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The Past does not end here: Memory and “Collective Enunciation” in Antje Rávic Strubel's Sturz der Tage in die Nacht (2011)
Author(s) -
Schaefer Derek
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the german quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.11
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 1756-1183
pISSN - 0016-8831
DOI - 10.1111/gequ.12067
Subject(s) - german , collective memory , unification , politics , history , identity (music) , german literature , art history , literature , sociology , art , philosophy , theology , law , aesthetics , archaeology , political science , computer science , programming language
Antje Rávic Strubel's works are known for problematizing individual and collective memory. Her characters’ lives are impacted by the lingering memories of the GDR, the “Wende” and German unification. This article explores the relationship between memory and present‐day identity in her 2011 novel, Sturz der Tage in die Nacht . Four former GDR citizens struggle with their distinctively East German past and memories, and their impact on the present day via a not‐so‐accidental rekindling of problematic relationships. This article views Strubel's work through Aleida Assmann's theory on collective memory and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's “Minor Literature” theory. Doing so allows one to engage directly with the East German experience as part of an “all‐German” experience. When viewed through the lens of minor literature the political and collective nuances come to the forefront of Strubel's work and spurs a wider discussion on the past's impact on unified Germany and beyond.