The object of this study is the condition of knowledge in
the most highly developed societies. I have decided to use
the word postmodern to describe that condition. The word
is in current use on the American continent among
sociologies and critics; it designates the state of our
culture following the transformations which, since the end
of the nineteenth century, have altered the game rules for
science, literature, and the arts. The present study will
place these transformations in the context of the crisis of
narratives.