The Unifying Aspects of Cultures
SECTION:
Apocalypse Now? Eschatalogical Tendencies in Contemporary
Literature
Chair of the section/Suggestions, Abstracts, Contributions
to:
Email: Gregor Thuswaldner
(Gordon College Wenham, Massachusetts)
> Speakers
ABSTRACT: In antiquity apocalyptic literature was a popular
genre, which experienced a flowering between the second century
before and the second century after Christ. But in the twentieth
century and in the new millennium, too, authors are concerning
themselves increasingly with an end of whatever kind. For several
years, for example, the Left-Behind-Book Series of Tim
LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins has headed the Best-Seller List of the
New York Times. This trivial series, conceived for a public
of a million offers a fundamentalist Christian View of the last
days of mankind. The great demand for these books shows, that
there is now as then a lively interest in eschatological books.
The intensive examination of the Apocalypse is, however, not
only limited to the American cultural sphere. This trend can be
observed in many national literatures. The broad spectrum of writers,
who have ambitiously used catastrophes as a theme ranges from
the Russian Andrej Belyj, to the British Martin Amis, to the Italian
Guido Ceronetti. Most recently Austrian authors like Elfriede
Jelinek, Christoph Ransmayr or Robert Menasse have utilized apocalyptic
themes in their books.
The aim of this (as comparative as possible) section is, on
the basis of individual examples, to examine the reasons why this
topic plays such a large role in the previous century and also
in contemporary literature. How, hat is, with what literary means
are these mostly post-Christian Apocalypses being expressed in
the more recent literature. What metaphysics can be derived from
this phenomenon? What connections can be made with other authors
of other cultures? What cultural-political influences can one
extract from the particular visions of the Last Judgment.
Analyses, which use interdisciplinary methodology, consider
the results of newer literary and cultural theory and/or draw
upon non-canonical texts, are especially welcome.
CONTRIBUTIONS FOR SECTIONS
- Thomas Eder (Universität Wien): Skepsis und Apokalypse
in der sprachthematisierenden Dichtung [ABSTRACT]
- Regina Eickelkamp (Heidelberg/Paderborn): Apokalyptische
Narrative im Romanwerk Michel Tourniers und Christoph Ransmayrs
unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Motivs der Reise und
Metamorphose [ABSTRACT]
- Armin Eidherr (Universität Salzburg): Motive und (literarische)
Traditionen der Apokalypse im Werk Arno Schmidts [ABSTRACT]
- Ute Eisinger (Wien): Literatur aus Apokalypse / Literatur
vs. Apokalypse [ABSTRACT]
- Martin Hainz (Universität Wien): Die Enthüllung
als Erfahrungskleid - Rose Ausländer und das Sinnbild
der atomaren Apokalypse [ABSTRACT]
- Michael Hammerschmid (Wien): Die glücklosen Engeln.
Zum apokalyptischen Arbeitsvermögen bei Heiner Müller
und Elfriede Jelinek [ABSTRACT]
- Christoph Holzhey (MPI für Wissenschaftsgeschichte,
Berlin): "Den Todesstreifen zum !Radweg bügeln"
- Erinnern und Schreiben zwischen Ruinen und ihrer Zerstörung
in Reinhard Jirgls Hundsnächte (1997) [ABSTRACT]
- Klaus Kastberger (Österreichisches Literaturarchiv,
Wien): Österreichische Endspiele: Die Toten kehren zurück [ABSTRACT]
- Victoria Lipina-Berezkina (Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine): "Apocalypses
Large and Small" in Contemporary Literature and Theory
[ABSTRACT]
- Burkhard Meyer-Sickendiek (Universität München):
Apokalyptisch vs. postapokalyptisch: Elfriede Jelineks Überwindung
der Satire [ABSTRACT]
- Cornelia Michelis (Valenciennes/Frankreich): Der letzte Weg
führt in die Eiszeit: die Ambivalenz des Kältemotivs
bei Bernard-Marie Koltès und Thomas Bernhard [ABSTRACT]
- Holger Mosebach (Kassel): Endzeitvisionen im Erzählwerk
Christoph Ransmayrs [ABSTRACT]
- Fatima Naqvi (Rutgers University): The Abandonment of the
Victim: Christoph Ransmayr's Apocalyptic Narrative, Resplendent
Decline [Strahlender Untergang] [ABSTRACT]
- Oliver Spitz (Exeter): "Die Zukunft auch der belebtesten
Landschaft heißt Wüste" - Zum Apokalypsetopos
im Prosawerk von Christoph Ransmayr unter Berücksichtigung
komplementärer Arbeiten Anselm Kiefers" [ABSTRACT]
- Uwe Steiner (Rice University, Houston, USA): Apocalypse -
not yet. Joseph Conrad - Thomas Mann - Francis Ford Coppola
[ABSTRACT]
- Daniela Strigl (Wien): "Die Wand" (1963) - Marlen
Haushofers Apokalypse der Wirtschaftswunderwelt [ABSTRACT]
- Gregor Thuswaldner (Gordon College, Wenham, MA): Das Jüngste
Gericht in New York: Apokalyptisches in Michael Scharangs Amerika-Romanen
[ABSTRACT]