Focus 2001.tif 52 Fool;; (n German 51l1dies NOles ; For funher d~cus~iol1, s~e Huyssen and Young. For an extensive dISCUSsIon on the WIaJdheim-affair, see Minen 65-73. Works Gted Bethman, Brenda L. "'MY~tre5Ii:u? c..J... as lar> ," UJPIJ ....... ,-,. I . . I Elf'd J I' I.- a)' Q .... '-J CVlSl un/ Jf!fZc: Dli!deJl/sdxMlSerellls nJe1111 mderr---..· ..... litemllu· D'- n_t;' ., . der L . L.. ~'<"W'"' ' '" ,- {to lS)'UI1:l'll "M' h I1emlllr (leT" DDR Ed. P.m! Gerhard KJussmann an Heinrich o r. Bonn: BouvIer, 1982. ! IS· 58. Fehervary. Helen. .. Enligh(,mmem or Entanglement- Histo,), ".,j • - h . . S"tol' B h d H . M II " . _ no;SI cues En 109 .• rec tan emer 11 er. NewGermm CrnupeS (1976): 80- Helwig, Heidi. "Mitteilungen von Untoten." SpTtld}kllYlSr B - . H Lli£!tllll1'UlJseJEd»ji 25.2 (199-1): 389-402. . eurage Zltr uu::heon, Lmda. A Pm.I(5 if POillnx!enDJIIL New York Routle~e, 1988. Hu~sen, Andreas. TWlfiJt. Mencry Marku"€ Tine In a GJuue A ~ New York: Roudcdge, 1995 muLl.. Jam, Marues E/ji1ede/eliJrk Stuttg;lrt: MCI2.lcr 1995 Jelmek, Elfnede. Wdken.Heun 1988 Nfl#!. 71X!a/e,stiKke.. I--famburg. Rowohh 1990 Lowenthal, O;avld The Rlit IS a FOl'f!1gn G:rl1try New York: Cambric! up' 1985' M011er, o,;arles The U11IIJl.Jleml:ie Rut.. Hzsll¥y. Hdocalfst, an:i Gf!]mm tt~lU;W;d I~ . llr} ~mbnd'p'e: I--i:trvard UP, 1988. Michaels, Jenrufer E. Confroming ~he N~ Pm." 8eprJ 1989. Re-laldil Ger­ 'Smn l~/1(:rmlfre SUn! 19--15. Ed. Kellh Bullwant. Providence: Be"l1ahn oot'.!>,1997. 1.20. '1> Mitten, Richa.rd. :Bitburg, ,Waldheim, and the Politics of Remembering and For­ gellUlg. Frail W(Jid tWIT CO \11afd/:6J/l Ed. David F. Cook and Ruth .. ~bdak. New York Berghahn Books, 1999. 51-84. MuUer, Hemer." Commltl Tal m &din.. 1971. Berlin: Rotbuch, 1977. Ward,James J. Remember when It W01S the 'Antifascist Defense \Vall')~ 7he&:rl IY1JL Ed. Ernst Schiirer, Manfred Keune and Philip Jen~ Ne y, kl Peter Lang, 1996. 11-2 .. 1. ' w or \Xblf, o,rista. Kin:Iheir.s,mster. 1976. Miinchen: dIV, 1995. Young, James E. 71)f' Texfllre if Mem:ry HdOO1.lIst MemYTi,ds ani M . New l-bven: Yale UP, 1993. frlnu~. Colonizing Bodies in Ingeborg Bachmann's "Ein SChl~tt nach Gomorrha" Anca-E lena Luca O n her first collection of stories, Das dmfllf;>le Jabr, Ingeborg Bachn1alUl introduces "moments of reflection, lyrical inlpressions, monologues, tigllllycomposed im.1ges tosugges( a radical rebellion against Ih,lt 'worst o f aU possible worlds' in which the protagollist~ find them­ selves" (Achbergcr 10). "£i.n Schritt !lach Gomorrha" is one such Story that exemplifies this yearning for renewal, for anmher order, for "salva­ tion," which, though glimpsed for a momelll, is cleatly unattaul,lble (Achberger 11). Oassified as ,1 feminine Sdlfpfiu'f:[}3dJllhte,' Bac!launn's Story also lends itself to feminist ulterpret.ltion.~ Ftmher, it pOUltS ,it the uncornfon.lble traces of colonialisnl, politics, and power from the former Ausuo- Hungali,lIl I-J.lbsburg Empire, which are still present in thl:! culture and politics of eve r}uJ.y Ausuimlife in the eJ.rly 1950s. An accomplished pi,mo pla~r and the wife of all influemial aca­ demic, Bachnunn's prot.lgonist OlarlOlte has tried in V.lUl to find fulfill­ ment and purpose in the norms and values of [he Viennese ariStocrJC}, TIle increasing apathyof this ctUllIl"'d.llysoplustic,ued thoughdecadem cuss hJS a suHocating effect Oll Om'lotte's deslre for love, which, due to its intensity ilnd unusual pass ion, collides with the self-sufficiency, indiffer­ ence, and pride of her husband and friends. Although on the outside Our· lotte has learned per the rigid ntles of aristocratic etiquo.:n e to aCt as the accomplished and refined worrun en vogue, she remains on the inside J lillie mysterious girl, whose untouched hean is desperately struggling with lack of purpose and fuUillment. The emptiness and meaninglessness in Olarloue's life are reflected by the bareness of her apanlllent: "1m ZUllnyr: die ve rriickten Sti.ihle, eine verknullte Serviette .luf clem Boden, die gedunsene Luft, die Verwiistung, die Leere nJ.ch dem UberfaU" (1-+3). This void is abrupdy filled as lvLrJ, a Slovenian> studying in VielUlJ, oHers FOO6 m Germall Studie5 Volume 8 (2001) 5< FootS on GenTlall Studies herself and her love unconditionally in an unconvemional fashion. Mara's unusual proposal occurs at the end of }~l another routlne party held at Otarloue's apa rtment. Bachmann's "Em Schrill naeh GOlllorrha" suggests an inverted process of colonization of the body set against the b:.tckground of historical factS. As a Siovenian, r.. Lua is a repre­ sentative of One of Habsburg Austria's former occupied territories, who becomes the new colonizer as she decides to enter and occupyOtarlot te'S cultural milieu. The former colonized, hov.'ever, h;e; different reasons for pursuing her conquest: in oppos iLion to the historical colonizers who \'Jere searching for nutenal profit, M.H-a'S search is fo r love and identil}' In the process, aldrloue realizes with surprise that she could lea rn a lot from M:ara. a former subordinate, as she dLscovers thal her need for love and iulfilLnem is idemical with Nlara's. Despite the Ll.Ct that of the tWO pro­ tagonists M,l l"ll is Lhe least "fully reJ.l.ized character" who "remains a figure determined by her various functions in lhe gradwl unfolding of Otadone's consciousness" (Horsley278), it is MJ.rd'S invasion into 01drlone's life Jnd her proposed lesbian expenenee that shaner the pianist's world. Giues like Karen Achberger and RinaJo Horsleysuppon oppo­ site views regJrdmg Bdchnunn's tre,nment of Cllarlolle and !l.lAr.'s ho­ mose:\."Ual re1.uionship. BOth AchbeC%er and Horsley recognize that lhe reiauonship of the tv..ro prOl.lgonlsts, as anticipated by Ouriane, is bJ.sed on Olarlone's abstract ideas and dreC of ulwllacy through touc~g or "Beruhrung" which to the tWO women is significantly more Ine'I.IUJlgful than their previous unUnale e:. .. periences with men. Cllarlolte V.lduJlly surrenders to Mard. Initiall)~ she is confused because lile Siovem . .ln g~rl w.mlS from her something other lh:m her money and her COlUleCllons III Vienna. Olarloue is also surprised to discover that Mara has turned to JJf!r in her desperate MId obsessive search for absolute love and accept~n~e. alarloue's innerdlange does not come easily. The chdrdclensllcs of her c!J.ss are tOO deep\yengraved Ul her; theYdre pan of her n.lture. She is the refined ari~locr.llic product of generdtions oi soph~ticdtc=d ,md \\'<:11- eduCJ.lcd colonrz.ers. ller value system, although irrelevant to her personal needs, is still her only source of securil y and b,lbnce. 111US, she is c~ugl ~t betv.'CCn her culture and Mara's; between an atid system of 1l0rnlS wluch IS not tr\lly hers and lhe chance to e5tdblish her own, sclf-~de order. As she struggles to explJ.U1 to heneU what she IS about ~o diS­ cover through M,ml's love, 01J.rionc finds herself paUlfullyvacilia.tulg be­ tween dislJ.llcing herself from .lnd getting closer to MJ.rd. At fust, she rejects M11r.l by using strdtegies that are t}'Pical of her class. ~J1C of. these schemes is an advdnced use of etiquette: "Ich werde uns cmell Kaffee kochen. Und ddlm rufe ich ei..n Ta.xi" (145). Atlothe r is the e.xcllse of tune dnd business: "Cbarlotte sah auf ihre Armbanduhr; es reizte sie plotzlich, auf die Uhrz.u sehen, und wiinschte, daR Mard cs merke" (155). Blll gr.ldu­ allyshe loses "Boden unter den Fi.i&n" (146). Collsequentl)i bygi.ving ill, Ol.trlotte finds herself coloni:ted by the one who WdS once colona.ed. "nle i.nvened colona.i.ng process also takes the tWO v.ullltn through a revolutionaryphdse. As Mara is incapable of realiz.ing the inner changes and the cost which Ourlone muSt consider if she acceptS M.Ir.l'!iO love proposdl, the girl revolts by destroying the objects md dIe or~er in Otarlone's room. In so doing, she syrnbolicallydestror> the order Ul her life: Mara wischle ganz.langsdlll, und w:jhrend der Aufreglmg .lUS ihr schon zu wichern begalUl, das Glas vom Tisch, dann dds andere, sie griff nach einer leeren VdSe und wart sic, wei! {he GLaser Juf den Teppich gerolll waren, gegen die \'\/and. d.mn die Kasseue, .IllS der :Muscheln und Sleine mit Gelose herdus{Jogen und liber 58 FootS GJ'l German Sllldies die Mobel ",Uten. (156-57) The scene depicting the moment JUSt befo re Mara's tirade strikingly re­ sembles a slandof( bel ween [\\'0 armies or officers on the baulefie1d: "013r­ lon e korUlte nicht mehr \ve iterreden, sie stand taumelnd auf. Mara sland auf. Sie standen sich gegeniiber" (156). The language used to describe the devastation of the room would applyjusl as effeclivelyto the siege of a city: "Die Zerstorung semen lange zu dauem me em Brand, erne UberschwenunWlg, eine Demolierung" (157). This scene echoes the revoim ions of oppressed people in the colo nies o f a strong empire. "Througho ut his tory, deStructive ac tS o f rebellion target the culture, edi fices, and art o f the do minant class. Tn her rage, M1 rJ. de­ stroys both the cultu re o f the forme r "dominant class," and , implicitly. Olarloue's culture- materials which show that Cbarlou e was once also colonized by Fr.m1., her husband , through his pau-iarciul marmer o f exer­ cising pov.er: "Aber s'ie konnte nur dann ei.nco WWlSch aufiero, \\'eIUl Franz. Fragen slelhe. [ ___ ]Jew lebte sie in cler hellen Ordnung, die Fr.mz gehone [. _ .ldie nicht dit' ihre v.-J.r" (161). \XIhi1e Olarlon e is, from a historical standpoint, still a colo nizer, the nu le ov.-"Tlership of the decorative objects in her apartme nt indicate th.n she is at the same time .lIsa colonized and subdued by nule domi­ nance. Th.n Franz bought all the objects with the exceptio n o f the lamp in the bedroom, ·'tUld ein paar Vd.sen, Kleinigkeiten" (160), proves tilJt he has imposed his l,me and will upon Ot.l.rione and their home_ The text does not ind ic.ne Fr.l.oz's class; however, the COntr.lSt bet ween O u.rloue's items and the rest of the decorJ. tions provided by her husband , can be imerpmed as signs of oppression. Discuss ing [he dynamic between popu­ iar cuhure and oppress ion, Jo hn Fiske suggests that "the culture o f every­ dJ.y life works only to the e:-.1enl that it is imbricated uno its milllediate historical and social senulg," and that "this materiality o f popular culture is di.recdy related to the economic materiality o f the conditions o f oppres­ sio n" (154-55). Fiske goes o n 10 say that the material densicyof a habitat is " packed -with concrete meanings" (156). Thus, the presence o f lhe lamp and of a few "Kleinigkeiten" (160) in the apJ.rtrnent uldicate not o nly O ldr loue's state o f oppression, but also perhaps hee aristocratic taste, which emp hasizes quality over quantity. The lamp could also be interpreted as the s}mbol of d umid attempt to establish some l).pe of balance both in the hOllse and U1 her relatio nsh.ip with Franz. W!thout the lamp and its Colonizing Bodies in " Ein Schrill Ild.ch Gomorrha" 59 light, regardless o f their value, the ho use and the objects cannot be seen or appreciated. Although unexpected, Mard's devastat ing act is necessary fo r alar­ lone. Surprisingl)j her hdnds do nOt stOp M.l.ra's actio ns no r do they en­ gage in couming the loses: "[ ... ] genauso .gut hane aUes m T ~mtner gehen wnnen. D enn sie hane zugesehen, ketne Hand gemhr:: bel ,edem Krdchen , jedem Spliuern slillgestJnden" (157). It seems as i.J OMriolle has realized the fmililyof stoppUlg a mmsfo rm.nio n for wh.ich she longe~ , but did not know how to initiate it: " Immee Imte sie davon getr.iunu , dIe Welt iiberliefern zu kOnnen und han e sich geduckt 'tI.-enn m.1Il sie ihr iiberliefe rte" (167). Wh ile cl eanin g up th e de vJ st.n ed room, Cha rl o t te aho symbolically clears away relics o f her dead culture. 11lis' dct leJ.ds her to cxpe lience both a social and llUler l.iberatlon: "Sie '\'ar frei. Nicl1lS nlehr en chien ih r unmoglich" (158). This type of f reedolll is fo r O lJ.rlotte un­ usual and frioluening because she has no emotio n o r memo ry fro m a pre­ vious experi~nce [ 0 explain her present situ.m on: "Sie sucille in ihren Gefiihle n nach einer Anweisung, in iheen l-iinden nach einem I nstin1."l, UI ihrem Ko pf nach einer Kundgebung. Sie blicb o hne Anweisung" (154- 55). \'v'hile contemplating, cOl1t rJ.s ting, alld .uul}zing her previous love experiences, Otarlou e realizes that none of the signifiers that used to op­ enlle in the PJ.St could poss ib ly be t rAnsferred intO the new love. As she dreJ,!llS about a life shared with ~'iara. OlJrlon e makes a sho n -lived d iscovery thal lhe fenu le CJ,n be seen as d. resou rce .1nd not o nly .1S A desliny(ShowJitee 25 l) and becomes not a ni)' an object of plea­ sure and fulfillinem, but also J. resource for complete 'W.iSe71 .md erkenrell both of the self and of the universe. Also, the comm\.Ulic,llIo n eSl.lblished thro ugh lhe hands o f the ["wo women, seems to constnlct .1 ncw bnguage system, which goes be}Qnd words and their lim it.l tiolls of defen~d l"Cdl­ ilY' In spite of the f.. .. Olle C.l.1l " hear" the intricate mes h o f vo ices creating the £ rziihlltt,€. Like llllertwin­ ina hallds the teKluAi stm cture of ·' Ein Schli llllJch Gomo rrh.l" 1l1.1Kcs it . ' hard to distinguish Otarlone's voice from both BJ.chnunn's And fro m the nJ.erJ,tor's voice. In h ct, all L1uee voices could speak At the Same lime, ope:r . .uing like facets o f the "sameness." In his dnicle "1lle Paradox o f Difference and Same ness" Bnlllo C. Just nOtes that "p.l. radoxically, ul tan- 60 FoolS (JI German Studies clem with the cJI.-perience of difference, there comes that of sameness" due to the acknowledgrrem that humans experience the same struggle toward self-actualization, regardless of gender and economic condition ("Paradox"). When Charlotte investigates the o ri gin and function of language, gender, love, sexuality, power, and culture, she can be v ie,,"~d both as the narrator and the writer of the SlOI)~ Indeed, Cllaflotte acts as a feminist critic discussing "the four models of difference" tlw are present a t biological, psychoanalytic, and cldtural leve ls.; In this respect, the reader is also able to enter as a founh voice because the struc­ lure of the Story is an interesting combination o f wrinen and wlwritten language: of words and images inamentUl. and infJl15(!l7lJtl. -n,C , As she considers Mara's offe., OlJrloue criticizes the syste m or BJ!d into which she was born: "\X'enn sie Mara liehen konme, ware sic nicht mehr in dieser Stadt, in dem Land, bei einem Mann, in einer SpnlChe zu Hause, sondern bei sieh" (167). In contrast to 01Jrlone's "gme Ehe" with Franz in which ne. von ihrem Korper nichts verstand" (169), a love rela­ tionship with tvlara seems to promise absolute fulfillmem, a need ClIar­ lone first encountered in her childhood: A1s Kind haue cnarlone alles liehen wollen und von allem geliebt sem, von dem \,(.lasserwirbel, von einem Fels. vom heillen Sand, clem griffigen Holz, dem Habichlschrei- ein Stern war ihr unter die Haut gegangen und ein Baum, den s ie ununme, haue sie schwindlich gemacht. (168) This type of passion and desire for love and life corresponds to Mara's obsession with love: "Lieben- iieben, das ist es," she sa)'S, " lie hen ist alles" (173). From this point on, Charlotte is shocked because M,lr,l'S tollch stirs Coloniz.ing Bodies in " Ein Schlitt nach Gomorrha" 61 in her a very deep and curious emotion, which indicates that the Siovenian knows her and thal she and Man are made of precisely the same m.nerial (153). In :.pite of her strong desire fo r a new order in life and love. Olarloue blls prey to patriarchal pov.'er practices. After condemning the attitude and the habits of the men with whom she has ~ved, she slips uno the role of the typical dominant male lover. H Aram Veese r notes that "every act o f unmasking, critique, and opposition uses the LOols it con­ demns and risks falling prey to the practices it exposes" (11). [n this sense, the title of BachmalUl's story "Ein Schrin nach Gomorrha" could be i.n­ terpreted as having a t·wofold fUllCtion: it serves bot h as a dmllenge .md .IS a warning. On the one hand, it challenges the readerto reev~ the title seems to anticipate the impossibwt), of establishing a new order using the principles of the o ld one. An .. lyzing "Ein SChri11 nach Gomorrha" whithin a biblical fr,wle, Karen Achbcrger renlJ.rks thal mil dem Won "Gomorrba" [ ... J evozien die AULOnn d.l.s Bose \Uld seine Zerstonmg,das Bose, das im AlLen Testament mit Recht zerston wird, d.lmit dds Gute gedeihen kmn. [ ... ] Der "Sch litt !lach Gomorr\u", den die Protagonistin OlarioHe in dieser Nacht lUl, selZl den Auhah.1. zur Zerstorung des Boscs in ihrcl1l Leben. (9/) • As OlariOtlC is pl.uming a future fa. herself ,md her new !over, she adopts the role of a Ilt.asculinized v.'Oman: h[01arlotte) fuhr MJI.'Ualitat mit Sodom und Gomorrha als ine ihrer Hauptstinden und als Grund fur die Zerstonlllg verbunden ist, wiihrend in B,u:hmanns Gegenentwurf b eben die heterose:>.uellen Beziehungen sind, die als \'erv.~den gez.cigl werden" {I 10). Achbergcr, Karen "Bachmann und die Bible. 'Ein $chl'iu mch Gomorrha' als \\'elbhche SchbpfungsgeschlChte" Der "'o~/e SdA1IW; (('til ui) SdX»l St:/( A ,ia1f{fdfF Ed Hans r 101ler. \Xfien, Munchen lOckel, 1981,97- 110 • M I mroductlon" 71Je 7hmU!fb Ymr S/(Rres by bwJx!rg BadmilJlIl Trans MIChael Bullock New York Holmes & Meier, J987. 7·26. B. The N(!WEncy:Jop«iUl Bll/muuen: Mio~. 15th I'd. Chicago: Encyclopedia BritannICa, 1997. Showalter, Elaine. uFeminist Oiticism in the \Vilderness." tbe Nl!"dJFeJIII11Sl Cnil cism £SSfl)5 IJI Waren LllemlUre 77xrry. New Yo rk: P;J.l1lhcon , !985. Veeser, H Arall1. "IntroduClion.M N(!Wrhsroriasm New York: Rutledge, 1989. I. 16.