Telecommunications in Literature set in Berlin. Graph. 2013.
The amount of times the authors mention various telecommunication devices: phone, telephone, television and radio. German (green) authors mention those uses of electricity less than American (blue) and British (red) authors.German authors mention transportation and telecommunication less than foreign authors. Modern Berliners grew up in the eco-friendly mindset and reflect their image of the city in literature, and there is guilt about the environmental damage that occurred in energy production (Kuckartz).
Railways in Literature set in Berlin. Graph. 2013.
The amount of the time the authors mention: train, tram, S-Bahn and U-Bahn. German (green) authors mention those various transportation modes significantly less frequently than the American (blue) and British (red) authors.
I have looked at six books: Paul Beatty’s Slumberland, Beatrice Colin’s The Glimmer Palace, Jenny Erpenbeck’s Visitation, David R. Gillham’s City of Women, Henry Porter’s Brandenburg Gate, and Sven Regener’s Berlin Blues. The six books are divided into three separate categories depending on the authors’ nationalities: American, British and German. All six books are set in twentieth century Berlin. And in one way or another, all six books mention the various uses of electricity throughout the city of Berlin.
What is interesting, however, is amount of times that either the American, British, or German authors mention electric transportation or telecommunication. German authors mention those uses significantly less than their American and British counterparts.
Despite being responsible for many technological innovations, Berlin, as depicted by German authors, lacks the electrical magnificence that has influenced the city's identity. Modern Germans authors are aware of the environmental damage that coinciding twentieth-century energy production, and did not want to glorify the damage those energies have caused.
Sticker for Clean Energy, S-Bahn, Berlin. Personal photograph by author. 2013.
"Electricity" in Literature set in Berlin. Graph. 2013.
The amount that the authors mention the words: electric, electrical, electricity, electrified, electrifying, electronic and electronically. German (green) authors again mention this energy source less than the American (blue) and British (red) authors.
While Germans know they are serious about being environmentally friendly today, foreigners visiting the city might not see this so clearly. Besides having a high volume of recycling bins, Berlin does not seem like it would be an environmentally clean city, but It is. And after paying close attention it was evident.
