In the previous post we looked at what Taraxacum is and how it was inspired. But where is it located? And when in the story set? Let's go on a trip to the mountains and find out.
A Town in the Mountains
Taraxacum is situated in a city state called Neukonstanz, a fictionalised version of the German city of Konstanz located on the Swiss-German border (and not too far from Austria). I chose this alpine setting for various reasons, the first and perhaps most obvious one being aesthetics. Mountains have always been a point of attraction in human society; whether it be for hobbies and entertainment such as skiing, hiking and climbing; or as more contemplative sites for pilgrimages, secluded monasteries or nature reserves.
The Alps (which I'm ashamed to say, I've never actually been to myself) are breathtakingly beautiful and have had a special place in my heart for as long as I can remember. The main culprit for this affection was the immensely popular children's show Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974), simply known as "Heidi" in most European countries. Heidi was the first installment in a long line of productions by Nippon Animation, a Japanese animation studio that adapted many works from western children's literature into a full-length anime series spanning on average 52 episodes each. Other significant productions from this studio include adaptations of Anne of Green Gables, Tom Sawyer, Maya the Bee, Pinocchio, A Dog of Flanders, A Little Princess and The Story of the Trapp Family Singers (yes, there's an anime version of The Sound of Music, believe it or not!)
What makes these shows so special and worth watching is the amount of care and effort that went into them. The visuals are beautiful, the characters memorable and the stories wholesome and family friendly. For the production of Heidi, the Japanese animation team traveled all the way to Switzerland to depict the scenery as accurately as possible. The results speak for themselves. The show was an instant success in Japan and across the world, which not only delighted parents and children for generations to come but also brought the magical world of the Alps to life and made them accessible to those who might never get to see them personally.
A major contributing factor to this idyllic view of the Alps (and what Neukonstanz is like) was the music of Gert Wilden, who composed the German soundtrack for Heidi (the original Japanese version has a different soundtrack). Just take a listen to his piece "Durchs Tal" ("Through the Valley") to get a feel of the "Alpine mood" and what a stroll through the streets of Neukonstanz is like.
But other than aesthetics and quaint children's shows, why choose the mountains as the main setting for this trilogy? Well, a lot of that has to do with the story's underlying plot and main themes of which I don't want to give away too much just yet. What I will say is that it ties in with the story's apocalyptic references and undertones, which are based primarily on Christ's warning to those in Judea to "flee to the mountains" (Mt 24:16, Mk 13:14, Lk 21:21) and the following verse from the Book of Revelation:
Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains... (Revelation 6:15)
As we saw with the boarding school, prison and asylum inspired Institute of Taraxacum, there is method to my madness. Things will become clearer as you work your way through the novels (or will they?)
Language and Cultural Identities
Set on the German-Swiss border, the characters' speaking language is German and a substantial amount of characters are natives to Neukonstanz. However, some significant personalities come from further afield. Iris Brandt is originally from the Ruhr (but a pure-blooded Prussian at heart), Fr Pio and the Laurenti sisters are of Italian stock (Phoebe and Tiffany from the north, Pio from the south), Tobias, Cleo and Sr Felicity all have French roots and May Ashwood (obviously, with a name like that) is English.
However, regardless of origin, the characters' national identities are only incidental here. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, nation states such as Germany, France, Italy etc. no longer exist. The characters in the novels are united by a common language (in this case, German) and cultural identities remain important only in so far as the characters themselves regard them. There are various political factions that seek to re-establish countries, kingdoms and empires as they had "once been", but that is a topic for another time.
A City State and Noble Republic
Like most settlements in the post-apocalyptic world of Taraxacum, Neukonstanz is a city state, meaning that the city's officials have full jurisdiction over their own affairs and do not answer to a centralised government hundreds of miles away.
The political system in Neukonstanz is that of a "noble republic" a form of government that I (very) loosely based on the "Golden Liberty" system employed by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th to 18th centuries. The exact functioning of this system is unimportant to the story. As a quick reference, the main legislative authority and executive power in Neukonstanz is the "High Council" which consists of a group of about seven ministers and is chaired by the Lord Mayor (who makes a few sporadic appearances in the story).
When Jonah Resnik arrives in Neukonstanz, he feels like he has travelled back in time. The year is 2048, but Neukonstanz looks and lives like a typical provincial town from the early 1900s. Everything from clothing styles and social etiquette to the lack of most forms of "modern technologies" (especially televisions and PCs) points towards a society that wants nothing to do with the main causes associated with the life- and world-altering event now referred to as the "Great Cataclysm". What is the Great Cataclysm? We'll find out next time...
