POSTMODERNISM AND DEUTSCHLND 83

Media Magazine - A Postmodern Re-imagining of the Past

1) What were the classic media representations of the Cold War?

- Representations often fit a stereotypical binary "good vs evil".

2) Why does Deutschland 83 provide a particularly good example for postmodern analysis? 

- The communist East is presented as grey and stark with no billboards, culture or entertainment, whereas the capitalist West is a world of department stores, restaurants and cars.

3) Pick out some of the aspects of the opening of episode 1 and explain why they are significant.

- A woman is listening to US president Ronald Reagan talks "Evil Empire" speech on television set. This intertextual footage with it's message to "pray" for those who live in "totalitarian darkness" creates ambiguity. 

4) How does the party scene at Martin's mum's house subvert stereotypes of East Germany in the Cold War?

- they are enjoying themselves in the east side despite the west being more privileged. 

5) What aspects of the episode set in West Germany offer postmodern elements? 

- andy warhole posters.

6) Finally, how does the article apply postmodern theory to Deutschland 83 and link it to the potential target audience?

- We cannot know for certain how Eastern and Western Europeans behaved during this time – what we are seeing is only a reimagining and one that is influenced by the present. According to postmodern theorist Baudrillard, Simulacra reveal that there is no fixed, absolute truth; and Deutschland 83 certainly challenges our preconceptions of this period of history.

Postmodernism Factsheet

1) Read the section on Strinati's five ways to define postmodernity. What examples are provided of the breakdown of the distinction between culture and society (media-isation)?

-  The characters Bruno and Borat have more ‘reality’ for film audiences than their creator Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen’s films rely on the fact that the characters he creates are seen as ‘real’ people and he is able to get away with saying and doing things that a ‘real’ person could not. Cohen is only ever interviewed ‘in character’ so his creations have a voice but he does not.

2) What is Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness'? How can the idea of 'historical deafness' be applied to Deutschland 83?

- He argues that as mediaization increases so the culture finds itself losing a sense of historical context.

3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'?

- Paris Hilton and John and Edward.

4) What examples from music are provided for the breakdown of the distinction between art and popular culture? Can this be applied to Deutschland 83?

- Da Vinci's The Last Supper in Lego.

5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83?

- Bricolage refers to the process of adapting and juxtaposing old and new texts, images, ideas or narratives to produce whole new meanings.

6) How can the audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 be linked to postmodernism? Read 'The decline of meta-narratives' and 'Media texts and the postmodern' to help answer this.

-  Postmodernism denies there can be any single truths/realities as most of our cultural understanding is based on the personal interpretations we make from the media representations that dominate our culture, therefore grand narratives are too simplistic and too narrow in their approach.

- Audiences still respond positively to classical structures and representations as they are more familiar and more reassuring.

7) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning?

- they use hyper reality to do this.

8) Which key scenes from Deutschland 83 best provide examples of postmodernism? Why?

- andy warhole