Time, Space and Contemporary Relevance
Contemporary: belonging to the present
By nature, Erpenbeck’s Gehen, Ging, Gegangen fits the definition of contemporary because of its timeliness (released in 2015), as well as its plot; the story deals with today’s immigration of refugees and is told through the view of a modern, German man.
When posed with the question of Gehen, Ging, Gegangen’s contemporary relevance, I decided to start my analysis by looking at different definitions of “contemporary relevance.” Most all of the “contemporary” definitions I found dealt only with the idea of being in the same time as someone or something, but I feel space is also an important issue when discussing the contemporary relevance of Gehen, Ging, Gegangen. Looking at interpretations from differnt parts of the world gives interesting insight into how various audiences understand Erpenbeck’s book. This became especially clear when talking about the critiques from critics of different countries.
The class noticed that compared to American critics, Germans were much harsher with their reviews. Personally, I think this is due to translation issues, as well as geographical differences. Translating the text from its original German form to English causes some contextual issues because some words hold a heavier meaning in different languages. Also, when someone other than the original author does a translation, it’s difficult to find and portray the author’s exact intent without him or her being present. Geography also played a roll in causing the different critiques. The issue of refugee immigration hits a lot closer to home in Germany, with over 180,000 applicants in 2015, than it does in the United States. In 2015, Germany accepted more refugees than the United States had in the previous 10 years, according to a Quartz article. Perhaps these two aspects of the text make Gehen, Ging, Gegangen hold a greater contemporary relevance in Germany than in America.
One definition of “contemporary relevance” that I found very interesting read, “conforming to modern or current ideas in style, fashion, design, etc.” Although this definition does not outright name literature as a “current idea,” I still think this definition brings a unique perspective to the discussion of the book’s relevance, particularly in the final chapter.
During the class’ discussion over the ending, we were unanimously critical of Richard’s development. Many of us felt as though the ending was very forced, and it made us feel like we were watching a Christmas episode of Friends. We were also very displeased with how Richard recounted his wife’s abortion, stating that he was ashamed of her because she scared him. As a women (and just a decent human) this is really disturbing that Richard, who made his wife get the abortion, would talk so poorly of his deceased spouse. When the last chapter returns to Richard sharing his own trauma, I feel as if Erpenbeck wants us to feel pleased with Richard’s development as he opens up to the group; however, this only adds to Richard’s insincerity toward the refugees, which is experienced throughout the book.
I think Richard’s lack of compassion for the refugees is Erpenbeck’s knock on German society for not doing more to understand and help these refugees. However, Erpenbeck was criticized for writing to the white, wealthy demographic and not using her medium to make a difference. I think this critique is valid because in a complimentary analysis of Gehen, Ging, Gegangen, James Wood of The New Yorker noted that this book was written for his demographic to make these people feel good, and it did.
This also brings in the question of “Who is this novel’s ‘contemporary?’” and makes me wonder “What was Erpenbeck’s intent with this text?” I think this book was meant for a German audience because it was written in German, and the story is told through the eyes of a German man; however these critics were very harsh, where as Americans (not the intended audience) loved Erpenbeck’s literary decisions. I think Erpenbeck was trying to frustrate her German audience and raise these questions of “What can the people of today do to help these refugees?” and inspire her community to think and act differently that Richard. However, this theory may just be fueled by my need to have a happy ending.
