Wie lebendig ist die Popliteratur um die Jahrtausendwende? Judith Hermanns "Nichts als Gespenster" in Gegenüberstellung zu Christian Krachts "Faserland".

Abstract

The focus of this master?s thesis is on determining whether Judith Hermann?s book of collected short stories, <em>Nichts als Gespenster</em> (2003) can be assigned to the so-called category <em>Popliteratur</em> which had its climax in the 1990?s, or whether it advances this genre by focusing on new perspectives. To show this, Hermann?s short stories are compared with Christian Kracht?s <em>Faserland</em> (1995), which is a prime example of a pop-novel at the end of the last century. Thomas Jung?s criteria for <em>Popliteratur</em> serve as a methodology for the textual analysis. <br /><br /> In the first part of this thesis <em>Popliteratur</em> as literary phenomenon is introduced. In addition to a definition and its history from the 1960?s till nowadays, the focus is on <em>Popliteratur</em> of the 1990?s and its authors who do not just write but stage themselves in the media and in public. Furthermore from this, the existence of <em>Popliteratur</em> in the 21st century is discussed and categories of how it appears in new literary forms, e. g. ?Generation Golf? and ?Zweite Generation Pop?. This is followed by a consideration of how Popliteratur is assessed in literary studies and literary criticism. <br ><br /> In the second part of this thesis, Christian Kracht and Judith Hermann are introduced, followed by a comparison of <em>Faserland</em> and <em>Nichts als Gespenster</em> from the point of view of Jung?s criteria for <em>Popliteratur</em>, namely its topics, its language, narrative technique, construction of identity and its target group of readers. After the textual analysis, the question whether Judith Hermann?s work can be assigned to <em>Popliteratur</em> or whether she transforms this genre will be answered. <br ><br /> My conclusions are that Hermann advances <em>Popliteratur</em> in the 21st century by focusing on melancholia and self-reflexion more than on the provocation that was more typical of earlier <em>Popliteratur</em>.