Uncanny Reminders: The ‘Nazi’ in Popular Culture by Tamara Lynn Tobler B.A., University of Victoria, 2008 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies Tamara Lynn Tobler, 2014 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Uncanny Reminders: The ‘Nazi’ in Popular Culture by Tamara Lynn Tobler B.A., University of Victoria, 2008 Supervisory Committee Dr. Helga Thorson, Supervisor (Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies) Dr. Charlotte Schallié, Departmental Member (Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies) iii Supervisory Committee Dr. Helga Thorson, Supervisor (Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies) Dr. Charlotte Schallié, Departmental Member (Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies) Abstract The ubiquity of the ‘Nazi’ – the fictional Doppelgänger of the historical Nazi – in the various media of popular culture is both disturbing and fascinating. There is an important relationship between the ‘Nazi’ and its audience; related to but separate from the historical Nazi, the creation and reception of the ‘Nazi’ both enables and exemplifies the continual processing of the past. Using a purpose-built framework (concept and terminology) for the study of the ‘Nazi’ as a phenomenon in and of itself, in combination with Freud’s concept of the uncanny, this thesis examines the dynamics of the relationship between the ‘Nazi’ and its audience in four examples: television episodes “Deaths-Head Revisited,” “He’s Alive” (The Twilight Zone), and “Patterns of Force” (Star Trek); and Serdar Somuncu’s performances/readings of Mein Kampf. The temporal and geographical context of the episodes (1960s America) seem far removed from Somuncu’s performances (1990s/2000s Germany), but analysing the production and effects of the uncanny moments generated in each case reveals a provocative raison d’être that spans across the geographical and temporal divide. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. vii Dedication ........................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1: The Face without a Soul .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction: The Omnipresent ‘Nazi’...................................................................... 1 1.2 Definitions................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Ethical Considerations, Explorations, and Limitations............................................. 9 1.4 Responding to the ‘Nazi’ ........................................................................................ 16 1.5 Theory and Research............................................................................................... 20 1.6 Where No One Has Gone Before: Test Run ........................................................... 23 Chapter 2: ‘Nazis’ in Star Trek and The Twilight Zone .................................................... 28 2.1 Foundation .............................................................................................................. 28 2.2 Background Information: Time and Icons .............................................................. 34 2.2.1 The 1960s ......................................................................................................... 34 2.2.2 Popular Culture Icons: Star Trek and The Twilight Zone ................................ 34 2.3 Uncanny Returns: Fictional Dimension, Fictional Future ...................................... 38 2.3.1 The Twilight Zone: Fictional Dimension ........................................................ 38 2.3.2 Star Trek: Fictional Future ............................................................................... 40 2.4 “Deaths-Head Revisited” ........................................................................................ 43 2.4.1 1961 and the Trial of Adolf Eichmann ............................................................ 43 2.4.2 Beyond ‘Dachau’ ............................................................................................. 45 2.5 “He’s Alive”............................................................................................................ 54 2.5.1 1963 and the “Fugitive Führer” ....................................................................... 54 2.5.2 ‘Hitler’ vs. Hitler .............................................................................................. 57 2.6 “Patterns of Force” .................................................................................................. 66 2.6.1 1968 Amidst Vietnam and Assassinations ....................................................... 66 2.6.2 The ‘Real’ Performance ................................................................................... 69 2.7 Test Run: Preliminary Results (Part I) .................................................................... 77 Chapter 3: Serdar Somuncu and Mein Kampf................................................................... 80 3.1 Serdar Somuncu is the Führer ................................................................................. 80 3.2 Mein Kampf ............................................................................................................. 81 3.3 Mythology ............................................................................................................... 84 3.4 Taboo and Laughter ................................................................................................ 86 3.5 Somuncu is a Trained Professional ......................................................................... 89 3.6 Die Bühne................................................................................................................ 92 3.7 “Muss man aber nicht so lesen [. .] Ja … muss man aber nicht so schreiben” ..... 95 3.8 “Der Witz ist die Falle”......................................................................................... 100 3.9 Test Run: Preliminary Results (Part II) ................................................................ 103 Where One Has Gone Before: Test Results .................................................................... 107 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 112 v Appendix I – The Twilight Zone ..................................................................................... 116 Appendix II – Star Trek .................................................................................................. 118 vi List of Figures Figure 1 - Lutze in Barracks ............................................................................................. 48 Figure 2 - Prisoners in Bunks............................................................................................ 49 Figure 3 - Prisoner ............................................................................................................ 50 Figure 4 - Becker .............................................................................................................. 51 Figure 5 - Lutze’s View from the Floor ............................................................................ 52 Figure 6 - Eye Swastika .................................................................................................... 60 Figure 7 - ‘Hitler’ and Hitler ............................................................................................. 62 Figure 8 - Captain Kirk Diagram ...................................................................................... 72 Figure 9 - The Media ........................................................................................................ 73 Figure 10 - The ‘Führer’ ................................................................................................... 74 vii Acknowledgments I am so very fortunate to be here. I am happy to have a chance to express my gratitude to everyone who has made such a difference in my life, both academically and personally. I gratefully acknowledge the funding I received during my graduate studies, especially the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for the Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarship, as well as the University of Victoria for the UVic Graduate Fellowship. I would also like to thank the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies for the funding I received during my graduate studies, as well as for the J. Beattie MacLean Scholarship and the Hans and Imogen Bach Scholarship I received during my undergraduate studies, as they made it possible for me to go on to my graduate studies. I would also like