Long overlooked by scholars and critics, the history and aesthetics of German television have only recently begun to attract serious, sustained attention, and then largely within Germany. This ambitious volume, the first in English on the subject, provides a much-needed corrective in the form of penetrating essays on the distinctive theories, practices, and social-historical contexts that have defined television in Germany. Encompassing developments from the dawn of the medium through the Cold War and post-reunification, this is an essential introduction to a rich and varied media tradition.
The Differentiation of Modernism analyzes the phenomenon of intermediality in German radio plays, film music, and electronic music of the late modernist period (1945-1980).
Even after modernism and postmodernism, the grand fantasies of artifice and self-reference in literature resonate in current literary and cultural theory, particularly in the notion of constructing identities without external constraints. Larson Powell's work redefines aesthetic modernity's relationship with nature, presenting it as a limit to these fantasies and a reflection of political, sexual, and technological traumas. The book's four chapters focus on the representation of nature in German prose and poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke, Gottfried Benn, Bertolt Brecht, and Alfred Döblin from 1900 to 1945, while also referencing other literatures.
Powell introduces "the Technological Unconscious," a concept that intersects psychoanalysis with modernist social and scientific theories, highlighting the philosophical mediation between history and nature—a theme significant from Kant to Adorno. He critiques the jargon often found in rhetorical theory while engaging with the philosophical and conceptual legacies of Continental traditions. By analyzing the works in relation to the theories of Adorno, Luhmann, and Lacan, Powell explores the interplay between subject, system, and nature. This work serves as a crucial intervention in debates over interdisciplinarity and the tensions between eclectic culturalist theories, such as New Historicism and postcolonialism, and systems theory and psychoanalysis.
Konrad Wolf, a pivotal figure in East German cinema, navigated the intricate relationship between art and politics throughout his career. His diverse filmography spans various genres, reflecting personal experiences and socialist ideology. This comprehensive book is the first of its kind, analyzing Wolf's work in the context of other notable filmmakers while addressing the challenges faced by politically engaged artists in state socialism. It appeals to those interested in late-twentieth-century film history and the cultural landscape of East Germany and Eastern Europe.
