How To Write on Stasiland

This is an account of a true story

GDR = German

Democratic Republic - 1949-1990

This is an account of a true story

Your task is to write about how Anna Funder has written this non

fiction text

“This society, it was built on lies ...” Why does Funder find it so difficult to uncover the truth?

In writing Stasiland Funder seeks to...

As she speaks to...she discovers...

•What Funder is writing about

•Who Funder is writing about

•How Funder structures her text

•What techniques she uses

•What conclusions she comes to

What Funder is writing about

Text Ideas and experiences Actions The people

•Account•Investigation•Version•Reflection•Exploration

•The reality of life in the/under the former GDR•The experiences of...in the former GDR•The past•Stories

•Portrays•Depicts•Writes•Investigates•Explores•Shows•Represents•Collects

•The people who...•Witnesses•Ordinary people•Victims of the Stasi•Former Stasi members

In Anna Funder’s Stasiland - an account (text) of

daily life in the former GDR (experiences) - she

writes (action) about both the...and the

(who)

In writing about non-fiction, there needs to be more focus on what the author is doing.

In Ransom, the characters are...

In writing Stasiland, Funder

seeks to...

Who Funder is writing about

Victims of The Stasi

Unsympathetic Former Stasi

Sympathetic Former Stasi

•Julia•Miriam•Frau Paul•Klaus Renft

•Herr Von Schnitzler•Herr Bock•Herr Winz

•Herr Koch•Herr Christian•Herr Bohnsack

In constructing Stasiland, Funder

doesn’t fill her book with just

dates and facts but with...in order to...

Funder makes her opinion of the

people in her book clear by...

On Mielke: His eyes are set close

together, his cheeks puffy. He has the face and

the lisp of a pugilist. p. 57

Showing us what she thinks

On Von Schnitzler: This is so mad that

I can’t think of a question

immediately. p. 134

Telling us what she thinks

P. 14-15 - Miriam*What she looks

likeHow she fits into

the *space around her

QuickTime™ and aH.264 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

How Funder has structured the text

P Miriam Miriam Miriam P P P P Julia Julia

Julia P Schni Julia Christ-ian Koch Koch Koch Klaus Bock

Paul Paul Paul Bohn-sack P P P Miriam

Funder interweaves

reflections on present day

Germany with...

What techniques does Funder use

•Funder shows us how she feels in many ways...

•Characterisation•Colour imagery•Tense

• In northern Germany I inhabit the grey end of the spectrum: grey buildings, grey earth, grey trees. Outside the city and then the country spool past in black and white. p. 3

• From here to Validivostok this was Communism’s gift to the built environment - linoleum and grey cement, asbestos and prefabricated concrete...p. 124

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Present tense

•Now I am cold and sober and scared of what I am about to hear. p. 141

•It’s not in the past - it’s in the present

•Immediacy•Connection•Closeness•Direct

What conclusions does Funder arrive

at•To remember or forget - which

is healthier? p. 52•Read Charlie’s poem on p.

281-2

Thank you...