“Nach Auschwitz ein Gedicht zu schreiben, ist barbarisch“1 This is a famous quotation by Theodor W. Adorno. It may surprise to find it at the beginning of a thesis paper called “9/11 in Literature and Film”. Obviously, the amount of victims of the Holocaust and 9/11 differ enormously, and the events are therefore incomparable. However, many people have labeled the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that happened on September 11, 2001 as the major catastrophe of our times; irreversibly changing the world we live in. Causing a trauma and massive grief to many people and leading to further deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq (civilians as well as soldiers), the attacks have huge significance for today’s worldwide political and social situation. For example, the issue of withdrawing the troops from Iraq is a major point of discussion in the ongoing presidential candidate debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It is the question of how one can do justice to the many victims of 9/11 and its aftermath by means of literature and film. Is it possible to put trauma and grief in words, and maybe even contribute to overcome these states and accept reality? This will be the central focus of this thesis paper. To examine how 9/11 is represented in literature, I have chosen to examine three novels and one collection of comic strips. These have been written by very different authors: a hyped youngster, an old hand at fiction about politics and terrorism, an Englishman and a comic-strip artist who has before dealt with the Holocaust in a graphic novel. This indicates a great variety of how to come to terms with the traumatic experience; however, they share more than may be visible at first sight. Additionally, I will analyze two films, a documentary and a mainstream Hollywood feature and show how these films surprisingly similarly tackle issues of loss and grief.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- Introduction
- 9/11 as trauma
- Definition of trauma
- 9/11 as a traumatic experience
- 9/11 in literature
- Overview
- Jonathan Safran Foer “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"
- Plot summary
- Structure and style
- The narrator
- Recurring themes and motifs
- The key
- Loneliness and loss
- The pictures of the falling man
- Conclusion
- Ian McEwan "Saturday"
- Plot summary
- Structure and style
- Setting of the novel
- Recurring themes
- Religion
- Illness
- Terrorism
- Conclusion
- Don DeLillo “Falling Man"
- Plot summary
- Structure and style
- Recurring themes
- Terrorism
- Religion
- The Falling Man
- Loss of memory
- Conclusion
- Art Spiegelman “In the Shadow of No Towers"
- Structure and style
- Analysis of plate no. 2
- Conclusion
- Conclusion: 9/11 in literature
- Setting
- The Falling Man
- Mental diseases/loss of memory
- Family
- Religion
- Politics
- 9/11 in film
- Documentaries
- Movies
- Oliver Stone "World Trade Center"
- Plot summary
- Authentic background
- Fact vs. fiction
- Inaccuracies and dramatizations
- Recurring themes
- Heroism
- Family
- Patriotism
- Religion
- Film techniques
- Conclusion
- Jules and Gédéon Naudet "9/11"
- Background information
- Summary of the film
- Arrangement of the film
- Narration
- Creating suspense / dramatization
- External footage
- Central themes
- Heroism
- Patriotism
- Conclusion
- Conclusion: 9/11 in film
- Final Conclusion
- Bibliography
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte
This thesis paper aims to analyze the representation of the 9/11 attacks in literature and film. It examines how different authors and filmmakers have approached the traumatic experience of 9/11 and its aftermath, exploring the themes of loss, grief, trauma, and the search for meaning in the face of tragedy. The paper focuses on the ways in which these works engage with the psychological and societal impact of the attacks, highlighting the diverse perspectives and approaches to understanding this pivotal event.
- The impact of 9/11 as a traumatic event on individuals and society
- The representation of trauma and grief in literature and film
- The exploration of themes such as loss, memory, and the search for meaning
- The role of literature and film in helping individuals and society cope with trauma
- The diverse perspectives and approaches to understanding 9/11 in different works
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel
The introduction sets the stage for the thesis paper by discussing the significance of 9/11 as a major catastrophe of our times and its lasting impact on the world. It also introduces the central focus of the paper: examining how 9/11 is represented in literature and film and whether it is possible to put trauma and grief into words. The chapter then introduces the specific works that will be analyzed in the paper, highlighting the diverse perspectives and approaches to coming to terms with the traumatic experience.
The second chapter delves into the concept of trauma, providing a definition and exploring the psychological effects of traumatic events. It examines the delayed nature of trauma and its impact on the psyche, highlighting the phenomenon of the event as a "recurrent source of pain and as a site of perpetual haunting." This chapter lays the groundwork for understanding how trauma is represented in the literary and cinematic works analyzed in the subsequent chapters.
The third chapter focuses on the representation of 9/11 in literature. It examines four works: Jonathan Safran Foer's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," Ian McEwan's "Saturday," Don DeLillo's "Falling Man," and Art Spiegelman's "In the Shadow of No Towers." Each section provides a detailed summary of the plot, structure, style, and recurring themes of the respective work. The chapter analyzes how these authors explore the psychological and societal impact of 9/11, highlighting the diverse ways in which they engage with themes such as loss, grief, memory, and the search for meaning.
The fourth chapter shifts its focus to the representation of 9/11 in film. It examines two films: Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" and Jules and Gédéon Naudet's "9/11." Each section provides a detailed summary of the plot, background information, and central themes of the respective film. The chapter analyzes how these filmmakers approach the traumatic experience of 9/11, highlighting the diverse ways in which they engage with themes such as heroism, family, patriotism, and religion.
Schlüsselwörter
The keywords and focus themes of the text include 9/11, trauma, literature, film, loss, grief, memory, heroism, patriotism, religion, and the search for meaning. The paper examines the representation of the 9/11 attacks in various literary and cinematic works, exploring the psychological and societal impact of the event and the diverse perspectives on understanding this pivotal moment in history.
- Citar trabajo
- Sandra Maschke (Autor), 2008, 9/11 in Literature and Film, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/113179
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