Postmodernism & Deutschland 83: blog tasks

Media Magazine - A Postmodern Reimagining of the Past

Media Magazine 73 has a feature exploring Deutschland 83 as a postmodern media product. Read ‘Deutschland 83 - A Postmodern Reimagining of the Past’ in MM73  (p18). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here - remember you'll need your Greenford Google login to access. Answer the following questions:

What were the classic media representations of the Cold War?

The traditional media portrayals of Germany during the Cold War frequently adhered to a binary 'good vs. evil' paradigm. A number of spy-themed films and media works have been inspired by the Cold War, the period of hostility and tension between the Soviet Union and the West from 1945 to 1990. Through codes and conventions, these texts frequently portray the East and West as binary opposites. The communist East is depicted as being stark and grey, devoid of billboards, culture, or entertainment, and with severe restrictions on citizens' freedom of movement and access to specific foods (such as coffee and bananas). In contrast, the capitalist West is a place where there are malls, eateries, cars, pop culture, entertainment, and freedom of movement.

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

Deutschland 83 is an example of a text that reimagines the past by blurring the established views of the Cold War through a postmodern treatment. Postmodernism is characterised by the self-conscious use of historical styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, including the playful use of intertextuality, blending of fact, fiction and genre hybridisation, pastiche, parody and irony. Therefore, for Media Studies students Deutschland 83 is a particularly good starting point for an analysis of postmodern treatments.

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

The setting is the 'East German Diplomatic mission' in 1983, which is located in Bonn, West Germany. Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" speech is being watched on television by a woman. With its call to "pray" for those who live in "totalitarian darkness," this intertextual footage raises questions. In his speech, Reagan refers to the "quiet men" who plan and carry out this "greatest evil" in "carpeted, well-lit offices." Cut to two young actors in East Berlin being questioned after purchasing some Shakespeare plays on the black market. 

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

The most revealing scene is probably the party scene at Martin's house after he returns from leave in East Germany. In a sunny garden setting, Martin appears and greets the family. The Cold War protest song "99 Luftballoons," which is also played in the West German barracks, is being sung and danced to by young people in the living room, including his girlfriend Annett. This scene reimagines how the East is perceived, moving beyond the agents of the oppressive state to the humanity, concern, and love of regular family and friends. In contrast to Lenora, who represents the callous, manipulative officialdom that is more stereotypically present in representations of East Germany, the vibrant youth camaraderie, anthemic rock music, and positivity.

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

The idea of breaking down distinctions between high and low art and incorporating elements of popular culture is key to a postmodern treatment. Martin’s first glimpse of West Germany connotes western opulence – a chandelier, the lavishly colourful images of Gustav Klimt’s painting ‘The Kiss’ strategically placed within the wide shot. However, Martin’s first taste of western consumerism, in the supermarket scene is playfully underscored by the Eurythmics 1980’s pop song ‘Sweet Dreams are Made of This’ as Martin wonders at the volume and choice of products available in the West.

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

The fact that our protagonist is a communist who is being used by his own side ultimately proves that this text is appealing to a post-unification audience who are willing to question established Cold War versions of "reality." With his theories of "Simulacra," or representations that show things that have no original, Jean Baudrillard is a significant theorist at the A level. We are only seeing a reimagining and one that is influenced by the present, so we cannot know for sure how Eastern and Western Europeans behaved during this period. Simulacra, according to postmodern philosopher Baudrillard, show that there is no one, unchanging truth, and Deutschland 83 unquestionably contradicts our preconceived notions of this time in history.

Postmodernism Factsheet

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet #54: Introduction to Postmodernism. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. If you need to access this from home you can find our factsheet archive here (you'll need to use your Greenford login).

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)?

Advertising can make or break a company irrespective of the quality of the product they are selling, a poor quality product can be commercially successful if it has great advertising whilst an excellent product can fail without it. Where once the reality of the product would create its success or failure (e.g. how well it worked), now the media reality of advertising determines the success of products.

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

According to Fredric Jameson, as media consumption rises, so does the culture's awareness of its historical context. Today, historical knowledge is frequently based on media representations, and history is reduced to "talking heads" documentaries. This can be applied to Deutschland 83 since the show does reflect some historical events, but it also focuses on the drama and spy thriller genres, losing the historical aspect of the show. As viewers, we are forced to accept that the historical events depicted in Deutschland 83 are accurate. 

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

People are strongly influenced by branding when buying products. The label sometimes becomes more important than the product itself and packaging more important than the contents. People will pay high prices for products which bear the logo of a fashionable label regardless of the actual quality of the product. The modern rise of celebrities launched through reality television programmes such as Big Brother can be seen as the culture celebrating style over substance. Many celebrities are now famous for being famous rather than for an identifiable talent or ability.

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

Once upon a time, high art was kept separate from popular culture. Low art was created with the general public in mind, while high art, such as opera, ballet, theatre, and the visual arts, were only accessible to elite groups. In pop music (low art), classical music (high art) is frequently sampled. This can be applied to Deutschland 83, where the party at Martin's house in East Germany features pop music and the lifestyle there is generally characterised as being for the masses, in contrast to the garden party in West Germany, which features no music other than the daughter of the General singing a classical song that reflects the high culture and sophistication. 

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

Bricolage is the process of reinterpreting and combining new and old texts, images, concepts, or narratives to create wholly original meanings. Some believe that the fusion of high art and low art democratises the art world by making it accessible to all people. Others, however, believe that the blurring of the lines between the two reduces high art to the level of commercial and popular culture and removes its meaning. In Deutschland 83, East and West Germany are contrasted. While young people in East Germany were listening to pop music, the daughter of the general was singing a classical song in West Germany. 

 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 theories and notions that have been used to try to explain how the world is and how it ought to be are known as meta-narratives. These grand narratives from religion to political/economic theories are prevalent throughout human history. In Deutschland 83, the spy thriller subgenre offers the audience the pleasure of distraction/entertainment. This is related to Baudrillard's theory of hyper reality, which contends that our society views media representation as more authentic than the "original" and claims that the "fake" is more readily accepted than the "real." 

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

Modern texts may react against the postmodern in an attempt to reintegrate more structured ideas - these texts can be seen to be creating more conventional and reassuring ideas in their construction. They create hyper-realities but the ‘perfect’ reality is a structuralist one which attempts to provide the comfort of meeting narrative and generic expectations and providing clear ideological answers to conflict between binary oppositions. This is seen in Deutschland 83 due to the whole narrative of Martin being an undercover spy in the West which is solely to provide us entertainment and make the show more interesting. However, along this narrative there are also real moments to educate us on The Cold War, such as including Ronald Reagan's speech and real documents. 

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

One of the best examples of postmodernism is the supermarket scene, where the abundance of food in West Germany represents the capitalist society while the lack of access to many goods and foods in East Germany represents the communist society. In addition, the opening sequence, in which actual video of Ronald Reagan's speech is shown, educates us about the past and explains why East Germans were so outraged, almost bringing about World War III.