Blog #8 Alexa Velasco
Post modern is said to be a different way of thinking, stepping away from natural traditions and gaining new aspects of survive and living. A world where science is our best friend rather than relying on much more traditional ways such as, our hands and fit to get help us outlive our existence. Transforming our ability and knowledge of what we used to know and gaining new knowledge to create a more efficient way of living. The new hit science fiction show; One Upon a Time, is the perfect example of this. The show represents both modern and postmodern characteristics through their problems and characters, both fictional and non fictional,
Based on fairy tales, the town of Storybrooke has been living under a curse, a curse where they are oblivious to their real identities and forced to live in a modern world, our world. As with any fair tale comes its happy ending. As the curse is lifted and spirits are high, they are still forced to live in the modern world, which results in the people of Storybrooke adapting to their old lives, and “modern lives” surviving and finding a way back home. Tales such as Snow White and the 7 dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood and even Jack and the Bean Stock are ripped of their true identities and replaced as modernize citizens. They are forced to live as we do, using cars as transportations instead of horse and carriage. Having preserved foods rather than hunting their fests. Their transformation from their reality into ours is one of the positions of what postmodernism talks about. Having images take it’s place of what their truth looks like. In the show, the evil witch the mayor of the town of Storybrooke and rules the land, just like in the fairy tale. She manipulates her roll as mayor thinking she can still rule her land even though she is really in the modern world. Or how Mr. Gold (really Rumplestiskin) still makes deals with people gaining whatever he wants. They both use their knowledge of what used to be their life in their new life to adapt to their new way of living. These images, mayor and power, are their images of their old life but transformed into a way where they can only see it or remember their past.
This show doesn’t display either post or non-post modernism but both post modernism and non-post modernism by simply transforming knowledge from both worlds and using them to survive. The show displays both worlds and taking the fairy tale stories and transforming them to modern day situations; such as when the evil queen attempts to kill Snow White with a poison apple. In the modern word (Storybrooke), The mayor takes the some recipe and tries to kill someone with a poison pastry. Post modernity is shown through adapting to their new lives in Storybrooke and non-post modernity is displayed when their fair tales are re told through their modern lives. This science fiction shows both ways of living. Once Upon a Time displays both worlds where the characters, Snow White, the Evil Queen, Pinocchio, Mulan, Jack and the Bean Stock, just to name a few. These characters were developed into more modernized characters such as doctors, schoolteachers, a mayor, a caretaker, and a inn keeper. Thus showing both modern and post-modernism.