Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17234/ZGB.29.9
Descent into Form. German Contemporary Literature and the Damaged Life
Jan Behrs
; Northwestern University, Evanston, SAD
Abstract
In Lukács’ early work, the concept of form is very concretely linked to modern man’s aesthetic experience of loss around 1900 and any attempt to update it hinges on the question whether Lukács’ method can be applied to the present at all. This article undertakes such an application of his method by relating two core concepts from "Soul and Form" – bourgeoisie and sentimentality – to three ›neighbourhood novels‹: R. Schamoni’s "Große Freiheit", H. Strunk’s "Der goldene Handschuh" and H. Fichte’s "Die Palette" all deal with extremely marginalized groups in society, and the question arises whether Lukács’ categories are helpful in describing the form chosen in each case.
Keywords
Georg Lukács; Rocko Schamoni; Heinz Strunk; Hubert Fichte; aesthetics of form; ›Kiezroman‹
Hrčak ID:
253937
URI
Publication date:
7.3.2021.
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