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A Fatal German Marriage: The National Subtext of Fassbinder’s Die Ehe Der Maria Braun
Author(s) -
Uecker Matthias
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
german life and letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.1
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1468-0483
pISSN - 0016-8777
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0483.00188
Subject(s) - subtext , miracle , character (mathematics) , german , parallels , tragicomedy , style (visual arts) , interpretation (philosophy) , literature , identity (music) , art , history , gender studies , humanities , sociology , aesthetics , philosophy , political science , law , mechanical engineering , linguistics , geometry , mathematics , archaeology , engineering
The article explores the connections between the development of Maria Braun’s marriage and the political and economic conditions which made the economic miracle of the 1950s possible. Whereas Fassbinder scholarship has tended to seek parallels only between the character of Maria Braun and general developments in German society, it is argued here that both her marriage and her love affairs need to be included in such an interpretation. The analysis of non‐realistic, theatrical or extra‐diegetical elements in the film’s style discovers a subtext which revolves around symbols of national identity and sovereignty and which is directly linked to the development of Maria Braun’s marriage. Within this framework, the symbolic function of Maria Braun’s lovers and of her husband are re‐examined.