Für eine 'mindere' Literaturwissenschaft. WG Sebald und die 'kleine' Literatur aus der Österreichischen Peripherie, und von anderswo

Translated title of the contribution: For a 'lesser' literature: WG Sebald and the 'small' literature from the Austrian periphery, and elsewhere

Uwe Schütte

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    W. G. Sebald’s special interest in marginal authors shaped his critical perception of Austrian postwar writers. Focusing on his critical writings on Herbert Achternbusch and the schizophrenic poet Ernst Herbeck—considered by Sebald as paradigms of a disregarded, “minor” form of literature—this essay demonstrates how on the one hand Sebald placed their texts within an anthropological context of an “untamed thinking” (pensée sauvage) and how on the other he sought to reverse the standard practice of evaluating the literary value of “minor” writers from the perspective of established authors. As this critical approach indirectly suggests, literary criticism needs to adopt a “minor” stance to be truly able to unlock the meaning of normally marginalised texts.
    Translated title of the contributionFor a 'lesser' literature: WG Sebald and the 'small' literature from the Austrian periphery, and elsewhere
    Original languageGerman
    Pages (from-to)93-107
    Number of pages15
    JournalModern Austrian Literature
    Volume40
    Issue number4
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

    Bibliographical note

    Copyright of International Arthur Schnitzler Research

    Keywords

    • Sebald
    • Austrian postwar writers
    • Herbert Achternbusch
    • Ernst Herbeck
    • anthropological context

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'For a 'lesser' literature: WG Sebald and the 'small' literature from the Austrian periphery, and elsewhere'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this