TV: Postmodernism & Deutschland 83
Read factsheet #54 and answer the following questions:
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)?
2) What is Fredric Jameson's idea of 'historical deafness'? How can the idea of 'historical deafness' be applied to Deutschland 83?
Jameson argues that as mediaization increases the sense of historical context is lost. History is reduced to what the media has to say about it. This links with Deutschland 83 as this drama is about the events that happened in Germany in 1983. They appear to be real to an audience and we believe the facts we are told but not all of them are true.
3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'?
Style over substance refers to the fact that contemporary society places more value on appearances rather than function. Good looks are favoured more than intelligence and talent, entertainment and diversion is favoured more than world affairs.
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?
Usually, high art (opera, theatre, visual arts) are meant and aimed for the elite and rich demographic, while low art/popular culture (pop music, advertising) is intended for the masses. However, recently there has been a mixing of high art and low art and the line between them is becoming thinner.
This can be applied to Deutschland 83 because of the differences between West Germany and East Germany. East Germany was the poorer and less developed side but they still tried to bring high culture in their life (e.g. when the two boys tried smuggling Shakespeare books from the West in to the East). Furthermore, the West side is where high culture was dominant. Even so, they still used popular culture (e.g. the use of pop music in the supermarket)
5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83?
Bricolage is the term used when referring to the idea of mixing references. Examples of bricolage in Deutschland 83 are mentioned above.
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.
The audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 include, diversion, personal identity, personal relationships and surveillance. The fact that Deutschland 83 isn't a grand narrative (as it doesn't attempt to explain the way the world is and the way it should be), is a reason for its appeal. However, it does try to make the world better which is a reason many people enjoy the drama. Furthermore, Deutschland 83 contains classical structures and representations. For example, the main character is a male who is deemed as the 'perfect man' because he is a strong, intelligent soldier. We can also apply Todorov's theory of equilibrium to the narrative of Deutschland 83.
7) Read the analysis of media concepts and postmodern approaches on page 3 of the factsheet. Choose three of the concepts and write an example from Deutschland 83. Clue: genre, representation, ideology and audience would all be good options for this task.
Genre- Deutschland 83 presents a conventional approach to genre. The men are represented as being strong and the heroes, while the women have a less dominant role. However, we could argue that women have some authority as it was Martin's aunt who had the idea of using him to go under cover.
Ideology- In Deutschland 83, a postmodern approach of ideology is presented. Although Martin is supposed to be the hero and is the 'good' character, he and his accomplices can be seen doing 'evil' things. For example, they killed the real Moritz Stamm.
Audience 2- Deutschland 83 offers a postmodern approach in the way the narrative is structured. A conventional media text is expected to provide comfort and reassurance for the largely passive audience. However, Deutschland 83 challenges and questions expectations and values. The audience is not given a happy ending straightaway, they are required to actively engage with the drama before reaching a conclusion.
8) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning?
Deutschland 83 demonstrates aspects of the postmodern by blurring the line between 'good' and 'evil' and by creating a narrative that is more complicated than a simple 'good will win'.
9) Which key scenes from Deutschland 83 best provide examples of postmodernism? Why?
The scene where Martin learns how to be a spy is probably the best example of postmodernism. It really shows how Martin is getting in to character, therefore breaking down the distinction between culture and society. It uses fast pace editing and bricolage, therefore creating confusion of time and space.
10) Why might audiences enjoy the postmodern aspects of Deutschland 83? What audience pleasures might elements of bricolage or pastiche provide viewers?
Audiences might enjoy these postmodern aspects of the drama because they are different. Bricolage and pastiche provide audiences with a fun and exciting images that includes their favourite music, for example, as it is a mixture of high and low culture.
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 actor Sacha Baron Cohen is more well known by his characters (Bruno and Borat) than himself as an actor. Society views his characters as real people and he is only ever interviewed in character.
- In the X factor, contestants perform songs of cover versions.
Jameson argues that as mediaization increases the sense of historical context is lost. History is reduced to what the media has to say about it. This links with Deutschland 83 as this drama is about the events that happened in Germany in 1983. They appear to be real to an audience and we believe the facts we are told but not all of them are true.
3) What examples and theories are provided for the idea of 'style over substance'?
Style over substance refers to the fact that contemporary society places more value on appearances rather than function. Good looks are favoured more than intelligence and talent, entertainment and diversion is favoured more than world affairs.
- The branding of a product will result in people paying so much more for the product than it deserves.
- Reality TV shows have led to many people becoming famous just because they are famous, they don't have any real talents.
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?
Usually, high art (opera, theatre, visual arts) are meant and aimed for the elite and rich demographic, while low art/popular culture (pop music, advertising) is intended for the masses. However, recently there has been a mixing of high art and low art and the line between them is becoming thinner.
- Andy Warhol created multi-coloured prints of the Mona Lisa (high art) and Campbell’s soup cans (low art)
- Pop music (low art) often samples classical music (high art)
- Advertising (low art) often makes reference to visual art (high art) or uses classical music (high art) to help sell its products
This can be applied to Deutschland 83 because of the differences between West Germany and East Germany. East Germany was the poorer and less developed side but they still tried to bring high culture in their life (e.g. when the two boys tried smuggling Shakespeare books from the West in to the East). Furthermore, the West side is where high culture was dominant. Even so, they still used popular culture (e.g. the use of pop music in the supermarket)
5) What is bricolage? What examples of bricolage can be found in Deutschland 83?
Bricolage is the term used when referring to the idea of mixing references. Examples of bricolage in Deutschland 83 are mentioned above.
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.
The audience pleasures of Deutschland 83 include, diversion, personal identity, personal relationships and surveillance. The fact that Deutschland 83 isn't a grand narrative (as it doesn't attempt to explain the way the world is and the way it should be), is a reason for its appeal. However, it does try to make the world better which is a reason many people enjoy the drama. Furthermore, Deutschland 83 contains classical structures and representations. For example, the main character is a male who is deemed as the 'perfect man' because he is a strong, intelligent soldier. We can also apply Todorov's theory of equilibrium to the narrative of Deutschland 83.
7) Read the analysis of media concepts and postmodern approaches on page 3 of the factsheet. Choose three of the concepts and write an example from Deutschland 83. Clue: genre, representation, ideology and audience would all be good options for this task.
Genre- Deutschland 83 presents a conventional approach to genre. The men are represented as being strong and the heroes, while the women have a less dominant role. However, we could argue that women have some authority as it was Martin's aunt who had the idea of using him to go under cover.
Ideology- In Deutschland 83, a postmodern approach of ideology is presented. Although Martin is supposed to be the hero and is the 'good' character, he and his accomplices can be seen doing 'evil' things. For example, they killed the real Moritz Stamm.
Audience 2- Deutschland 83 offers a postmodern approach in the way the narrative is structured. A conventional media text is expected to provide comfort and reassurance for the largely passive audience. However, Deutschland 83 challenges and questions expectations and values. The audience is not given a happy ending straightaway, they are required to actively engage with the drama before reaching a conclusion.
8) Now look at page 4 of the factsheet. How does Deutschland 83 demonstrate aspects of the postmodern in its construction and ideological positioning?
Deutschland 83 demonstrates aspects of the postmodern by blurring the line between 'good' and 'evil' and by creating a narrative that is more complicated than a simple 'good will win'.
9) Which key scenes from Deutschland 83 best provide examples of postmodernism? Why?
The scene where Martin learns how to be a spy is probably the best example of postmodernism. It really shows how Martin is getting in to character, therefore breaking down the distinction between culture and society. It uses fast pace editing and bricolage, therefore creating confusion of time and space.
10) Why might audiences enjoy the postmodern aspects of Deutschland 83? What audience pleasures might elements of bricolage or pastiche provide viewers?
Audiences might enjoy these postmodern aspects of the drama because they are different. Bricolage and pastiche provide audiences with a fun and exciting images that includes their favourite music, for example, as it is a mixture of high and low culture.
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