind. Modernism argued for cultural relativism. And beleived that people make their own meaning in the world. It rejects rationalism, which is the theoretical base of realism. It also rejects the source of Realism,i.e,the external ,material and objective world. Almost it rejects all the traditional elements in literature. It includes the progressive art and architecture music, literature and design.

POST MODERNISM:

Post-modernism is a late-20th century movement in the arts, architecture and criticism that was a departure from modernism. It is a state of affairs in society. 

A set of ideas which tries to define this state of affairs are said to be post-modernism. It's an artistic style or approach to the making of things. It was originally a reaction to modernism. It is hard to define and it is a complicated term. Difficult to be located temporarily or historically. People are finite and limited in a particular space and time. There is no way to have access to objective truth. There is no possibility to really know anything completely. It is concept that appears in a wide variety of disciplines or areas of study. To start thinking about post-modernism is easier that to think about modernism. In post-modernism people are finite and limited in a particular space and time. It  also a concept that appears in a wide variety of disciplines or areas of study. 

Original its a reaction to modernism, referring to the lack of  artistic, intellectual or cultural though or organised principle. Post-modernism believed that realities are subject to change,and that apparent realities are actually social constructs which limit individuals.

ZEITGEIST:

The Zeitgeist is a point of view or set of opinion that is held by a lot of people at one time. It is the spirit characteristics of an age or generation.

And also the spirit of the time,the spirit characteristics of an age or generation.

Every December, time magazine attempts to capture the Zeitgeist of an entire year in a single magazine issue on TIME. The Zeitgeist of the year  preceding the war was a desire for isolation since no one wanted to get involved in an international crisis. The fashion designers new line takes us on a reflective journey through the Zeitgeist of the 1930's. The classic book about slavery depicts the Zeitgeist of an era in which men felt entitled to own other men as property. 

There is the compounded of two German nouns ' tight time' and ' geist the spirit ' so it means the spirit of the age generally speaking almost specific tendency that we see or drive in our own time. This seems to epitomize our own age. More specifically the particular trend we perceive in our own time, something that stands out is typical in our time or something that is the craze as it were at the movement which could be for instance and the current age could be the use of the internet for communication would be certainly part at the Zeitgeist of the current period.