“Heimat”:

Germany, Memory and Nostalgia

German 200

(Spring 2002: Lectures MF 11:15-12:05

Discussion Sections:W: 9:05-9:55 or 10:10-11:00 or 11:15-12:05)

Professor Cecilia Novero, Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures

Office: Burrowes 408; Office Hours: M: 2-3 pm; W: 12: 30-1: 30 pm and by appointment

Email: cin1@psu.edu

Description

In the Eighties, a German director hits the first page of the papers with a controversial epic film Heimat. Edgar Reitz’ 11 episodes span German history from 1919 to 1984, as this is lived by a “rural” family. The film was shown on German TV in 1984 and watched by an average of 9 millions viewers per episode. Heimat was also shown as a 35 mm film in France and Italy and on American TV, both on Bravo (1985) and PBS (1987). It generated more debate than any other cultural phenomenon of the past twenty years.

In this class, we look at how Heimat and some episodes of its sequel (Die zweite Heimat or The Second Home) explore issues related to contemporary German identity, its representation and construction. We ask what aspects of collective and personal history the film chooses to represent and why precisely these, what is left out and whether the years of the film-production (1979-1984) may have had a bearing on Reitz’s decision to use the weighed and “nostalgic” notion of “Heimat” to spur the Germans to “remember”.To what extent does the film buy into “genuine sentiments” of nostalgia and to what extent does the film illustrate the “erosion” and “destruction” of the notion of “Heimat” itself?

We read a variety of texts—poems, articles and fiction. We browse some Internet sites and we watch “other” films/documentaries. We also examine examples of the art and music produced in the Fifties and Sixties. The class –thoroughly interdisciplinary—aims to introduce students to contemporary German culture through the reading of one of the most controversial “texts” produced in recent years.

Goals

This course will offer you:

A) A broad understanding of cultural issues regarding Germany from the years that preceded Nazism to the Seventies. Thus, you will gain familiarity with the culture of contemporary Germany.

B) You will learn how to read more closely a film,

C) as well as a variety of literary and cultural texts.

D). You will also learn how to draw connections among different cultural products that at first may appear to you unrelated with each other (such as the episodes of the film, the songs we'll be playing, the paintings or art we will discuss, the poetry we will read, etc).

Overall, the class helps you develop multiple critical skills: you will learn how to read a film as well as fiction, how to comprehend the difficult relations between facts and fiction, history and practice.

To Requirements