This thesis demonstrates how two literary works ? Arnold Stadler's <em>Ein hinreissender Schrotth??ndler</em> (1999) and Andreas Maier's <em>Klausen</em> (2002) ? can be read as part of the globalization discourse. As a theoretical basis for the textual analysis the thesis first develops an understanding of the concept of globalization which forms a background against which the two literary works can be read. By embedding literature into the sociological theories of globalization it is possible to examine to what extent the two novels reflect and/or generate particular aspects of globalization. <br /><br /> Both texts are set largely in provincial towns, and the regions themselves play commanding roles in the stories being told. This focus on the provincial takes on an ironic appearance in the era of globalization where one would assume that localities have lost meaning. It is therefore useful to look at theories that broach the issue of the tense relation between globality and locality. Since no universally accepted definition of globalization exists, it is necessary to establish the crucial aspects of the phenomenon to be applied in the analysis of the novels by examining the work of various theorists on the topic. <br /><br /> The prominent model of 'glocalization,' originated by the sociologist Roland Robertson to refer to 'global localization,' offers useful categories for the analysis of the provincial in the era of globalization. In this model the simultaneity of global and local processes is assumed and with it the alleged antagonism of the 'global' and the 'local' is overcome. Claiming those dynamics Robertson's model can serve as a confirmation of the arguments put forward in this thesis which looks at literature about the 'local' through the prism of globalization. Other theories relating to explicit local dynamics are presented to round out the model of 'glocalization. ' In addition, the thesis takes into account normative ideas regarding the province in the global era. <br /><br /> The textual analysis that follows the delineation of the model of 'glocalization' demonstrates how the novels illustrate the global and local processes postulated by the model. The investigation also explains how the literary texts themselves evaluate the provinces portrayed. The results of the examination show that selected aspects of the globalization discourse have found their way into two contemporary German-language novels and therefore into German literary discourse. Even though the two novels deal with different ideas from the discourse, and even reject to a certain extent some of these concepts, they each reveal a particular literary manner of echoing the processes of globalization. Finally, the thesis demonstrates that the globalization discourse is of use for the interpretation of literary texts.

This thesis demonstrates how two literary works ? Arnold Stadler's <em>Ein hinreissender Schrotthändler</em> (1999) and Andreas Maier's <em>Klausen</em> (2002) ? can be read as part of the globalization discourse. As a theoretical basis for the textual analysis the thesis first develops an understanding of the concept of globalization which forms a background against which the two literary works can be read. By embedding literature into the sociological theories of globalization it is possible to examine to what extent the two novels reflect and/or generate particular aspects of globalization. <br /><br /> Both texts are set largely in provincial towns, and the regions themselves play commanding roles in the stories being told. This focus on the provincial takes on an ironic appearance in the era of globalization where one would assume that localities have lost meaning. It is therefore useful to look at theories that broach the issue of the tense relation between globality and locality. Since no universally accepted definition of globalization exists, it is necessary to establish the crucial aspects of the phenomenon to be applied in the analysis of the novels by examining the work of various theorists on the topic. <br /><br /> The prominent model of 'glocalization,' originated by the sociologist Roland Robertson to refer to 'global localization,' offers useful categories for the analysis of the provincial in the era of globalization. In this model the simultaneity of global and local processes is assumed and with it the alleged antagonism of the 'global' and the 'local' is overcome. Claiming those dynamics Robertson's model can serve as a confirmation of the arguments put forward in this thesis which looks at literature about the 'local' through the prism of globalization. Other theories relating to explicit local dynamics are presented to round out the model of 'glocalization. ' In addition, the thesis takes into account normative ideas regarding the province in the global era. <br /><br /> The textual analysis that follows the delineation of the model of 'glocalization' demonstrates how the novels illustrate the global and local processes postulated by the model. The investigation also explains how the literary texts themselves evaluate the provinces portrayed. The results of the examination show that selected aspects of the globalization discourse have found their way into two contemporary German-language novels and therefore into German literary discourse. Even though the two novels deal with different ideas from the discourse, and even reject to a certain extent some of these concepts, they each reveal a particular literary manner of echoing the processes of globalization. Finally, the thesis demonstrates that the globalization discourse is of use for the interpretation of literary texts.

Bislang konzentrierten sich die Untersuchungen des westdeutschen Blicks auf Ostdeutschland auf den Zeitraum vor der Wende oder auf Rundfunk- und Fernseh-Medien. Die Gegenwartsliteratur stellt einen weißen Fleck in dieser Frage dar. Anhand des Chronotopos-Konzepts von Michail Bachtin werden in dieser Arbeit daher zeitliche und räumliche Tiefenstrukturen in der Darstellung Ostdeutschlands in den Werken Jan Böttchers und Andreas Maiers herausgearbeitet und mit ihrer Darstellung Westdeutschlands verglichen. Neben grundsätzlichen Unterschieden fallen dabei signifikante Übereinstimmungen auf.

This thesis explores the representation of Heimat in contemporary German novels and films by authors and directors born in the 1960s and 1970s within the context of globalisation. The following texts and films are examined: Hierankl (2003) and Winterreise (2006) by Hans Steinbichler, Wer früher stirbt, ist länger tot (2006) and Beste Gegend (2008) by Marcus H. Rosenmüller, Der Geschmack von Apfelkernen (2008) by Katharina Hagena, Klausen (2002) by Andreas Maier, and Usambara (2007) by Christof Hamann. I argue that the static notion of the concept of Heimat and concomitant concepts of identity are challenged by these authors and filmmakers as they pit them against the cultural, political, and social changes brought on by globalisation with its altered notions of identity. Within German political and public discourse, globalisation is often presented as a foreign concept threatening German institutions, customs, and even national identity itself. The dynamics between dwelling and travel/movement are at the centre of the films and novels under discussion. Each of the four chapters focuses on one of the major topics of current literary discourses of Heimat and globalisation: changing images and roles of women in general and mothers in particular; the house, which has often been fundamental in representations of Heimat, as the site at which patriarchal norms and values are being renegotiated; nature and environment as sites of threatened Heimat within the context of Heimat, tourism, and Umweltschutz; and Africa as other Heimat, threatened by, yet relatively untouched by globalisation. In their exploration of notions of Heimat, all of the texts and films discussed in this thesis self-consciously refer to the texts and films of the Heimat and the anti-Heimat genre respectively. But far from focusing on the tainted notion of Heimat within the German historical and political context, as did the generation of 1968 in their films and texts, the new generation of writers and filmmakers marks notions of Heimat much more positively and appropriates them for its own purposes. Nostalgia, irony, and ambivalence are the major characteristics of the new “Heimatroman” and “Heimatfilm.” / Thesis (Ph.D, German) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-23 18:40:27.127

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