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'Diese merkwürdige Kleinigkeit einer Vision'
Christoph Hein’s Social Critique in Transition
Series: - Amsterdamer Publikationen zur Sprache und Literatur, Volume: 150
Author:
Christoph Hein is one of the best-known authors of the former GDR, and his works of fiction have been widely interpreted as responses to and critiques of socialist society. In this study, David Clarke undertakes a detailed analysis of all of Christoph Hein’s major works of fiction from
Der fremde Freund (1928) to
Willenbrock (2000) in order to explore Hein’s critique of the GDR regime, whilst also demonstrating how aspects of that critique provided a starting point for Hein’s rejection of capitalism both before and after German unification. For Hein, socialism had failed to make good its promise to create a community bound together by common values and goals, preferring instead to impose conformity upon its citizens. Capitalism, he believed, was equally unable to meet the need for community, and Hein sought to demonstrate the consequences of this state of affairs in the figure of Wörle in his first post-unification novel,
Das Napoleon-Spiel (1993). After this point, Clarke argues, Hein was nevertheless forced to re-examine his criticism of capitalism, a process which ultimately led to the more differentiated and convincing portrayal to be found in
Willenbrock.
"…a significant contribution to Hein scholarship…" - in:
The German Quarterly, Vol. 77, No. 3 (Summer 2004)
"Clarke’s thorough scholarship, clear writing style, and careful editing make this a book worthy of a spot on our crowded bookshelves." - in: Monatshefte, Vol. 97, No. 2 (2005)
"…this is a useful work for anyone interested in Christoph Hein and his writing." - in: MLR, 99.2 (2004), pp. 548-9
"…a valuable addition to collections supporting undergraduate and graduate programs in German Studies or literature." - in: German Studies Review, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Feb. 2005), pp. 233-4
"Clarke’s thorough scholarship, clear writing style, and careful editing make this a book worthy of a spot on our crowded bookshelves." - in: Monatshefte, Vol. 97, No. 2 (2005)
"…this is a useful work for anyone interested in Christoph Hein and his writing." - in: MLR, 99.2 (2004), pp. 548-9
"…a valuable addition to collections supporting undergraduate and graduate programs in German Studies or literature." - in: German Studies Review, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Feb. 2005), pp. 233-4
Abbreviations. Introduction. Chapter 1. ‘Mit Kunst der Welt beikommen’. Hein on the Role of the Writer and the Uses of Literature. Chapter 2. ‘Über die Möglichkeiten und Unmöglichkeiten, sich miteinander zu verständigen. Chapter 3. Rethinking the Past.
Horns Ende. Chapter 4. Getting Back on Track. The Triumph of Conformity in
Der Tangospieler. Chapter 5. Facing West. Christoph Hein and the ‘Wende’. Chapter 6. ‘Spiele aus Notwehr’. Hein’s Critique of the West in
Das Napoleon-Spiel. Chapter 7. ‘Schicksal’, ‘Gelassenheit’ und Laughter.
Von allem Anfang an. Chapter 8. Materialism and Violence in
Willenbrock. Conclusion. Bibliography.