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Schriftenreihe Der Forschungsgruppe "Große Technische Systeme" Des Forschungsschwerpunkts Technik - Arbeit - Umwelt Am Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin Tur Sozialforschung

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Schriftenreihe Der Forschungsgruppe Schriftenreihe der Forschungsgruppe "Große technische Systeme" des Forschungsschwerpunkts Technik - Arbeit - Umwelt am Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin tur Sozialforschung FS II 92-502 Walther Rathenau’s Media Technological Turn as Mediated Through W. Hartenau’s ’’Die Resurrection Co.” An Essay at Resurrection by Louis Kaplan Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH (WZB) Reichpietschufer 50, D-1000 Berlin 30 Tel. (030)-25 491-0 Fax (030)-25 491-684 WALTHER RATHENAU’S MEDIA TECHNOLOGICAL RETURN AS MEDIATED THROUGH W. HARTENAU’S "DIE RESURRECTION CO?’. AN ESSAY AT RESURRECTION Abstract In 1898, the young Walther Rathenau published the short story, "Die Resurrection Co," under the pseudonym of W. Hartenau. At the border between science and fiction, this text considers the establishment of a futuristic telephone network to communicate with the dead. This research paper begins with the first English translation of the story ever and it ends with the original German version. In between, the interpretative essay offers a close analysis of "Die Resurrection Co," which foregrounds a resurrective reading of modem electronic media technologies and which stresses how these media have transformed the writing of the history of technology. In a number of scenarios, "An Essay at Resurrection" contests a traditional historical reading or a systems approach to the story which would overlook the resurrective dimensions of the media technological object of the study. The essay takes up a number of issues which focus on the production and the generation of the text in terms of the media technological turn towards resurrection (i.e., pseudonymity, relation of technology and the occult, the use of parable, etc.). The article offers a contribution to an interdisciplinary study of media technology and literature on the level of their shared (trans)figurative structures. WALTHER RATHENAUS MEDIENTECHNOLOGISCHE WIEDERKEHR VERMITTELT DURCH W. HARTENAUS "DIE RESURRECTION CO?’. EIN ESSAY ÜBER WIEDERERWECKUNG Zusammenfassung Unter dem Pseudonym W. Hartenau veröffentlichte der junge Walther Rathenau 1898 eine Kurzgeschichte mit dem Titel "Die Resurrection Co.". Im Grenzbereich von Wissenschaft und Fiktion angesiedelt, handelt der Text von der Einrichtung eines futuristischen Telefonnetzes zur Kommunikation mit dem Jenseits. Am Anfang des vorliegenden Beitrags findet sich eine erstmalige Übersetzung der Kurzgeschichte ins Englische, das Ende nimmt eine Wiedergabe von Rathenaus deutschem Text ein. Der zwischen Übersetzung und Original gestellte interpretierende Essay bietet eine eingehende Analyse der Kurzgeschichte, wobei der Autor die Interpretation moderner Medientechnologien als "Wiedererweckung" in den Vordergrund stellt. Besondere Betonung wird darauf gelegt, wie diese Medien die Geschichtsschreibung der Technologie transformiert haben. In einer Reihe von Szenarios stellt der Autor traditionell historische Lesarten oder eine systemische Herangehensweise an die Kurzgeschichte in Frage, weil beides die Wiedererweckungsdimensionen des medientechnischen Gegenstands von Rathenaus Studie vernachlässigte. Der Essay greift einige Fragestellungen auf, wobei der Autor den Fokus auf Erzeugung und Entwicklung des Textes im Sinne einer medientechnischen Hinwendung zur Wiedererweckung setzt (d.h. Pseudonymität, Verhältnis von Technologie und dem Okkulten, die Verwendung von Parabeln etc.). Mit dem Essay soll ein Beitrag geleistet werden zu einer interdisziplinären Untersuchung von Medientechnologien und Literatur auf der Ebene ihrer gemeinsamen (trans)figurativen Strukturen. Table of Contents W. HARTENAU: ’’The Resurrection Co.” 1 Walther Rathenau’s Media Technological Turn as Mediated through W. Hartenau’s ’’Die Resurrection Co.”. An Essay at Resurrection 7 A. Introducing Resurrection 7 1. Media Technology and History 8 2. The Systems Metaphor and Resurrection 8 3. Technology and Literature 9 B. Instrumentation: Pen/Machine 10 C. Genre: Satirical Literature/Prophetic Technology 11 D. The Corporate Setting: Germany/Dakota: Major Monopoly/Minor Narrative 13 E. Mechanics: Materialist and Soulless/Ghostly and Alchemical 15 F. Parables of Resurrection: Talmudic and Evangelical 17 G. Authorship: Proper Name/Pseudonym 20 H. The Rainbow Effect: Secular History/Sacred History 24 I. Final Comeback 26 J. Resurrective Hymn 27 W. HARTENAU: Die Resurrection Co. 29 W. HARTENAU: ’’Die Resurrection Co.” The burial facilities in the city of Necropolis, Dakota are the best in the United States. A narrow-gauge electric railway travelling at a velocity of 20 miles per hour leads the corpse onto the graveyard, a dredger (U. S. Patent Number 398,748) digs the grave before the eyes of the mourners in four minutes flat, the coffin is lifted from the tracks by a revolving crane, and the machine smoothes and flattens out the four-cornered mound with great exactitude. They avoid reading the funeral oration through a loud speaker system. On the contrary, there is an automated jukebox right on the premises of the burial place where one can hearken to words of consolation from the most famous preachers of the English-speaking tongue with the mere deposit of a twenty cents piece. A mechanical coffin factory borders the burial grounds which includes a grinding shop for gravestones. Their exemplary products satisfy the needs of even the most fastidious customer. Elihu Hannibal I. T. Gravemaker was the creator of this undertaking. At his funeral on May 17, 1894, the record was set for internment techniques in the United States. The funeral procession put itself into gear at the stroke of noon, the burial began at 12:10, the return jour­ ney of the mourners followed seven minutes later, and they met for lunch at 12:25 in the Forty- Sixth Avenue Hotel. At one o'clock, the reports about the funeral appeared simultaneously in the Necropolis Sun and in the Dakota Herald. The auction of the testator's estate began at one thirty. At four o'clock, they unveiled a granite monument with the image of the departed on Central Union Square. And a new clubhouse was dedicated at six o'clock in Gravemaker's apartment house in accordance with the provisions of his last will and testament. I felt the urge to express my amazement regarding the clever and carefully arranged grounds to the Director who lived in the upper story of this friendly mortuary. But at the moment when I was about to step into the elevator, I was surprised and even offended by an unpleasant impression. I could not help consulting the director about this incident. "I am able to appreciate and to esteem your facilities highly," I told him. "Nonetheless I can not conceal that I have come across one piece of the layout by accident which embarrasses me. What made you desecrate this sanctified place with a telephone booth? I have noticed that the one in the morgue near the chapel is broken. The incessant ringing is quite disturbing. What do you have in mind with that?" "I am sorry that the door was open," answered the director curtly. "Our guests usually do not notice it otherwise. Unfortunately, I can not give you any further information." It appeared to be the time to play a trick for which I am grateful to my dear friend in New York, the Reverend Tiberius Q. Lewisson. This was a trick—I am sorry to have to say it- -which, while not very noble in nature, appeared appropriate to the occasion. "Sure. As you wish." I remarked. "In any case, you will have no objection then if I wire an article to the newspapers which I have the honor to represent—the New York Herald, the Times, the Figaro, and the Berlin Exchange Currier—to appear on the front page tomorrow morning with the headline CORPSE DESECRATION IN DAKOTA. You will allow me to forward three sample copies to you." After some deliberation, he retorted: "I propose the following deal. You don't publish your impressions before June 15, 1898. That is the day on which our contract with the Resur­ rection Co. expires. On that condition, I will give you a complete disclosure immediately. You can be certain that you will have the sensation of the year with your article." Before I proceed with the Director's report, I make a point of declaring that the present essay was received by the editor of this magazine bearing a large postal stamp on its envelope which was dated the 16th of June, 1898. The Director fulfilled his promise as follows: "All o f our facilities are guided by the principle of shortening the distressful period between the demise of a member of society and the moment when the survivors can take up their occupations again undisturbed. These certainly laudable ends bring a danger with them. On July 24th of last year, the corpse of an honorable and wealthy man which had been buried eight days earlier was exhumed by order of a judge because of the strong suspicion of peijury, irredeemable falsehood, deceit, pandering, and suicide. Unfortunately, it was a suspicion which turned out to be grounded. The look of the corpse was shocking. It was lying face down. Many fingers were broken, the nails were tom off, and there were bruises and wounds on the knees and shoulders. It was evident that the man had been buried alive. A nervous agitation spread throughout the city as the case became known. The clergy sought to appease the masses by emphasizing that the vengeance and punishment of Divine Providence had been brought to bear upon these criminal offenses against the dead. The issue was debated. The level of anxiety increased from befitting at first to senselessness. A few of the most respectable citizens, the Deputy Mayor, and the Director of the Church Council committed suicide. No one knew what to do. While the columnists entertained the wildest suggestions in the upcoming months, they organized an undertaking in all quietness which promised to solve the horrible controversy in one stroke: the Dakota and Central Resurrection Telephone and Bell Co., a shareholding cor­ poration with 750,000 dollars capital. The prospectus brought unparalleled success. Within two hours, the initial capital was oversubscribed on the stock exchange fourteen times.
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