Language:
English
Year of publication:
1986
Titel der Quelle:
New German Critique
Angaben zur Quelle:
38 (1986) 3-27
Keywords:
Fassbinder, Rainer Werner,
;
Theater
;
Antisemitism in literature
;
Jews in literature
;
German drama History and criticism
;
Frankfurt am Main (Germany) In literature
Abstract:
A discussion between three Jewish scholars, held at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University in December 1985, on Fassbinder's play and Jewish reactions to it. Markovits discusses the experiences of his Jewish relatives in postwar Germany - their alienation, their benefits from the so-called "Auschwitz bonus" (exploitation of German guilt), and their avoidance of political controversy until the Fassbinder affair. Fassbinder’s play reflected local politics and conflicting attitudes within the Left toward urban modernization. A peculiar alliance of conservative circles, trade unions, some liberals, and the Jewish community opposed its production. Benhabib views the play as an indictment of modernization, showing the solidarity between its victims - outsiders, prostitutes, and Jews. She analyzes the text, criticizing Fassbinder for not clarifying his own stance against the prejudices expressed by some of the characters. Postone gives the local background to the controversy, the contention over housing in Frankfurt, which involved some Jewish speculators, and the superficial attitude of the New Left toward antisemitism. Conservative circles, usually unsympathetic to Jewish concerns, found in Fassbinder an easy target.
Note:
Record created automatically from multi-article record # 000085405
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