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Kulturhistorische Bedingungen Der Fantastischen Literatur Um 1900

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Kulturhistorische Bedingungen Der Fantastischen Literatur Um 1900 DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Kulturhistorische Bedingungen der fantastischen Literatur um 1900. Materialismuskritik bei Meyrink, Ewers und Strobl.“ Verfasser Stefan Weber angestrebter akademischer Grad Magister der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, November 2010 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 332 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Deutsche Philologie Betreuerin / Betreuer: Doz. Dr. Roland Innerhofer 2 Tausend Dank an Dr. Innerhofer für die gute Betreuung, das hilfreiche Feedback und vor allem seine Zeit, an Nataša Sienčnik und Georg Göstl für das wiederholte Korrekturlesen und die zahlreiche Unterstützung. Meiner Familie Danke für ihre Geduld. 3 4 Inhaltsverzeichnis Einleitung ...................................................................................................................................... 7 1. Was ist fantastische Literatur? .............................................................................................. 12 1.1. Definitionen des Fantastischen .................................................................................... 15 1.2. Das Fantastische als Schreibweise ............................................................................... 20 1.3. Die deutsche Fantastik um 1900 .................................................................................. 24 2. Bedingungen des Fantastischen. Kulturhistorische Betrachtungen ............................... 30 2.1. Kurze Geschichte der fantastischen Literatur............................................................ 31 2.1.1. Gegen-Aufklärung. Fantastik als Alterität ........................................................... 31 2.1.2. Von der Klassik zum Realismus ........................................................................... 33 2.1.3. Moderner Höhepunkt 1890–1930........................................................................ 35 2.2. Kulturhistorische Faktoren der Fantastik um 1900 .................................................. 39 2.2.1. Industrialisierung und Urbanisierung .................................................................. 40 2.2.2. Massenliteratur und Verlagswesen ....................................................................... 43 2.2.3. Krieg und Untergang ............................................................................................. 48 2.2.4. Naturwissenschaften und Fortschrittsglaube ..................................................... 53 3. Kritische Wurzeln. Antimaterialistische Konzepte ........................................................... 60 Exkurs: Was ist Materialismus? ........................................................................................... 60 3.1. Geistesgeschichtliche Wurzeln ..................................................................................... 61 3.1.1. Romantik .................................................................................................................. 62 3.1.2. Monismus ................................................................................................................ 64 3.1.3. Lebensphilosophie .................................................................................................. 65 3.1.4. Esoterik und Okkultismus .................................................................................... 68 3.2. Literarische Wurzeln ...................................................................................................... 71 3.2.1. Bezüge zur literarischen Dekadenz ...................................................................... 71 3.2.2. Das Erbe der Décadence bei Ewers, Meyrink und Strobl ................................ 79 4. Textanalyse .............................................................................................................................. 82 4.1. Poetologische Aussagen ................................................................................................ 82 4.2. Gustav Meyrink: Der Golem (1915) ........................................................................... 88 Entstehungsgeschichte ..................................................................................................... 88 Inhalt und Aufbau ............................................................................................................. 89 5 Selbstfindung ..................................................................................................................... 91 Schlaf und Traum .............................................................................................................. 94 Unsichtbare Macht und Schicksal ................................................................................... 99 Materie und Geist ........................................................................................................... 101 Wissenschaftskritik ......................................................................................................... 103 4.3. H. H. Ewers: Alraune. Die Geschichte eines lebenden Wesens (1911) .............. 104 Entstehungsgeschichte .................................................................................................. 104 Inhalt und Aufbau .......................................................................................................... 106 Rahmentexte – Ganzheit ............................................................................................... 108 Gedanke und Lüge ......................................................................................................... 110 Unsichtbare Macht und Schicksal ................................................................................ 111 Natur und Kultur ........................................................................................................... 113 Gesellschaftskritik .......................................................................................................... 114 Herrschaft des Geldes ................................................................................................... 115 Reaktionäre Idylle ........................................................................................................... 116 4.4. K. H. Strobl: Eleagabal Kuperus (1910) .................................................................. 118 Entstehungsgeschichte .................................................................................................. 118 Inhalt und Aufbau .......................................................................................................... 119 Vergangenheit und Gegenwart ..................................................................................... 120 Herrschaft des Geldes ................................................................................................... 122 Macht der Gedanken ..................................................................................................... 123 Reaktionäre Idylle ........................................................................................................... 123 Gesellschaftskritik .......................................................................................................... 124 Ganzheit und Schicksal ................................................................................................. 127 4.5. Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten ........................................................................ 129 5. Zusammenfassung und Ausblick ...................................................................................... 137 Literatur .................................................................................................................................... 144 Anhang ...................................................................................................................................... 157 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 157 Lebenslauf ............................................................................................................................ 158 6 Einleitung Wie bereits Stephan Berg vor nunmehr 18 Jahren richtig bemerkt hat, verweisen zwar viele Arbeiten zur deutschsprachigen fantastischen Literatur der frühen Moderne auf die sozialhistorischen Hintergründe ihrer Konjunktur zwischen 1890 und 1930, die einer langen, seit der Romantik andauernden Flaute gefolgt war, bleiben damit jedoch in „kursorische[n] Randbemerkungen“1 stecken. Lediglich die Aufsätze Jens Malte Fischers, Winfried Freunds und Clemens Ruthners widmen sich diesem Aspekt etwas näher, kommen jedoch durch den beschränkten Umfang kaum über Schlagwortnennungen und ungefähre Verweise hinaus.2 Mehr Raum findet das Thema bei Peter Cersowsky, Hermann Hierl und Stephan Berg, allerdings bleibt es durch stark textimmanentes Arbeiten zumeist auf einzelne Motive und literarische Strukturen beschränkt.3 Weitaus umfangreicher ist die essayistisch abgefasste Publikation A specter is haunting Europe von José Monleón, der darin eine solche soziohistorische Betrachtung der Literaturen westeuropäischer Länder versucht.4 In einer nennenswerten Monographie jüngeren Datums analysierte Clemens Ruthner außerdem „Kanon, Kulturökonomie und die Intertextualität des Marginalen am Beispiel der (österreichischen) Phantastik im 20. Jahrhundert“ in ähnlichem Umfang, jedoch methodisch durchdachter.5 Ob eine rundum befriedigende Klärung des Zusammenhangs der Fantastik- Konjunktur mit dessen soziohistorischem Kontext im Rahmen einer Diplomarbeit gelingen
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