Die Berührung der Toten: Geschichte und Performanz in Heiner Müllers Dramatik By Katrin Dettmer M.A., Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 2005 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of German Studies at Brown University PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND MAY 2012 © Copyright 2012 by Katrin Dettmer The dissertation by Katrin Dettmer is accepted in its present form by the Department of German Studies as satisfying the dissertation requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________ _____________________________________ Date Carol Jean Poore, Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council _______________________ ______________________________________ Date Thomas W. Kniesche, Reader _______________________ ______________________________________ Date Michael P. Steinberg, Reader Approved by the Graduate Council _______________________ ______________________________________ Date Peter Weber, Dean of the Graduate School iii VITA Katrin Dettmer was born on March 2, 1979 in Perleberg in the former GDR. She began to study English, German, and Accounting at the Humboldt Universität zu Berlin in 1999. In 2002, Katrin was awarded an ERASMUS-scholarship for a year of studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. Katrin graduated from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin in 2005, earning a Master Degree in British Literature. Her thesis was entitled Hunger for Permanence: The Negotiation of History in Evelyn Waugh’s Early Novels. From 2005 to 2006, Katrin worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Department of German Studies at Brown University before being admitted to the Ph.D. program in 2006. During her time at Brown, Katrin has taught a wide variety of courses, including language classes for beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. She also was a teaching assistant for “Freud” and “Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies”. Katrin has presented her work at a number of graduate student conferences but also at the annual meetings of the German Studies Association and the American Comparative Literature Association. Over the years, Katrin has also served as dramaturge for several productions at Brown University Theatre, including Hamletmachine (2008) and Gross Indecency (2011). iv Acknowledgements First and foremost, I thank José Enrique Macián, without whom this dissertation project would not have even started. Little did I know that, when José asked me to translate Heiner Müller’s Die Hamletmaschine with him in the fall of 2007, this would change my life so fundamentally. I did not only rediscover Heiner Müller’s work but also the theatre as a space for public discourse and collective creativity. Throughout the years, José has not only been a staunch advocat of my work but also a great friend and ally in all things connected to Müller, the theatre, and beyond. I remain in his debt. I also feel very grateful towards my dissertation advisor, Prof. Carol Jean Poore, for her unfaltering support and encouragement and above all her patience and insights. I also thank my two readers: Prof. Thomas W. Kniesche for his thorough reading, precise comments, and shrewd questions; and Prof. Michael P. Steinberg for his interest in my work and his appreciation of my theatrical endeavors. I also thank the entire Department of German Studies at Brown for a profound course of graduate studies, above all Dr. Jane Sokolosky for her enthusiasm, sound advice, and incitation, and Prof. Zachary Sng for an illuminating conversation towards the end of the writing process. Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to my graduate student colleagues for their camaraderie and many stimulating conversations throughout the years. As one makes this step into the realm of teachers, it is with great respect, humility, and gratitude that one thinks of one’s own teachers. I have been very lucky to have encountered inspiring teachers throughout my years in university, who have been formative in my approach to research and teaching by challenging me time and again: at Humboldt University Berlin, Dr. Marion König, Prof. Klaus R. Scherpe and Prof. Jost Hermand; at the University of Birmingham (UK), Prof. Ronald Speirs and Prof. Michael Butler; at Brown University, Prof. Elizabeth Weed, Prof. Nancy Armstrong, Prof. Rebecca Schneider and Prof. Kym Moore. To make theatre has been vital to create text and thus I also thank everyone I had the pleasure of working with at Brown, off and on the stage, most notably the cast and crew of Hamletmachine, whose friendships have become cornerstones of my life. v During my research year in Berlin (2009 – 2010), I was not only able to immerse myself in masses of material but also to meet with many wonderful people whose generosity in time and conversation has been essential to the early stages of my dissertation. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Kristin Schulz and Theresa Schütz of the Transitraum at Humboldt University, Maren Horn und Sabine Zolchow at the Archives of the Akademie der Künste Berlin, Dimiter Gotscheff, Margit Bendokat, Almut Zilcher, Samuel Finzi, Wolfram Koch, and especially Alexander Weigel and Blanche Kommerell for their philosophy and vigor. I am also indebted to the reader of my early drafts, Nadine Helm, for her keen and passionate critique that has informed all of my text production. Writing can be an intimidating, lonely process but I was very fortunate to experience the longest periods of it as a socially rich time, thanks to my many friends, especially Silja Maehl, Julia Timpe, Ulrike Küchler, Hollis Mickey, Ryan Patrico, James Anglin Flynn, Sam Yambrovich, and John Abbruzzese. Lastly and most importantly, my work would not be possible without the faith and succor of my family, who remain the centre of my life and inspire me every day, and primarily my sisters and my parents, to whom this work is dedicated. vi Contents EINLEITUNG ................................................................................................................... 1 1. GESCHICHTSBILDER.................................................................................................................... 25 Geschichte//Engel........................................................................................................................ 28 Biographie//Geschichte ............................................................................................................... 41 Geister//Vergangenheit ............................................................................................................... 51 Maschinen//Zukunft .................................................................................................................... 57 Revolution//Gegenwart ............................................................................................................... 61 2. GESCHICHTSTEXTE .................................................................................................. 67 Wiederholung//Zitate .................................................................................................................. 70 Textgruppe LOHNDRÜCKER ................................................................................................. 72 Textgruppe MAUSER ................................................................................................................ 83 Textgruppe HAMLETMASCHINE ........................................................................................ 93 Fragmente//Szenen ...................................................................................................................... 97 Textgruppe LOHNDRÜCKER ............................................................................................... 100 Textgruppe MAUSER .............................................................................................................. 105 Textgruppe HAMLETMASCHINE ...................................................................................... 110 Montage//Bild ............................................................................................................................. 114 Textgruppe LOHNDRÜCKER ............................................................................................... 115 Textgruppe MAUSER .............................................................................................................. 120 Textgruppe HAMLETMASCHINE ...................................................................................... 123 3. TEXTPERFORMANZ .................................................................................................. 131 Text//Stimme .............................................................................................................................. 133 Textgruppe LOHNDRÜCKER ............................................................................................... 134 Textgruppe MAUSER .............................................................................................................. 140 Textgruppe HAMLETMASCHINE ...................................................................................... 147 Wort//Handlung ......................................................................................................................... 152 Textgruppe LOHNDRÜCKER ............................................................................................... 155 Textgruppe MAUSER .............................................................................................................