Why America Fought: Post-Postmodernism in Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle

Abstract:

The article proposes a twofold reading of Amazon’s hit series The Man in the High Castle. Thus the series can be understood satirically in that its depiction of an America under Nazi rule functions as a foil through which dominant media representations of 1960s America are potentially demystified as being utopian. This first perspective is related to Fredric Jameson’s notion of postmodernism that criticizes the nostalgic dimension inherent to such media representations. The other reading links the series to the September 11 terror attacks; through what the article calls the post-postmodern perspective, Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle can be viewed as advocating a forceful U.S. government which is willing to take control over America’s trajectory in the course of history.