Phantoms of War in Contemporary German Literature, Films and Discourse The Politics of Memory

by Fuchs, Anne

• ISBN13: 9780230554054
• ISBN10: 0230554059
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-02-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Phantoms of War in Contemporary German Literature, Films and Discourseoffers an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of fundamental shifts in German cultural memory. Focusing on the resurgence of family stories in fiction, autobiography and in film, this study challenges the institutional boundaries of Germany's memory culture that have guided and arguably limited German identity debates. Essays on contemporary German literature are complemented by explorations of heritage films and museum discourse. Together these essays put forward a compelling theory of family narratives and a critical evaluation of generational discourse.

Author Biography

ANNE FUCHS is Professor of Modern German Literature and Culture at University College Dublin, Ireland. She is author of the acclaimed monograph Die Schmerzensspuren der Geschichte: Zur Poetik der Erinnerung in W. G. Sebalds Prosa (2004) and co-editor (with Mary Cosgrove and Georg Grote) of German Memory Contests (2006).

Table of Contents

Introduction

Family Narratives between Vernacular and Official Memory

Generational Conflict and Masculinity inVäterliteratur

Family Narratives and Postmemory: Günter Grass's

Spione Heimat and Territory in Thomas Medicus's

Ein unsichtbares Land Narrating Resistance to the Third Reich: Museum Discourse, Autobiography, Fiction and Film

Hitler Youth Autobiographies: Günter Grass'sBeim Häuten der Zwiebeland Joachim Fest'sIch nicht

Epilogue: Germany's Threshold Culture

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