20th century german literature
20th century literature
A01=Peter Jelavich
adaptation
anchor
Author_Peter Jelavich
autonomy
berlin alexanderplatz
Category=DSBH
Category=DSK
censorship
coherence
crime
depression
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
experimentation
german film
german literary modernism
german radio
human personality
innovation
lack of opportunities
left leaning culture
leftist politics
misery
modernism
modernity
murderer
nazi germany
nazism
novel
prison
prostitute
radical discrepancies
radio play
right wing politicians
underworld
weimar republic
Product details
- ISBN 9780520259973
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 31 Mar 2009
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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This fascinating exploration of a work that was the epitome of German literary modernism illuminates in chilling detail the death of the Weimar Republic's left-leaning culture of innovation and experimentation. Peter Jelavich examines Alfred Doblin's "Berlin Alexanderplatz" (1929), a novel that questioned the autonomy and coherence of the human personality in the modern metropolis, and traces the radical discrepancies that came with its adaptation into a radio play (1930) and a film (1931). Jelavich explains these discrepancies by examining not only the varying demands of genre and technology but also the political and economic contexts of the media - in particular, the censorship practices in German radio and film.His analysis culminates in a richly textured discussion of the complex factors that led to the demise of Weimar culture, as Nazi intimidation and the economic strains of the Depression induced producers to depoliticize their works. Jelavich's book becomes a cautionary tale about how fear of outspoken right-wing politicians can curtail and eliminate the arts as a critical counterforce to politics - all in the name of entertainment.
Peter Jelavich, Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, is author of Berlin Cabaret (1993) and Munich and Theatrical Modernism: Politics, Playwriting, and Performance, 1890-1914 (1985).
