THE ANTI-TOTALITARIAN FOCUS OF T. STRASSER’S NOVEL THE WAVE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DIALOGUE OF LITERATURE AND FILM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31652/2786-9083-2025-6(1)-77-87Keywords:
film adaptation, novelization, totalitarian regime, manipulation of consciousness, Holocaust, autocratic system, idea of equality, ideological load, system of images, comparative analysisAbstract
This paper examines the formation of a totalitarian society and analyzes the mechanisms of its influence on the individual as depicted in T. Strasser's novel The Wave and its two film adaptations.
The study employs comparative, historical-descriptive, and cultural analysis methods. It highlights the documentary basis of the novel, explores the multi-stage history of its creation, and discusses its 1981 film adaptation by American director A. Grasshoff and 2008 screen version by German director D. Gansel.
These works of literature and film are examined within the framework of the dialogue between the two art forms. Their interaction is analyzed from a diachronic perspective, with particular attention to classifications of film adaptations of literary works.
The paper also presents a comparative analysis of the documentary account given by an American teacher who conducted a social and psychological experiment with his students in 1967, the short film that recreated this experiment, T. Strasser's novel, and its film adaptations. The analysis considers different artistic forms and their documentary foundations, focusing on the chronotope, the system of images, and key plot features.
As part of the chronotope analysis, the study examines how changes in time and setting influence the articulation of key issues. It explores the transformation of artistic images in the analyzed works and traces the corresponding shift in their ideological significance. The differences in the endings of T. Strasser’s novel and its two film adaptations are analyzed in relation to the thematic concerns of the works. The study also investigates the audiovisual means used in the films to convey the novel’s central idea.
Conclusions are drawn regarding the mechanisms of totalitarian regimes and their impact on the individual. The research addresses issues of responsibility, the relationship between the individual and the crowd, techniques of psychological manipulation, depersonalization, and more. Finally, the study examines the reasons for the continued relevance of these works.
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