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Abstract

This project investigates the emerging …of Auschwitz subgenre, characterised by identical peritexts comprised of signs and symbols of Auschwitz. I argue that this subgenre presents several ethical issues: firstly, the authors of these texts interviewed Holocaust survivors directly for their wartime testimony but embellished these accounts beyond the historical record, effectively simplifying and sanitising them with fictionalisations verging on kitsch. Secondly, the peritextual marketing of these texts are as simplified as the texts’ contents, using decontextualised, euphemistic and hyperreal images related to Auschwitz that anonymise the survivors and prioritise the location. This is indicative of a culture of ‘sales over ethics’ because the Culture Makers have recognised that Auschwitz can be used as a key selling point. As a result of the popularity of these texts and widespread belief that they are ‘true stories’, Holocaust Illiteracy has become ever more prominent across many societal demographics, including casual readers, teachers, pupils, and the authors themselves. This project seeks to highlight the damage the …of Auschwitz texts have had and will continue to have on meaningful Holocaust knowledge and understanding as we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, predicting that genuine testimonies and their unique histories will fall into obscurity to make way for the …of Auschwitz trend.

Course: Humanities and social sciences - MRes - P2460PTC

Date Deposited: 2023-02-23

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14104.html