Forster, Katharina (2018) Bildung im kontext von kolonialismus und migration: Dekonstruktionen des Bildungsromans in der interkulturellen gegenwartsliteratur. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

In recent decades there has been an interest in adaptations of the Bildungsroman in feminist, postcolonial and diasporic writing, challenging the genre’s traditional constructions as a quintessentially ‘German’ genre or socially conservative canonical literature. Continuing these trends in research, this thesis examines how the Bildungsroman is used and reworked in German-language migration, diasporic and postcolonial novels which feature intercultural contexts. It also explores the new stories of personal development and cultural identity told in those texts which choose not to engage with genre traditions or even actively subvert them. The five novels analysed differ in terms of time and setting, ranging from modern-day migration and diasporic experiences to historical colonial settings. They also vary in their use of genre patterns, offering affirmative adaptations of canonical Bildungsromane (Alev Tekinay’s neoromantic novel Der weinende Granatapfel, 1990) as well as critical revisions of the genre’s idealist foundations (Sherko Fatah’s post-colonial novel Ein weißes Land, 2011). Other novels eschew the genre traditions of the Bildungsroman in favor of formal and thematic innovations. While Emine Sevgi Özdamar’s Die Brücke vom Goldenen Horn (1998) ironically subverts genre patterns, despite being termed an ‘intercultural’ Bildungsroman in literary criticism (Gutjahr, 2008), Yadé Kara’s novel Selam Berlin (2003) can be productively compared to post-colonial ‘novels of transformation’ (Stein, 2004) in British literature, which highlight social transformations alongside personal ones. Ilija Trojanow’s novel Der Weltensammler (2006) does not provide a coherent, unambiguous narrative of development, but employs a range of narrative strategies to engage the readers’ ability to confront and question their cultural biases, involving them in a process of intercultural education. Finally, the conclusion provides an overview of the novels’ innovative aspects, i.e. their tendency to frame personal development as a specifically cross-cultural process as well as their thematic focus on cultural change.

Item Type:	Thesis or Dissertation (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PT Germanic literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	German literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism, Bildungsromans -- History and criticism, Bildungsromans, German
Official Date:	April 2018
Dates:	Date Event April 2018 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	School of Modern Languages
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Jordan, James, 1959-
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	259 leaves
Language:	ger

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