Humanity and Survival: Freezing Down (1969) by Anders Bodelsen

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Freezing Down
, 
1969
Anders Bodelsen
 
Born 1937
Prolific Danish Author,
Screenwriter
Psychosocial critiques
Social-realistic style of writing
Primarily associated with the 1960 new-realism wave
in Danish literature
Medical advancements in the 1970s
Creation of an artificial heart
Organ transplants
Pills to cure “problems”
Thrillers about middle-class people that face the
dilemma of materialism versus human value
Ordinary persons tempted by theft and moral issues
 
 
Materialism / commercialism
Human relationships
Rat race for status
Human values
Critically informed portrayer
Conditions of life for middle class
 
Debut: 
The Season of White Nights
, 1959
 
Social criticism – moral questions
Welfare state – individual
Freedom – responsibility
Ethical choices
Rootlessness and confusion
The past
The random scheme of things
Mixed motives for the characters
A door that is never closed
 
What if?? Speculative fiction
Dystopia or Utopia –
or just a technocratic society?
Similarities?
 
The Little Mermaid – Hans Christian
Andersen, 1835
 
Novel begins in 1973
Divided into three separate sections
1973, 1995, and 2022
Bruno
Jenny
Dr. Ackerman
“Freezing Down” process allows people to
essentially live forever
Bruno and Jenny’s relationship is central
 
Life versus Death
Class Division/Life as a
 
Commodity
Loss of Humanity
Quest for Perfection
Entrapment
Colors
 
Central theme of the book
Central characters comment on living life to the fullest,
contrasting to the dystopia created by “Freezing Down”
technology
Eternity leads to the loss of meaning in life and the loss
of urgency – the fierce urgency of now!
“But it’s no longer life that you believe in,” said Bruno.
“It’s eternity.  The two things have nothing whatsoever
to do with each other.”
“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that
count.  It's the life in your years.”  ~Abraham Lincoln
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life.  A man
who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”  ~Mark
Twain
“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop to look
around once in a while you could miss it.”~
Ferris
Bueller's Day Off
 
 
In a consumer-based culture, we always want what we
can’t have and we never sit back and appreciate what
actually do have
The downfall of capitalism and the consumer culture
Bruno at first loves Jenny—love at first sight and love in
the truest, sincerest sense—didn’t sexually objectify her
In the new material society:
  women become objects for male sexuality
  there is no emotion in the sexual relations
Intensification, establishment of class divisions
Now-Life vs. All-Life
Doctors and Politicians vs. Everyone else
 
Marshall McLuhan:  “One thing about which fish know exactly
nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which
would enable them to perceive the element they live in.”
 
Choice
  
-From complete choice, to partial choice, to no choice
  
-reproductive choice
  
-mate choice
  
-Bruno has organs removed without his permission
 
Art/Culture
  
-magazines
  
-music
  
-no literature, just boring books about dull topics
 
(Locomotives)
  
-ballet-timeless
Religion
Feelings
  
-love?
 
 
Body
Freezing Down
Language
  
-1984
Technology
  
-synthetic organs
Food
  
-Bruno yearns for real food in the end
Weather/Nature
  
-control of the weather
 
 
The Freezing down process itself
1995: The window in his room facing the
billboards
2022: Bruno’s room is completely
windowless
Pills (Eternol, etc.)
Armpit Ticker
Wrist Food Tube
Using the tube to “escape”
Bruno’s Final Prison
 
Progression to Monochromatic
-Move to uniformity
  
-Shows that even the simplest things can be controlled
  
 and perfected
Uniforms/Clothing
1973- a woman who drew Bruno’s blood wore a white coat and the
patients wore red or blue striped hospital pajamas with black
hospital robe
1995- the nurses wore blue coveralls like the doctors with tight
blue caps, which hid their hair, and blue tights and blue boots
2022-everything is green
Green as a Symbol of Youth and Fertility
Blue was the doctors’ first choice
  
-Blue is a symbol of unity
  
-Everyone was together as one in the society
The men in the yellow suits
  
-yellow Pills, yellow Tulips
 
Immortality =
quantity
 
Living and working
to prolong living
and working
 Mice in a wheel
Ultimate purpose?
 
Quality of life
 
 
Living to enjoy
Dissipation?
Depravation?
The Good Life?
Life after Death?
 
1)What is the symbolism of the last three pages of the book?
How does the structure of the writing add to the end?
2)How do work and life relate to one-another in changing
ways throughout the book?  Why is this meaningful?
 
3)What is the role of women and how do these roles change
in the three sections?
 
4)How is this book a commentary on the time it was written?
Is it relevant to contemporary society?
5)What is the significance of Bruno Jr.?
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Novel explores themes of life vs. death, class division, loss of humanity, quest for perfection, and entrapment through a speculative fiction setting in 1973, 1995, and 2022. Central focus on the relationship between Bruno, Jenny, and Dr. Ackerman, as the Freezing Down process offers the possibility of living forever.

  • Speculative Fiction
  • Social Criticism
  • Existential Dilemma
  • Technocratic Society
  • Relationships

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  1. HUMANITY AND SURVIVAL Freezing Down, 1969 Anders Bodelsen

  2. ANDERS BODELSEN, 1937-

  3. ANDERS BODELSEN

  4. ANDERS BODELSEN Born 1937 Prolific Danish Author, Screenwriter Psychosocial critiques Social-realistic style of writing Primarily associated with the 1960 new-realism wave in Danish literature Medical advancements in the 1970s Creation of an artificial heart Organ transplants Pills to cure problems Thrillers about middle-class people that face the dilemma of materialism versus human value Ordinary persons tempted by theft and moral issues

  5. DISCONTENT OF MODERN LIFE Materialism / commercialism Human relationships Rat race for status Human values Critically informed portrayer Conditions of life for middle class Debut: The Season of White Nights, 1959

  6. TNK P ET TAL, 1969 THE SILENT PARTNER, 1978

  7. SCEPTICISM Social criticism moral questions Welfare state individual Freedom responsibility Ethical choices Rootlessness and confusion The past The random scheme of things Mixed motives for the characters A door that is never closed

  8. FREEZING DOWN What if?? Speculative fiction Dystopia or Utopia or just a technocratic society? Similarities? The Little Mermaid Hans Christian Andersen, 1835

  9. SUMMARY Novel begins in 1973 Divided into three separate sections 1973, 1995, and 2022 Bruno Jenny Dr. Ackerman Freezing Down process allows people to essentially live forever Bruno and Jenny s relationship is central

  10. THEMES Life versus Death Class Division/Life as a Commodity Loss of Humanity Quest for Perfection Entrapment Colors

  11. THEME: LIFE VERSUS DEATH Central theme of the book Central characters comment on living life to the fullest, contrasting to the dystopia created by Freezing Down technology Eternity leads to the loss of meaning in life and the loss of urgency the fierce urgency of now! But it s no longer life that you believe in, said Bruno. It s eternity. The two things have nothing whatsoever to do with each other. And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. ~Abraham Lincoln The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. ~Mark Twain Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while you could miss it. ~Ferris Bueller's Day Off

  12. THEME: CLASS DIVISIONS/LIFE AS A COMMODITY In a consumer-based culture, we always want what we can t have and we never sit back and appreciate what actually do have The downfall of capitalism and the consumer culture Bruno at first loves Jenny love at first sight and love in the truest, sincerest sense didn t sexually objectify her In the new material society: women become objects for male sexuality there is no emotion in the sexual relations Intensification, establishment of class divisions Now-Life vs. All-Life Doctors and Politicians vs. Everyone else Marshall McLuhan: One thing about which fish know exactly nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which would enable them to perceive the element they live in.

  13. THEME: LOSS OF HUMANITY Choice -From complete choice, to partial choice, to no choice -reproductive choice -mate choice -Bruno has organs removed without his permission Art/Culture -magazines -music -no literature, just boring books about dull topics (Locomotives) -ballet-timeless Religion Feelings -love?

  14. THEME: QUEST FOR PERFECTION Body Freezing Down Language -1984 Technology -synthetic organs Food -Bruno yearns for real food in the end Weather/Nature -control of the weather

  15. THEME: ENTRAPMENT The Freezing down process itself 1995: The window in his room facing the billboards 2022: Bruno s room is completely windowless Pills (Eternol, etc.) Armpit Ticker Wrist Food Tube Using the tube to escape Bruno s Final Prison

  16. THEME: COLORS Progression to Monochromatic -Move to uniformity -Shows that even the simplest things can be controlled and perfected Uniforms/Clothing 1973- a woman who drew Bruno s blood wore a white coat and the patients wore red or blue striped hospital pajamas with black hospital robe 1995- the nurses wore blue coveralls like the doctors with tight blue caps, which hid their hair, and blue tights and blue boots 2022-everything is green Green as a Symbol of Youth and Fertility Blue was the doctors first choice -Blue is a symbol of unity -Everyone was together as one in the society The men in the yellow suits -yellow Pills, yellow Tulips

  17. LIFE AND FREEZING DOWN Immortality = quantity Quality of life Living and working to prolong living and working Mice in a wheel Ultimate purpose? Living to enjoy Dissipation? Depravation? The Good Life? Life after Death?

  18. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1)What is the symbolism of the last three pages of the book? How does the structure of the writing add to the end? 2)How do work and life relate to one-another in changing ways throughout the book? Why is this meaningful? 3)What is the role of women and how do these roles change in the three sections? 4)How is this book a commentary on the time it was written? Is it relevant to contemporary society? 5)What is the significance of Bruno Jr.?

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