Komplikationen des Alltaglebens: Technologiefortschritte innerhalb
der neueren deutschen Literatur

Personal Information

I grew up in Burlington on the campus of the University of Vermont. It was my childhood dream to attend UVM as a student. In 2000, I earned my B.S. in the field of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from UVM. In the summer of 1999, I met my husband while visiting friends in Kiel, Germany, where I was an exchange student from 1993-1995. After graduating in 2000, I returned to Kiel and was a librarian for the Kennedy Haus, an extension of the US embassy. Last year I taught 7th grade Life Science, where I developed a love for teaching. This inspired me to return to school, ASU, and work on a M.A. in German Literature.

The Material I choose for this project bring into the idea, Technology’s influence on 20th century German literature, different aspects of the German culture.

Lola rennt:

This movie is a rich source of Post-modern German culture. The flaming hair and the Techno beat in the background cannot help but transport the viewer to Berlin. One can just feel the Love Parade culture that is oozing through the city. The melting of different forms of filmmaking such as animation, snap shot images and different angles of the same geographic space is though out this piece. The story reminds me of a three act play; the stage hands need not change the back drop but Tzkwer’s creative film making turns the boring repetitiveness into a heart thumping adrenalin rush. The use of time segments has the same film making uniqueness as Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. One keeps asking, “What time is it?” The film is a great example of Realism with transcending time sequences.

Mai 3D:

This novel is laugh out load funny. The images it conjures up place Kai’s, Marc’s and David’s lives right in front of you. I will never look at a Burger King Crown the same again. The book is filled with street level German colloquialisms. As with Lola, the use of time is a strong binding force in the book. One month in Berlin in the month of May. The Japanese cherry trees are in bloom, “nesting” is in the air. This book carries the reader also deep into the Berlin drug scene and party scene and it gives the reader the inside scoop in “Ghostwriting” for the Universities.

Both Lola and Mai 3D weave a web of relationships and the effect these relationships have on one another. Katrina is dating both Marc and David, David is writing for Marc, Marc is concerned about Sophie, Sophie is carrying Kai baby. In Lola, when she passes people, a wonderful snap shop series shows how this encounter changed the person’s life. Book stories help the reader/viewer to reflect on the effects of relationship, regardless of how superficial the encounter is.

Bruttosozialprodukt:

A 1980’s one hit wonder, I believe this song introduced the world to “Ska”. The song was chosen for its wonderful, catchy beat and its deeper message in to text. It provides a nice bridge between the modern works mentioned above and the 1920’s works, Metropolis and Die Verwandlung. It confronts the suppression of wage earners in the work place. Phases such as “und jetzt kniet er sich wieder mächtig rein” follow along the same coloquial German seen in the above works. The forklift moving items all day long from place to place is indicative of the mundane workplace described in Es wird etwas geschehen, Metropolis and Die Verwandlung.

Die Verwandlung:

I choose this piece to illustrate the feeling of being belittled by technology. Just a little roach on a train, moving through a massive city. I feel that Gregor was always a critter in the eyes of the market place, moving and working to continue the production.

Es wird etwas geschehen:

This is a great example of how ridiculous Multi-tasking has become. If only Böll could go home with me on my nightly commute. The soccer moms eating McDonald’s, yelling at their kids, speaking on the cell phone, listening to Brittney Spears on the radio AND driving. I would prefer speaking on 13 phones at the same time and knitting with my toes.

Metropolis:

I chose this film for its opening scene. The buildings keep growing and the perception of mankind dwindles. Lang predicted no middle class, only rich and poor. The rich haphazardly spend the day in the sun by the water fountains and the poor spend their life in the trenches. The machine is what separates them. Are computers doing the same now?

Copyright © 2002
For more information about this project,
please contact Prof. Dan Gilfillan