I find Jameson's discussion of schizophrenia very interesting. He highlights the notions of Lacan on his emphasis of the relationship of schizophrenia as one of postmodernism's privative features. Lacan's view is that meaning is not based on a "one-to-one relationship between signifier and signified," but rather, "is generated by the movement from signifier to signifier" (26). It is when this breaks down that schizophrenia arises, however, Jameson brings up examples of how this disjointedness can function as the prime aesthetic aspect of certain works.
This leads to the poem example which ultimately shows how meaning can reside outside of language, not within, which was a thought that was very compelling to me. He concludes this segment by addressing the positive elements of this characteristic which is expressed with his idea of how the type of thinking where "difference relates," is something that can push us into new modes of thinking.
I think that the example of the positive conceptions of difference actually works to further exemplify Jameson's belief that meaning and feelings will be lost in our society. The example of looking at multiple screens simultaneously instead of individually loses a sense of focus, as one is encouraged to take in a lot of images without really scrutinizing, or understanding any particular one.
The parallel of postmodernism to schizophrenia has always intrigued me. The schizophrenic lacks the ability to understand his or her identity and thus lead a very fragmented and timeless existence. This is exactly how Harvey describes the characters in postmodern fiction. The protagonsits in "White Noise" and several postmodern films operate in schizophrenic ways. Sorry to bring up "Fight Club" again, but Edward Norton's character, who is not even given a name (the simplest form of identification), clearly suffers from schizophrenia. Once Norton's schizophrenic creation enters his life, his eyes are opened to the postmodern world he inhabits. He adapts the postmodern thinking while his imagined reality intensifies. Another postmodern film that idealizes the madman is "12 Monkeys." Brad Pitt's character, who I believe is a schizophrenic, is the only one who predicts that if humans keep screwing with nature, the animals will eventually take over. And that is exactly what happens. So what I am wondering is whether Jameson and other postmodern authors believes that schizophrencis perhaps have the clearest grasp on reality. If we are living in a schizophrenic world, aren't the schizophrenics the ones who will persevere?