C1DialogSerien3 Min.
Just One More
Zwei Moderatoren eines Podcasts über Fernsehen streiten, ob Cliffhanger ein Trick oder eine Kunst sind.
Ein Gespräch aus einem Podcast. Achte darauf, wie beide ihre Position zuspitzen, einschränken und am Ende verschieben — und auf Ausdrücke wie granted, that said und the thing is.
So, today’s question comes from a listener who watched a whole season in one weekend and now feels, in her words, slightly ashamed. Rafael, is the cliffhanger a form of art or a form of control?
Control, obviously. The ending of almost every part is designed so that you cannot stop. That is not telling a story, that is a slot machine with a story attached.
That is a bit hard. Stories have always ended chapters at the most important moment. The serial novels printed in newspapers did exactly the same thing two hundred years ago.
Granted. But a reader in those days had to wait a week for the next part. The waiting was part of the experience. Now the next part starts by itself after five seconds, and the decision to stop is quietly taken away from you.
So your problem is not the cliffhanger but the button.
In part, yes. The thing is, a good cliffhanger asks a question you really care about. A cheap one just cuts the scene in half. And the cheap ones have multiplied since the waiting disappeared.
I would argue the opposite, actually. Because people can watch everything at once, some shows have stopped using cliffhangers at all. The best shows I have seen recently end each part with a quiet moment that makes you want to think, not to click.
And did you stop after that quiet moment?
No. I watched four more.
There you go.
That said, I did not feel controlled. I felt like I was reading a book I could not put down, which is supposed to be a compliment.
Fine. Let us give our listener a verdict, then. If you finish a season and remember what it was about, it was art. If you finish it and only remember that it was late, it was the button.
I can live with that.
Today’s question comes from a listener. She watched a whole season in one weekend, and now she feels a little ashamed. Rafael, is the cliffhanger art or a way to control us?
Control, of course. Almost every part ends so that you cannot stop. That is not telling a story. That is a game machine.
That is a bit hard. Stories have always stopped at the most important moment. Novels in newspapers did the same thing two hundred years ago.
True. But then readers had to wait a week for the next part. Now the next part starts by itself after five seconds. You do not really decide to continue.
So your problem is not the cliffhanger. It is the button.
Partly. A good cliffhanger asks a question you care about. A cheap one just cuts the scene in half. And there are more cheap ones now.
I think the opposite. Some shows do not use cliffhangers at all any more. The best shows I have seen end each part with a quiet moment that makes you think.
And did you stop after that quiet moment?
No. I watched four more.
You see?
But I did not feel controlled. It was like a good book that you cannot stop reading.
All right. Here is our answer, then. If you finish a season and remember what it was about, it was art. If you only remember that it was late, it was the button.
I agree.
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Grammatik in diesem Text
Diese Formen stehen im Text in echtem Gebrauch. Mit „Grammatik zeigen“ über dem Text werden sie farbig markiert.
is designed so that · is quietly taken away
Passiv mit Modalbedeutung: is designed so that, is quietly taken away from you. Passiv bilden →
stopped using
stopped using heißt „aufgehört zu benutzen“; stopped to use hieße „angehalten, um zu benutzen“. Verben mit -ing oder to →
Granted · That said
Einschränken im Gespräch: Granted., That said, … — erst zustimmen, dann widersprechen. Gegensatz: although, despite →
Die Wörter ab C1 in diesem Text
Nicht die schweren Wörter überhaupt, sondern die deiner Stufe: alle 1 von 172 Wörtern dieses Textes stehen auf C1 oder darüber. Alles andere kennst du, wenn du hier angekommen bist.
verdict
Wahrspruch, Urteilsspruch
C1
Die Wortlisten zu diesem Text
Die Wörter dieses Textes stehen in 32 Listen dieser Seite; die Zahl dahinter sagt, wie viele davon aus welcher Liste kommen. Wer den Text gelesen hat, hat gerade diese Wörter gebraucht — und kann genau sie abfragen.
Verständnisfragen
5 Fragen zum Text. Zu jeder Antwort erscheint der Satz, in dem sie steht — eine Frage, deren Antwort man im Text nicht wiederfindet, prüft nichts.
1. Warum schämt sich die Hörerin ein wenig?
Ivy stellt die Frage am Anfang vor.
Achte auf „in one weekend“.
watched a whole season in one weekend
2. Welches historische Beispiel nennt Ivy?
Lies Ivys zweiten Beitrag.
Achte auf das Wort „newspapers“.
The serial novels printed in newspapers
3. Was ist für Rafael der wichtigste Unterschied zu früher?
Lies Rafaels Beitrag mit „Granted“.
Achte auf „by itself“.
Now the next part starts by itself after five seconds
4. Wie zeigt Rafael, dass Ivys Gegenbeispiel nicht ganz aufgeht?
Lies die kurze Frage nach Ivys längstem Beitrag.
Achte auf das Verb „stop“.
And did you stop after that quiet moment?
5. Welches Urteil fällen die beiden am Ende?
Lies Rafaels letzten Beitrag.
Achte auf „remember“.
If you finish a season and remember what it was about, it was art