WHAT IS POSTMODERNISM?

From "Planet Simpson" By Chris Turner:

First, the incidental gag. It's nothing more than some set-dressing for Episode 9F11 (Selma's Choice), a background detail as the Simpsons stop for a quick bite to eat on their way to the funeral of Marge's Aunt Gladys. As they pull up to the restaurant, we catch a glimpse of a sign that reads: The Buzzing Sign Diner. The lettering is neon; the sign is buzzing. The gag is built on the hoary cliché of old-time Hollywood that every grimy diner has a run-down, buzzing neon sign out front. The sign's message refers to its own condition, and that condition refers to a phenomenon that's a stereotypical element of old movies. It's a deconstruction of a deconstruction of a cliché. This incidental detail serves as a concise, workable summary of what's meant by the term 'postmodern.'

I believe that by blogging this item, it is now terminally self-referential.