| Title: | Representations of ‘the West’ in the Romanian Imaginary before 1989. Reflexivity and Transitivity |
| Author: | Corina Mărculescu |
| Publication: | Language and Literature – European Landmarks of Identity, 11, p. 343 |
| p-ISSN: | 1843-1577 |
| Publisher: | Universitatea din Pitești |
| Place: | Pitești |
| Year: | 2012 |
| Abstract: | The present paper proposes to examine various, more or less idealized, constructions and perceptions of “the West” in the Romanian imaginary during the Cold War period, pointing to the complex relationship between political/economic constraints under Communist rule and the emergence of (salvation) myths. Exploring Cold War mythologies, my paper captures the progression from the “Americans are coming” myth to the fantasies of emigration to America and the flight into the imaginary. This is what historian Lucian Boia calls the “compensatory role” of the imaginary in periods of crisis, in a disappointing, meaningless real world. On the other hand, the paper highlights the subversive function of the imaginary, showing how the silent, long-term process of imagining the prosperous, free West, constantly undermined the totalitarian regime’s efforts to control and indoctrinate the population. My study also looks at the post-communist transformations of the salvation myths and escapist fantasies, using as case study Cristian Nemescu’s film California Dreamin’ (Endless) released in 2007. Finally, my paper points to the clash between the “emotional” construction of history based on distorted, mythological versions of events, and true history. At the same time, it considers the potential use of the imaginary as a sensitive barometer of the historical evolution. |
| Key words: | communism, salvation fantasies, capitalist myth, flight into the imaginary, American dream, emotional construction of history |
| Language: | English |
| Links: |  pdf  html |
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