Laura Fuchs-Bauer

Transgressive fiction or victory of norms? Virginie Despentes' first novel /Baise-moi/ has been presented as both, marked by transgression (Jordan 2002 : 121) and by profound conservatism (Fayard 2006 : 68). The present article proposes an analysis of the transgressive in the novel by taking the friendship between its two female protagonists into particular consideration.

Terrorism and the topic of the young French-Algerian terrorist are consistent themes in the work of YB. Known for his satirical writing, he deconstructs discourses by showing their grotesque aspects. An analysis of YB’s “Parisian” novels Allah Superstar (2003) and Bugsy Pinsky contre le complot juif (2010) shows how he combines serious political criticism and concern with the playful, ironic tone of satire, thereby creating the necessary distance for the expression of nuances. After a brief overview of YB’s work and its socio-historical context (e.g. Algeria in the 1990s, (post-)colonial relationships, the impact of 9/11 on French society), the article shows how YB's novels construct the figure of the young terrorist whilst deconstructing their own satirical methods.

Yvonne Veras Roman /The Stone Virgins/ wird als Beispiel dafür gelesen, wie sich Literatur einerseits Gewalt zum Motiv macht - in diesem Fall als Repräsentation historischer und unter anderem sexueller Gewalt - und andererseits durch ihre Wirkung auf die Lesenden als 'gewaltvoll' verstanden werden kann. Aufbauend auf die Theorien Gayatri Spivaks und Martin Seels zur Repräsentation bzw. Kunst und Gewalt wird das politische Potential der ästhetisierten Darstellung von Gewalt anhand des Romans weitergedacht.

in : Erthel, Thomas et al. (Hg.): Spannungsfeld Literatur und Gewalt: Tagungsband des 3. Studierendenkongress der Komparatistik. Peter Lang Verlag: 2013.(187-194)

Studies on male identity are relatively rare in the context of banlieue-novels and -films. This article  focuses  on  the  representation  of  masculinity  in  Mathieu  Kassovitz’  film La  Haine (Hate, 1995) and Y.B.’ s novel Allah Superstar (2003). An analysis of parody as a subversive element  in  these ‘ texts’  shows  that  both  of  them  question,  but  also  reenact,  heavily stereotyped male roles through their parodistic play with symbols and scripts of masculinity.

Zoë Wicomb’s collection of linked short stories was published in 1987, three years before the official end of apartheid in South Africa. It has often been superficially interpreted as a negotiation of female identity; even though to the careful reader it reveals itself as a highly complex reflection on the power of (written) discourse on the formation of subjectivity and the perception of history. In this article, it will thus be argued that Wicomb’s literary project inscribes itself in a tradition of female (South) African (political) writing that challenges the silencing of (coloured) female history. Thus, in a first step, the main character's development will be traced with a particular focus on the concepts of subjectivity and relational identity. Secondly, the question of metafictional elements embedded in the stories will be approached to carve out an understanding of Wicomb's text as an essay on (political) writing and reading 'in disguise'.

[paper published in Stichproben 27/2014, online available:  http://stichproben.univie.ac.at/archiv/stichproben-nr-272014/]

Transgressive fiction or victory of norms? Virginie Despentes' first novel /Baise-moi/ has been presented as both, marked by transgression (Jordan 2002 : 121) and by profound conservatism (Fayard 2006 : 68). The present article proposes an analysis of the transgressive in the novel by taking the friendship between its two female protagonists into particular consideration.