LFU:online

Students train their skills in analyzing contemporary prose and gain knowledge about the works' first reception. The will examine the relation between philosophical and sociological theory and literature and get to know various tendencies in contemporary german prose. 

Loneliness has always been a fundamental problem in philosophy and plays an important role in world literature throughout all past centuries. In our time, the era of postmoderism (or hypermodernism) the problem of solitude increases according to psychological and sociological studies immensly. 

In contemporary literature this „new postmodern loneliness“ (Erwin Moede) is theme in various facettes. The seminary wants to trace roots of this postmodern loneliness oft he self in contemporary german prose. Philosophical and sociological reasons that increase the risk of a negative feeling of loneliness aswell as policial and economical or technological reasons shall be traced in literary texts that lay their focus on loneliness in different styles.

Primary text will be named in the first session. Complementary secondary texts by Zygmunt Bauman, Peter Sloterdijk or Eva Ilouz will help understand the phenomenon from different perspektives.

The seminary is taught in German.

Discussions, group work, short lectures

short reports/essays; term paper

Introduction to german literary studies

Some knowledges in the interpretation of novels

Interest in trasfer between theory and literature

Consultation: e-mail appointment