This thesis is a the comparative analysis of the motifs of advertising concepts as found in the German novel <em>Viktor Vogel</em>, by Alexandra Raumer, and the Russian novel <em>Generation P. </em>, by Viktor Pelevin. For reasons of readability, the work utilized is the German translation of <em>Generation P. </em> However, both the original Russian text and the German language film (which was produced prior to the German novel) have been used, and chapters regarding their interpretation are included. <br ><br /> The analysis of both novels contains discussion of the topic, function, and task of advertising in the text, as well as the manner in which marketing theory has influenced its literary manifestation. Additionally the relationships between advertising executives and clients are explored. <br ><br /> While the aspects aforementioned form the basis of the comparative analysis of <em>Viktor Vogel</em> and <em>Generation P. </em>, the thesis also includes work-specific researches. Regarding <em>Viktor Vogel</em>, the motifs of advertising found in the novel are compared to those which are present in the film. Likewise, concerning <em>Generation P. </em>, the advertisements in the Russian original are examined in comparison to its German language translation, and its interpretation is completed by a summary of the Russian advertising culture. <br ><br /> The results of this analysis concluded that in the work <em>Viktor Vogel</em> a strong measure of realistic and real-word advertising is maintained. Additionally, it is revealed that the focus of advertising in this work is primarily concerned with the internal processes of the marketing agency as opposed to actual advertisements, whose inclusion is solely for decorative purposes. The original movie, however, puts more emphasis on the depiction of the motif of advertising, providing more information than mere visual icons. <br ><br /> In contrast to these findings, the advertising found in <em>Generation P. </em> is in keeping with the absurd literary reality as created by Viktor Pelevin. The portrayal of advertisement activity is here strongly influenced by the economic changes that have taken place after the collapse of the former system. The advertising concepts in <em>Generation P. </em> complete three main tasks: the description of the environment, the development of the protagonists, and the representation of irony and satire. Advertising for foreign products concentrates on items, which enchance the prestige of the user (such as textiles, alcohol and cigarettes) and emphasize the actual product, whereas advertising dealing with genuine Russian items focus primarly on the service sector. Looking at the original text reveals significant differences between the German and the Russian edition which cannot to be put down to the high quality of the translation itself but are rather the result of later changes by Pelevin. It has become evident, that advertisements such as those found in the Russian novel encompass phenomena, which would be contrary to those which are used in the West.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OWTU.10012/742 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Durczok, Gregor |
| Publisher | University of Waterloo |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | German |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Rights | Copyright: 2005, Durczok, Gregor. All rights reserved. |
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