Gabriele Dürbeck/ Christine Kanz (Eds.): German-Language Nature Writing from Eighteenth Century to the Present. Controversies, Positions, Perspectives. , 2024
This contribution contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what... more This contribution contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is commonly called nature writing in Anglophone cultures. It points out that a corresponding German tradition does indeed exist, namely the non-fictional nature book which, as a genre, emerged around 1900. Writers such as Wilhelm Bölsche and Raoul H. Francé published popular nature books, written in literary rather than purely fact-oriented prose, which popularised scientific insights while combining these with an aesthetic appreciation of nature, thereby bridging the—at the time—emerging gap between the ‘two cultures’. Finally, Peter Wohlleben’s best-selling book The Hidden Life of Trees is examined in the context of this genre—a book which, to some extent due to the very specific traditions of German literary studies, would not have been considered a worthy object of investigation in literary studies.
The arts in general, and especially the visual arts, were essential to the East German government... more The arts in general, and especially the visual arts, were essential to the East German government,1 which assigned them the task of educating the people of the GDR. Their most important didactic objectives in this context were to evoke, to express, and to emphasize positive feelings towards the new socialist state as well as the occupying forces of the Soviet Union.2 Memorial art was particularly relevant in this context: while the arts in socialist Germany generally served the didactic and political purpose of representing (or creating) an optimistic view of progress in society and of portraying both the working class and the governing Socialist Unity Party (SED) as the driving forces behind this progress, memorial art was assigned the additional task of creating an image of the past that was in accordance with a Marxist view of history.3 The people of the GDR weremeant to perceive the process of establishing a socialist workers’ state not merely as a (more or less arbitrary) result of the Soviet occupation, but as a necessity within the context of German history.
Heimat in Literatur und Kultur. Neue Perspektiven. Reihe: Texte zur politischen Ästhetik, Band: 7 Herausgeber:innen: Thorsten Carstensen und Oliver Kohns. Brill, Nov 15, 2022
... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susa... more ... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susanne Scharnowski; Localización: Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik: Lili, ISSN 0049-8653, Vol. 38, Nº. 149, 2008 , pags. 34-50. ...
The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is co... more The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is commonly called ‘nature writing’ in anglophone cultures. It points out that a corresponding German tradition does indeed exist, namely the non-fictional nature book which, as a genre, emerged around 1900. Writers such as Wilhelm Bölsche and Raoul H. Francé published popular nature books, written in literary rather than purely fact-oriented prose, which popularised scientific insights while combining these with an aesthetic appreciation of nature, thus bridging the - at the time - emerging gap between the ‘two cultures’. Finally, Peter Wohlleben’s best-selling book, The Hidden Life of Trees, is examined in the context of this genre - a book which, to some extent due to the very specific traditions of German literary studies, would not have been considered a worthy object of investigation in literary studies.
While Wilhelmine von Hillern's novel and its film adaptations still figure amongst the be... more While Wilhelmine von Hillern's novel and its film adaptations still figure amongst the best‐known examples of the genres ‘Heimatroman’ and ‘Heimatfilm’ respectively, so far no detailed study has been done of the portrayal of Heimat in the novel, even though Heimat is frequently and explicitly thematised. An analysis of the novel reveals a surprisingly bleak image of the village and the village community, of the paternal household and the father. The heroine of the novel, Wally, courageous and with a great desire for independence, experiences both the village and the paternal home solely as restrictions, as a suppression of her determination and individuality. This unrelievedly gloomy portrayal of village life is in fact more reminiscent of the anti‐Heimat literature of the 1970s than of the Heimat literature of the late nineteenth century. Here, high mountains and glaciers serve as a counter‐world to the strangely unhomely Heimat and as a place to escape to. The novel resists the notion of Heimat as a bond to village origins with a more modern, urbanised perspective, in which Heimat is presented as an indeterminate and ultimately unfulfillable yearning rather than as a bond to place and traditions. In this perspective – clearly depicted as modern and urban – the focus is not on rural life and the village community, but rather on the sublime Alpine wilderness.
Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung für Geisteswissenschafte... more Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung für Geisteswissenschaften in Ingelheim am Rhein Die Deutsche Bibliothek CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Schamowski, Susanne: Ein wildes gestaltloses Lied : Clemens Brentanos "Godwi oder Das steinerne ...
"Wem gehort die Stadt?" Die Aneignung von Stadtraumen in Jugendbuch und Film der DDR: I... more "Wem gehort die Stadt?" Die Aneignung von Stadtraumen in Jugendbuch und Film der DDR: Insel der Schwane
Generationenverhältnisse in Deutschland und China Soziale Praxis - Kultur - Medien. Herausgegeben von: Almut Hille, Liaoyu Huang und Benjamin Langer. Band 4 der Reihe Chinese-Western Discourse, 2016
Zeitschrift Fur Literaturwissenschaft Und Linguistik Lili, 2008
... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susa... more ... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susanne Scharnowski; Localización: Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik: Lili, ISSN 0049-8653, Vol. 38, Nº. 149, 2008 , pags. 34-50. ...
Generationenverhältnisse in Deutschland und China Soziale Praxis - Kultur - Medien. Herausgegeben von: Almut Hille, Liaoyu Huang und Benjamin Langer. Band 4 der Reihe Chinese-Western Discourse, 2016
Gabriele Dürbeck · Christine Kanz (Hrsg.) Deutschsprachiges Nature Writing von Goethe bis zur Gegenwart. Kontroversen, Positionen ,Perspektiven, 2021
The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is co... more The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is commonly called ‘nature writing’ in anglophone cultures. It points out that a corresponding German tradition does indeed exist, namely the non-fictional nature book which, as a genre, emerged around 1900. Writers such as Wilhelm Bölsche and Raoul H. Francé published popular nature books, written in literary rather than purely fact-oriented prose, which popularised scientific insights while combining these with an aesthetic appreciation of nature, thus bridging the - at the time - emerging gap between the ‘two cultures’. Finally, Peter Wohlleben’s best-selling book, The Hidden Life of Trees, is examined in the context of this genre - a book which, to some extent due to the very specific traditions of German literary studies, would not have been considered a worthy object of investigation in literary studies.
Almut Hille/ Oliver Völkel (Hg.): Was zu beginnen nicht aufhört Facetten von Gegenwartsliteratur in der internationalen Germanistik und im Fach Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 2020
The article problematises approaches to contemporary German literature which focus on the topics ... more The article problematises approaches to contemporary German literature which focus on the topics of contemporary novels; it then discusses the role of the literary author who is also committed to a political agenda. Finally, the article analyses some cases which illustrate the consequences of transgressions between the spheres of literature and politics on the one hand, and literature and science on the other hand, referring to Robert Menasse's "Die Hauptstadt" and to Peter Wohlleben's best selling book "Das geheime Leben der Bäume".
Piotr Podemski/ Dario Prola (Eds.): ROK 1968 W EUROPIE. Badania i pamięć / [THE YEAR 1968 IN EUROPE. Research and Memory]. Warszawa 2020, S. 126-155 (Deutsch/ Polski), 2020
Gabriele Dürbeck/ Christine Kanz (Eds.): German-Language Nature Writing from Eighteenth Century to the Present. Controversies, Positions, Perspectives. , 2024
This contribution contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what... more This contribution contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is commonly called nature writing in Anglophone cultures. It points out that a corresponding German tradition does indeed exist, namely the non-fictional nature book which, as a genre, emerged around 1900. Writers such as Wilhelm Bölsche and Raoul H. Francé published popular nature books, written in literary rather than purely fact-oriented prose, which popularised scientific insights while combining these with an aesthetic appreciation of nature, thereby bridging the—at the time—emerging gap between the ‘two cultures’. Finally, Peter Wohlleben’s best-selling book The Hidden Life of Trees is examined in the context of this genre—a book which, to some extent due to the very specific traditions of German literary studies, would not have been considered a worthy object of investigation in literary studies.
The arts in general, and especially the visual arts, were essential to the East German government... more The arts in general, and especially the visual arts, were essential to the East German government,1 which assigned them the task of educating the people of the GDR. Their most important didactic objectives in this context were to evoke, to express, and to emphasize positive feelings towards the new socialist state as well as the occupying forces of the Soviet Union.2 Memorial art was particularly relevant in this context: while the arts in socialist Germany generally served the didactic and political purpose of representing (or creating) an optimistic view of progress in society and of portraying both the working class and the governing Socialist Unity Party (SED) as the driving forces behind this progress, memorial art was assigned the additional task of creating an image of the past that was in accordance with a Marxist view of history.3 The people of the GDR weremeant to perceive the process of establishing a socialist workers’ state not merely as a (more or less arbitrary) result of the Soviet occupation, but as a necessity within the context of German history.
Heimat in Literatur und Kultur. Neue Perspektiven. Reihe: Texte zur politischen Ästhetik, Band: 7 Herausgeber:innen: Thorsten Carstensen und Oliver Kohns. Brill, Nov 15, 2022
... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susa... more ... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susanne Scharnowski; Localización: Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik: Lili, ISSN 0049-8653, Vol. 38, Nº. 149, 2008 , pags. 34-50. ...
The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is co... more The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is commonly called ‘nature writing’ in anglophone cultures. It points out that a corresponding German tradition does indeed exist, namely the non-fictional nature book which, as a genre, emerged around 1900. Writers such as Wilhelm Bölsche and Raoul H. Francé published popular nature books, written in literary rather than purely fact-oriented prose, which popularised scientific insights while combining these with an aesthetic appreciation of nature, thus bridging the - at the time - emerging gap between the ‘two cultures’. Finally, Peter Wohlleben’s best-selling book, The Hidden Life of Trees, is examined in the context of this genre - a book which, to some extent due to the very specific traditions of German literary studies, would not have been considered a worthy object of investigation in literary studies.
While Wilhelmine von Hillern's novel and its film adaptations still figure amongst the be... more While Wilhelmine von Hillern's novel and its film adaptations still figure amongst the best‐known examples of the genres ‘Heimatroman’ and ‘Heimatfilm’ respectively, so far no detailed study has been done of the portrayal of Heimat in the novel, even though Heimat is frequently and explicitly thematised. An analysis of the novel reveals a surprisingly bleak image of the village and the village community, of the paternal household and the father. The heroine of the novel, Wally, courageous and with a great desire for independence, experiences both the village and the paternal home solely as restrictions, as a suppression of her determination and individuality. This unrelievedly gloomy portrayal of village life is in fact more reminiscent of the anti‐Heimat literature of the 1970s than of the Heimat literature of the late nineteenth century. Here, high mountains and glaciers serve as a counter‐world to the strangely unhomely Heimat and as a place to escape to. The novel resists the notion of Heimat as a bond to village origins with a more modern, urbanised perspective, in which Heimat is presented as an indeterminate and ultimately unfulfillable yearning rather than as a bond to place and traditions. In this perspective – clearly depicted as modern and urban – the focus is not on rural life and the village community, but rather on the sublime Alpine wilderness.
Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung für Geisteswissenschafte... more Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung für Geisteswissenschaften in Ingelheim am Rhein Die Deutsche Bibliothek CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Schamowski, Susanne: Ein wildes gestaltloses Lied : Clemens Brentanos "Godwi oder Das steinerne ...
"Wem gehort die Stadt?" Die Aneignung von Stadtraumen in Jugendbuch und Film der DDR: I... more "Wem gehort die Stadt?" Die Aneignung von Stadtraumen in Jugendbuch und Film der DDR: Insel der Schwane
Generationenverhältnisse in Deutschland und China Soziale Praxis - Kultur - Medien. Herausgegeben von: Almut Hille, Liaoyu Huang und Benjamin Langer. Band 4 der Reihe Chinese-Western Discourse, 2016
Zeitschrift Fur Literaturwissenschaft Und Linguistik Lili, 2008
... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susa... more ... | Ayuda. Das feuilletonistische Berliner Grosstadtbild als Dokument der Moderne. Autores:Susanne Scharnowski; Localización: Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik: Lili, ISSN 0049-8653, Vol. 38, Nº. 149, 2008 , pags. 34-50. ...
Generationenverhältnisse in Deutschland und China Soziale Praxis - Kultur - Medien. Herausgegeben von: Almut Hille, Liaoyu Huang und Benjamin Langer. Band 4 der Reihe Chinese-Western Discourse, 2016
Gabriele Dürbeck · Christine Kanz (Hrsg.) Deutschsprachiges Nature Writing von Goethe bis zur Gegenwart. Kontroversen, Positionen ,Perspektiven, 2021
The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is co... more The article contests the assertion that in German literature there is no equivalent of what is commonly called ‘nature writing’ in anglophone cultures. It points out that a corresponding German tradition does indeed exist, namely the non-fictional nature book which, as a genre, emerged around 1900. Writers such as Wilhelm Bölsche and Raoul H. Francé published popular nature books, written in literary rather than purely fact-oriented prose, which popularised scientific insights while combining these with an aesthetic appreciation of nature, thus bridging the - at the time - emerging gap between the ‘two cultures’. Finally, Peter Wohlleben’s best-selling book, The Hidden Life of Trees, is examined in the context of this genre - a book which, to some extent due to the very specific traditions of German literary studies, would not have been considered a worthy object of investigation in literary studies.
Almut Hille/ Oliver Völkel (Hg.): Was zu beginnen nicht aufhört Facetten von Gegenwartsliteratur in der internationalen Germanistik und im Fach Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 2020
The article problematises approaches to contemporary German literature which focus on the topics ... more The article problematises approaches to contemporary German literature which focus on the topics of contemporary novels; it then discusses the role of the literary author who is also committed to a political agenda. Finally, the article analyses some cases which illustrate the consequences of transgressions between the spheres of literature and politics on the one hand, and literature and science on the other hand, referring to Robert Menasse's "Die Hauptstadt" and to Peter Wohlleben's best selling book "Das geheime Leben der Bäume".
Piotr Podemski/ Dario Prola (Eds.): ROK 1968 W EUROPIE. Badania i pamięć / [THE YEAR 1968 IN EUROPE. Research and Memory]. Warszawa 2020, S. 126-155 (Deutsch/ Polski), 2020
Heimat: Geschichte eines Missverständnisses. wbg academic (Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft): Darmstadt , 2019
Längst ist „Heimat“ zu einem politischen Kampfbegriff geworden. Die einen verbinden damit das Bew... more Längst ist „Heimat“ zu einem politischen Kampfbegriff geworden. Die einen verbinden damit das Bewahren einer eigenen Kultur und Identität, andere setzen dem vermeintlich überholten oder gar gefährlichen Wort Werte wie Weltoffenheit und Diversität entgegen und meinen, Heimat sei für jeden etwas anderes. In dieser polarisierenden Debatte hilft es, sich einen Überblick über Geschichte und Bedeutungsspektrum des Heimatbegriffs zu verschaffen. Susanne Scharnowski verfolgt seine Genese seit der Romantik über Heimatschutzbewegung, Kolonialzeit und Nationalsozialismus bis hin zu Heimatvertriebenen, Anti-Atomkraft-Bewegung und Globalisierung. In einem systematischen Teil beleuchtet sie Schlüsselbegriffe, die oft mit Heimat in Verbindung gebracht werden, wie Kitsch und Nostalgie und zeigt, warum es verfehlt ist, Heimat als Gefühl zu bezeichnen.
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Papers by Susanne Scharnowski
In dieser polarisierenden Debatte hilft es, sich einen Überblick über Geschichte und Bedeutungsspektrum des Heimatbegriffs zu verschaffen. Susanne Scharnowski verfolgt seine Genese seit der Romantik über Heimatschutzbewegung, Kolonialzeit und Nationalsozialismus bis hin zu Heimatvertriebenen, Anti-Atomkraft-Bewegung und Globalisierung. In einem systematischen Teil beleuchtet sie Schlüsselbegriffe, die oft mit Heimat in Verbindung gebracht werden, wie Kitsch und Nostalgie und zeigt, warum es verfehlt ist, Heimat als Gefühl zu bezeichnen.