Framing 9/11 Comfort from Trauma Liv Berit Døvre Strømsheim A Thesis Presented to the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages The University of Oslo [Spring 2015] II III Framing 9/11 Comfort from Trauma IV © Liv Berit Døvre Strømsheim 2015 Framing 9/11 Liv Berit Døvre Strømsheim http://www.duo.uio.no/ Trykk: Røyken videregående skole V Acknowledgements Thank you, Deborah Kitchen-Døderlein for both your group theses meetings, and individual meetings. The group sessions brought me out of my comfort zone and made me more comfortable talking about my thesis. As an advisor, you reviewed my drafts, and ever patiently gave me advice. As a mentor, you ensured that I took better care of myself so that I would not crash and burn. My family deserves so much thanks for putting up with me while I have worked on my thesis, and for their unwavering support. My mother, for trying to make sure I took care of myself, making life easier for me when I needed it. My father and my sister for reviewing several of my drafts, despite not being used to my field of studies – they probably hated every second of it. My brother and my nephew provided the occasional much needed distractions and fun. Kudos to my sisters in law for pushing me to go for walks or runs with them. My dog, Nico, has been my “stress-ball” throughout my thesis work – kept me sane with his constant presence and cuddles, and with walks at all hours of the day or night. Thanks to my friends for letting me vent about writing frustrations, for understanding missed get-togethers, and for the fact that when we all have time for each other again, it will be as if no time has passed since we last saw each other. VI Table of Contents 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Historiography ............................................................................................................. 2 1.1.1 Non-Films ............................................................................................................. 2 1.1.2 Film Articles & Essays ......................................................................................... 5 1.2 Marita Sturken & Comfort from Trauma .................................................................. 10 (1) Innocence ............................................................................................................... 11 (2) Consumerism ......................................................................................................... 12 (a) Tourism .................................................................................................................. 14 (b) Kitsch ..................................................................................................................... 15 (3) Spectacles ............................................................................................................... 16 (a) Reenactment ........................................................................................................... 17 (4) Sacredness .............................................................................................................. 19 (a) Architecture ............................................................................................................ 20 1.3 Synopses of Primary Sources .................................................................................... 21 1.3.1 Films: Documentaries ........................................................................................ 21 1.3.2 Films: Movies ..................................................................................................... 23 1.4 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 25 2 Innocence ......................................................................................................................... 27 2.1 Sturken’s Teddy Bear versus Films as Teddy Bears ................................................. 27 2.2 Innocence Portrayed in Films .................................................................................... 29 2.3 Not Innocent .............................................................................................................. 36 2.4 Villains ....................................................................................................................... 39 2.5 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 42 3 Consumerism .................................................................................................................... 44 3.1 Consumerism ............................................................................................................. 44 3.1.1 Quick Healing & Bringing People Together ...................................................... 44 3.2 Tourism of History .................................................................................................... 48 3.2.1 Authenticity ........................................................................................................ 49 3.3 Kitsch ......................................................................................................................... 52 3.3.1 Kitsch as Smoothing Over .................................................................................. 54 3.3.2 Trauma Made Trivial.......................................................................................... 56 VII 3.3.3 Irony ................................................................................................................... 57 3.3.4 Politics (Patriotism) ............................................................................................ 58 3.3.5 Dual Storylines ................................................................................................... 60 3.3.6 Chapter Conclusion ............................................................................................ 61 4 Spectacles ......................................................................................................................... 63 4.1 Film Spectacles .......................................................................................................... 63 4.1.1 Spectacle of Image ............................................................................................. 64 4.1.2 Spectacle of Sound ............................................................................................. 66 4.1.3 Spectacle of Fear ................................................................................................ 68 4.2 Reenactment .............................................................................................................. 71 4.2.1 Trauma ............................................................................................................... 71 4.2.2 Repetition ........................................................................................................... 72 4.2.3 The Twin Towers ............................................................................................... 74 4.2.4 Redemption Narratives ....................................................................................... 75 5 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 80 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 84 Primary Sources ................................................................................................................... 84 Documentaries .................................................................................................................. 84 Movies .............................................................................................................................. 84 Secondary Sources ............................................................................................................... 85 Books ................................................................................................................................ 85 Articles ............................................................................................................................. 85 Internet Resources ............................................................................................................ 86 Search Engines ................................................................................................................. 86 Appendix A: Transcript ............................................................................................................ 87 Appendix B: Mentioned Films ................................................................................................. 91 VIII 1 Introduction For many, the images of the fireballs exploding out from the World Trade Center (WTC) skyscrapers on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001 (9/11) have probably burned into our memories, either from being witnesses or the continuously repeating news footage of the terrorist events. It might be safe to say that the images will not soon be forgotten – even for those of us who had no direct connection to the sites or the victims involved. When I first heard the news, my class and I were returning to school from a two-day biology class excursion. A boy had been listening to