--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The postmodern reply to the modern…" description: "\"The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg" --- # The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing… ![“The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence, must be revisited: but with irony, not innocently. I think of the postmodern attitude as that of a man who loves a very cultivated woman and…” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg) > “The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence, must be revisited: but with irony, not innocently. I think of the postmodern attitude as that of a man who loves a very cultivated woman and knows he cannot say to her, I love you madly, because he knows that she knows (and that she knows that he knows) that these words have already been written by Barbara Cartland. Still, there is a solution. He can say, As Barbara Cartland would put it, I love you madly.” [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Postmodernism revisits the past with irony, recognizing that any declaration of love is already scripted; yet one can still express affection by quoting past tropes. **In simple terms:** Irony revisits past, yet love can be quoted. Key Takeaway Irony allows engagement with history without naïveté. Themes postmodernism irony literature love Mood playful intellectual Type philosophical essay When to use this quote - Academic discourse on canon - Romantic gestures in literature - Marketing using nostalgic references Key Concepts intertextuality meta‑narrative Practical Applications - Use ironic references to connect with audiences - Teach students to recognize intertextual layers Questions to Reflect On - Does quoting past love language diminish authenticity? - How can irony coexist with genuine emotion? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on irony can render sincere expression meaningless. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Modernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modernism/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Post modernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/post-modernism/) [Postmodern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postmodern/) [Postmodernism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postmodernism/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I think of the postmodern attitude as that of a man who loves a very cultivated woman and knows that he cannot say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-of-the-postmodern-attitude-as-that-of-a-man-who-loves-a-very/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“This, of course, is because today’s postfeminist era is also today’s postmodern era, in which supposedly everybody now knows everything about what’s really going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/this-of-course-is-because-today-s-postfeminist-era-is-also-today-s/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Amusing and perfectly self-conscious charlatans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/amusing-and-perfectly-self-conscious-charlatans/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Life has no meaning a priori… It is up to you to give it a meaning, and value is nothing but the meaning that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/life-has-no-meaning-a-priori-it-is-up-to-you-to-give-it-a-meaning-and/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Isn't post-modernism really one big cover-up for the failure of the French to write a truly interesting novel ever since a sports car ate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leonard/isn-t-post-modernism-really-one-big-cover-up-for-the-failure-of-the/) [John Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leonard/) > [Post-Modernism was a reaction against Modernism. It came quite early to music and literature, and a little later to architecture. And I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wall/post-modernism-was-a-reaction-against-modernism-it-came-quite-early/) [Larry Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wall/) > [I used to be called a post-modern clown. But now, post-modernism is a quaint notion, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-irwin/i-used-to-be-called-a-post-modern-clown-but-now-post-modernism-is-a/) [Bill Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-irwin/) > [Postmodernism was a reaction to modernism. Where modernism was about objectivity, postmodernism was about subjectivity. Where modernism sought a singular truth, postmodernism sought the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/postmodernism-was-a-reaction-to-modernism-where-modernism-was-about/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) > [Post-modernism has cut off the present from all futures. The daily media add to this by cutting off the past. Which means that critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/post-modernism-has-cut-off-the-present-from-all-futures-the-daily/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [“You too, you took an interest in the world. That was long ago. I want you to cast your mind back to then. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/you-too-you-took-an-interest-in-the-world-that-was-long-ago-i-want/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“I argue that three key doctrines of postmodernist thought have conspired to discredit the classical concept of ideology. The first of these doctrines turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/i-argue-that-three-key-doctrines-of-postmodernist-thought-have/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [“Peter Drucker suggested the transformation into a post-modern world happened between 1937 and 1957 (when he was writing). He described an as yet "nameless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wikipedia/peter-drucker-suggested-the-transformation-into-a-post-modern-world/) [Wikipedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wikipedia/) > [“The dominant theories of elite art and criticism in the 20th century grew out of a militant denial of human nature. One legacy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-dominant-theories-of-elite-art-and-criticism-in-the-20th-century/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“A Harvey Nicks chick with throwaway morals and a trustfund appetite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saira-viola/a-harvey-nicks-chick-with-throwaway-morals-and-a-trustfund-appetite/) [Saira Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saira-viola/) > [“We need a visible past, a visible continuum, a visible myth of origin to reassure us as to our ends, since ultimately we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/we-need-a-visible-past-a-visible-continuum-a-visible-myth-of-origin/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) ## More by Umberto Eco > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) [Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) Isaiah Harden (Me > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) Sheye Hassan > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be destroyed, because its destruction leads to silence, must be revisited: but with irony, not innocently. I think of the postmodern attitude as that of a man who loves a very cultivated woman and knows he cannot say to her, I love you madly, because he knows that she knows (and that she knows that he knows) that these words have already been written by Barbara Cartland. Still, there is a solution. He can say, As Barbara Cartland would put it, I love you madly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Umberto Eco" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consists-of-recognizing-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consists-of-recognizing-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f19/umberto-eco-313_attitude_the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consi_97376.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The postmodern reply to the modern consists of recognizing that the past, since it cannot really be…” — Umberto Eco", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Umberto Eco", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The postmodern reply to the modern...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consists-of-recognizing-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-postmodern-reply-to-the-modern-consists-of-recognizing-that-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```