ENG111.003 -- Introduction to Literature: Beholding Violence in Drama and Film

Prof. Eileen Joy

Summer 2008

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS #6: Michael Haneke's Funny Games)

Respond to BOTH of the following prompts [there are just two prompts this week and everyone has to write on both]:

1. In his essay, "Some Politically Incorrect Reflections on Violence in France and Related Matters," Slavoj Zizek argues that the hidden opposite of the "much-praised American individualism and self-reliance" is "the secret awareness that we are all helplessly thrown around by forces out of our control." Further, he argues that the true hero of today might be Job [from the Old Testament] because he refused to find any deeper meaning in the suffering he encounters. Describe, in detail, how Haneke's film Funny Games might illustrate these arguments.

2. What, in your opinion, is the point of Haneke's film Funny Games? What do you believe he was trying to get us to reflect upon, as regards our relation (personal, cultural, etc.) to violence, once the movie is over?

Please respond to the questions with full, complete sentences. You should write approximately two typed, double-spaced pages (total) in response to the prompts you choose (but let's not get distracted by these fine points of detail--what matters to me is that you respond to these prompts with thoughtfulness and care and show me that you have something of substance to say in relation to the reading and discussions we have had, and what that ultimately means is: MORE is always better than less, but one page per prompt is the minimum). The questions are always interpretive in nature, and therefore there are NO right or wrong answers, only your opinion (an opinion, nevertheless, that's hopefully grounded in a close reading of the text as well as a close attention to background material presented through online links). You will want to refer to and/or quote specific passages from the text in order to support your observations and ideas.

Responses should be saved as .doc [Microsoft Word] or .rtf [Rich Text Format] files and sent to ejoy@siue.edu as email attachments.