Wetlands

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Wetlands is the first novel by Charlotte Roche . It was published in February 2008 and is best known for the protagonist's very open treatment of her own body and various sexual practices .

action

Helen Memel is 18 years old and is in the proctology department of a hospital. She is waiting to have an operation because of an anal fissure that she contracted in the anus region during the intimate shave and because of her hemorrhoids . Helen has the silent hope that her divorced parents will reunite through her daughter's hospitalization. They tried to force it and prolong their hospital stay for this purpose, and reports of their previous sexual experiences, their attitude to menstrual blood , urine , pus , semen , smegma and their applied masturbation practices . She also grows avocados , the seeds of which she also uses in her masturbation. She flirts with the male nurse Robin, who helps her photograph the fissure. When she sees him go for a walk with a colleague, Helen is amazed at her jealousy. In the end, despite some efforts, she does not succeed in reconciling her parents. She wants to break off contact with her mother, with whom she lives. In order to alienate her brother from his mother too, she reveals to him the childhood trauma that he has repressed and for which the mother is to blame. At the end she asks Robin if she can live with him. He waits a moment while Helen leaves a silent message for her family in her hospital room. They both leave the hospital to ride his bike to his home.

Background and personal reference

The novel deals with issues such as disgust and sexuality in an explicit and provocative way . The narrator reports on her practice with sexually motivated autoaggressive behavior , excrementophilia or mucophagia ("body excretion recycler") and thoughts of incest and numerous other taboo topics .

According to Roche, the book should point out existing taboos in society and criticize exaggerated notions of cleanliness. In addition to complexes regarding their figure, the main problem for many women is also seen as inhibitions in dealing with their own physicality, which would have a particularly negative effect on their sex life. However, it is precisely in the partner's body odors and fluids that there is an erotic stimulus that is often overlooked by excessive cultural hygiene ideas . Roche demands an open and less cramped approach to sexuality and one's own body. She does not rigidly reject social beauty norms such as pubic hair removal or slimness , but appeals for a reflected relationship with them. Women should wonder whether they are taking certain actions just to please men or whether it is their own choice. She also sees a critical examination of new developments such as labia reduction and anal bleaching as necessary.

The book has extensive personal references, according to Roche "70% of the book is autobiographical". Like Helen Memel, Roche was very rebellious in her youth and loved provocation. There are also parallels in some details, for example Roche also has a nipple piercing . Roche's “hygiene criticism” is expressed in the often non-standard and “disgusting” behavior of Helen Memel.

The premiere of the play of the same name took place on September 27, 2008 in the New Theater Halle .

reception

Wetlands is Charlotte Roche's first novel. Originally the book was supposed to be published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch , who described the work as "pornographic". The book received a lot of media coverage and shortly after its publication in March 2008 rose to number one on the Spiegel bestseller list . In many reviews, the open handling of social taboos and the unbiased narrative style are praised. However, there are also critical opinions that criticize the coarse narrative style as well as the simple plot or the “pseudo-taboo break”.

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote about the play of the same name : “Apparently the director has learned from the Mario Barth Effect of the Wetlands Readings: When the taboo becomes a collective experience, people may laugh freely, but what comes across as so frank is just stupid and banal. Christina Friedrich turns the text into a condensate of extreme pain and pleasure experiences of a young woman - and thus takes Roche's figure more seriously than the author herself. "

In an interview in the program Menschen 2008 broadcast on ZDF , the literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki expressed himself negatively about the work, which he called “very disgusting” and a “pornographic book”. In his eyes it is "literarily worthless".

Best seller of the year

The novel was named Best Seller of the Year 2008. According to market research company Media Control , the story has been sold more than 1.3 million times; the book topped the literature charts for 30 weeks and had a print run of two million copies.

expenditure

National inspecting authority for youth harming media

At the request of the city of Witten , the Federal Testing Office for Media Harmful to Young People conducted an indexing procedure against the novel (Pr. 744/08), but listing was refused.

filming

On November 25, 2009 the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg funded the development of a script with € 36,000. The shooting was kept secret. The world premiere was at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2013.

The film opened in German cinemas on August 22, 2013 in Majestic Filmverleih . Producer is Peter Rommel , directed by David F. Wnendt . Carla Juri plays the leading role , other important actors are Christoph Letkowski , Meret Becker , Axel Milberg , Edgar Selge and Marlen Kruse.

Documentaries

  • Exploring Wetlands - Charlotte Roche and Her Readers. Documentation by Hilka Sinning, Germany 2009, ZDF / Arte, 52 min

Theatrical performances

Literary studies

  • Albert Meier: Always very ungirlish. Charlotte Roche and her wetlands. In: Friedrich, Hans-Edwin (ed.): Literaturskandale , Frankfurt am Main - Berlin - Bern - Bruxelles - New York - Oxford - Vienna 2009, pp. 231–241.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Wetlands ( Memento of April 18, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) - Tagesanzeiger
  2. ^ Against all taboos: "Wetlands" by Charlotte Roche - Das Literaturcafé
  3. ↑ The Lexicon of TV Presenters: Charlotte Roche ( Memento from October 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ The new one in the class ( star )
  5. ^ "Wetlands" in Halle Theater ( Memento from October 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) - ZDFtheaterkanal
  6. ↑ ORF online (March 22, 2008) From Viva to the "wetlands"
  7. ↑ Oh Muschilein - The time
  8. ↑ shallow areas - Thea Dorn in Time
  9. ↑ Review Notes on Wetlands in Pearl Divers
  10. ↑ On the Terror of Physicality ( Memento of the original from October 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Süddeutsche Zeitung @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sueddeutsche.de
  11. ↑ http://www.oe24.at/kultur/Reich-Ranicki-Fuchtengebiet-literarisch-wertlos/435701
  12. ^ People from culture in: Schwäbische Zeitung from December 30, 2008
  13. ^ The book as therapy , tagesspiegel.de
  14. ↑ Indexing procedure against wetlands
  15. ↑ Wetlands film ( Memento from February 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), fem.com, accessed on September 27, 2010
  16. ↑ Film Festival in Switzerland World premiere of "Feuchtgebiete" in Locarno
  17. ^ "Secret Shoot Gets Underway for German Sex Shocker 'Wetlands'" , Hollywood Reporter , accessed November 18, 2012
  18. ↑ "The first teaser trailer is here" www.prosieben.de from June 18, 2013
  19. ↑ Majestic Filmverleih ( Memento from June 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

Wiktionary: wetlands  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations