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The following paper offers a transgeneric analysis of three contemporary German literary texts which shows how the plot setting - which is in all these cases an urban environment, i.e. a city – can be described as a topos to address... more
The following paper offers a transgeneric analysis of three contemporary German literary texts which shows how the plot setting - which is in all these cases an urban environment, i.e. a city – can be described as a topos to address ongoing migration crises. These urban places of action and the depicted migration crises create a state of paradox and irony: big cities attract the population and represent a place that is desirable to live in, yet they seem to marginalize and ostracize the very groups that migrate towards them. The research presented in this paper stems from an ongoing research project that deals with the phenomenon of crisis in contemporary English, German and Croatian literature, with an emphasis on systems in crisis, where the systems are defined from a sociological perspective as the family, the local community, the state, the region, and so on. The research was conducted within the installation research project “UIP-2020-02-3695 Analysis of Systems in Crisis and o...
Tragedija je, kaže Aristotel, oponašanje ozbiljne i potpune radnje određene veličine i koju krasi otmjen i poseban govor, a izvode lica koja djeluju, a ne pripovijedaju. Posljedica je takve radnje pročišćivanje straha i sažaljenja koje ta... more
Tragedija je, kaže Aristotel, oponašanje ozbiljne i potpune radnje određene veličine i koju krasi otmjen i poseban govor, a izvode lica koja djeluju, a ne pripovijedaju. Posljedica je takve radnje pročišćivanje straha i sažaljenja koje ta radnja izaziva. Tragedija od svojih početaka, a time i od početaka teorije o književnosti, zauzima važno mjesto kao književno-kazališna tvorevina europskog kulturnog kruga, a dugo je smatrana i najuzvišenijim književnim oblikom. Njegovana kroz tisućljetnu dramsku tradiciju, tragedija se uspjela održati na pozornici zapadne civilizacije od Aristotela, doduše uz brojne promjene u svom obliku i teoriji. Polovicom 20. stoljeća nastale su teze o nestanku tragedije, a postavili su ih Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Northrop Frye, George Steiner te potkraj 20. stoljeća, Hans Thies Lehmann. Prema Steineru dolazi do smrti tragedije; Dürrenmatt uočava novi impuls miješanja žanrova tragedije i komedije pri čemu nastaje tragikomedija koja, čini se, postaje tragedija dan...
The paper takes a closer look at the phenomenon of racial passing as form of cultural transition: as transformation of identity, i.e. as changing of t
Tragedija je, kaže Aristotel, oponasanje ozbiljne i potpune radnje određene velicine i koju krasi otmjen i poseban govor, a izvode lica koja djelu
Who dares to portray the demigod Hercules as an inadequate, impotent failure? Who dares to mock tragic heroines like Antigone? Who dares to mock the biblical Judith and her bravery? Who would portray an ideal emperor as one who betrays... more
Who dares to portray the demigod Hercules as an inadequate, impotent failure? Who dares to mock tragic heroines like Antigone? Who dares to mock the biblical Judith and her bravery? Who would portray an ideal emperor as one who betrays and sacrifices his empire? The Swiss author Friedrich Durrenmatt, reconstitutes these famous ancient myths, motifs, symbols and archetypes in his works of art and literature in order to provoke reconsideration of modern-day values such as sacrifice, value of human life, patriotism and bravery. in doing so, he also touches upon issues such as globalization, nationalism and bureaucratization as everyday problems that the individual to rise to his/her heroic potential. The research focuses on Durrenmatt’s recurring motifs with special emphasis on mythic, historical and biblical figures in the plays Romulus the Great and Hercules and the Augean Stables.
According to 20th century death-of-tragedy theorists like George Steiner, Northrop Frye and Friedrich Durrenmatt, tragedies are unfit for today's world. Does this mean that terror and tragic events such as depictions of war have... more
According to 20th century death-of-tragedy theorists like George Steiner, Northrop Frye and Friedrich Durrenmatt, tragedies are unfit for today's world. Does this mean that terror and tragic events such as depictions of war have completely disappeared from the modern stage? No. This paper shows that mass as well as individual tragedy is very much present on the stages of contemporary theatres, but in genres different than the traditional tragedy. The paper looks at various examples of genres like documentary or verbatim theatre, tragic comedy and poetic theatre, showing some of the ways that 20th ct. playwrights deal with issues of terror(ism) and violence. E.g. Peter Weiss' The Investigation, which will be discussed as a representative of the documentary theatre, uses original transcripts from the Auschwitz process after the 2nd World War in the form of an „Oratorio in 11 Cantos“ to show its terrible events. Furthermore, Henry Adam's play The People Next Door was, on th...
Summary The paper analyses the phenomenon of heterotopias as they are described by Michel Foucault and the way they are employed in literature and theatre. The paper argues that each time an author writes or re-writes, a director stages,... more
Summary The paper analyses the phenomenon of heterotopias as they are described by Michel Foucault and the way they are employed in literature and theatre. The paper argues that each time an author writes or re-writes, a director stages, a member of the audience sees and reader reads a fictional narrative that is set into a non-fictional place (e. g. a city), a heterotopia, “another”, different place is created by means of conceptual integration. This will be exemplified on the contemporary Croatian novel Unterstadt by Ivana Šojat and its stage adaptation.
Statistika bibliografskih podataka o projektima, znanstvenicima i znantsvenim institucijama.
Rad se bavi promisljanjem pitanja postojanja moderne odnosno postmoderne tragedije, tocnije, bavi se jednim njenim oblikom – tragikomedijom – koji je u 20.stoljecu popularizirao svicarski autor i umjetnik Friedrich Durrenmatt (1921. –... more
Rad se bavi promisljanjem pitanja postojanja moderne odnosno postmoderne tragedije, tocnije, bavi se jednim njenim oblikom – tragikomedijom – koji je u 20.stoljecu popularizirao svicarski autor i umjetnik Friedrich Durrenmatt (1921. – 1990.). Kako je tragedija usko vezana uz kult mita i kult junaka, zanimljivo je promotriti kako se u doba koje se, promatrano sa stajalista znanosti o književnosti naziva moderno odnosno postmoderno1, ti mitovi i pojmovi tragicnih junaka ruse. Rad ce pokazati kako Durrenmatt koristi mitske junake i elemente karakteristicne za grcku tragediju u parodijama koje povezuju anticko mitsko i suvremeno, tragicno i komicno, a kao primjer ce dati pregled upotrebe mita Antigone i Penelope u tragikomediji Romul Veliki. U ovom komadu su kroz lik princeze Ree, Romulove kceri, mitska Antigona i Penelopa parodirane do razine potpunih antijunakinja i gubitnica s kojima se citatelj/gledatelj ne smije poistovjetiti, vec kojima se može samo smijati.
The plot of Odon von Horvaths play Hin und her (1933) takes place on a bridge that represents a border between two countries. The protagonist is for administrative reasons forced to leave his country of residence and go across the bridge... more
The plot of Odon von Horvaths play Hin und her (1933) takes place on a bridge that represents a border between two countries. The protagonist is for administrative reasons forced to leave his country of residence and go across the bridge to the country where he was born. Since he has lost his citizenship and has no valid papers, he is not admitted back into his homeland and gets stuck on this bridge. He runs back and forth from one side to the other in hopes that he will be allowed to enter either of the two countries, so the bridge he finds himself on represents a place of exile and migration, but also a place of sanctuary. This paper examines the multilayered metaphor of a bridge as a place of hybridity and a heterotopia as Michel Foucault defines it. The bridge is smultaneously a place of separation as well as connection; it is a place of despair because the protagonist cannot cross it, but also a place of refuge and a means to get back to his homeland. In view of the current blu...
Who dares to portray the demigod Hercules as an inadequate, impotent failure? Who dares to mock tragic heroines like Antigone? Who dares to mock the biblical Judith and her bravery? Who would portray an ideal emperor as one who betrays... more
Who dares to portray the demigod Hercules as an inadequate, impotent failure? Who dares to mock tragic heroines like Antigone? Who dares to mock the biblical Judith and her bravery? Who would portray an ideal emperor as one who betrays and sacrifices his empire? The Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt, reconstitutes these famous ancient myths, motifs, symbols and archetypes in his works of art and literature in order to provoke reconsideration of modern-day values such as sacrifice, value of human life, patriotism and bravery. in doing so, he also touches upon issues such as globalization, nationalism and bureaucratization as everyday problems that the individual to rise to his/her heroic potential. The research focuses on Dürrenmatt’s recurring motifs with special emphasis on mythic, historical and biblical figures in the plays Romulus the Great and Hercules and the Augean Stables
Research Interests:
According to 20th century death-of-tragedy theorists like George Steiner, Northrop Frye and Friedrich Dürrenmatt, tragedies are unfit for today's world. Does this mean that terror and tragic events such as depictions of war have... more
According to 20th century death-of-tragedy theorists like George Steiner, Northrop Frye and Friedrich Dürrenmatt, tragedies are unfit for today's world. Does this mean that terror and tragic events such as depictions of war have completely disappeared from the modern stage? No. This paper shows that mass as well as individual tragedy is very much present on the stages of contemporary theatres, but in genres different than the traditional tragedy. The paper looks at various examples of genres like documentary or verbatim theatre, tragic comedy and poetic theatre, showing some of the ways that 20th ct. playwrights deal with issues of terror(ism) and violence. E.g. Peter Weiss' The Investigation, which will be discussed as a representative of the documentary theatre, uses original transcripts from the Auschwitz process after the 2nd World War in the form of an „Oratorio in 11 Cantos“ to show its terrible events. Furthermore, Henry Adam's play The People Next Door was, on the other hand, triggered by the events on 9/11 showing, in the form of a tragic comedy, the paranoid climate and the way individuals on both the Christian and the Moslem side had to deal with tragic events thereafter. Moreover, Chris Thorpe’s Safety shows how the terrors of war influence individuals who are indirectly connected with tragic events, through Michael, a well-known photographer specializing in war zones, who suffers tremendously after his family life falls apart because of the things he had seen. The scenes from his family life are intertwined with scenes showing him in Bosnia during the 1990s war.
Research Interests:
Rad istražuje prikaz kompleksa obitelji u tri drame Marijana Matkovića kroz prizmu antike i pomoću dislokacije u mitsko i mitološko: Prometej (1952, ), Heraklo (1957.) i Trojom uklete (1972.). Prometej i Heraklo su prva i druga drama u... more
Rad istražuje prikaz kompleksa obitelji u tri drame Marijana Matkovića kroz prizmu antike i pomoću dislokacije u mitsko i mitološko: Prometej (1952, ), Heraklo (1957.) i Trojom uklete (1972.). Prometej i Heraklo su prva i druga drama u nizu trilogije I bogovi pate, dok se Trojom uklete sastoji od tri scene naslovljene po antičkim likovima: Helena, Andromaha i Klitemnestra i opisuju njihovu sudbinu. Okosnicu sva tri komada čine antički mitovi i likovi koji u sva tri slučaja izlaze iz svojih arhetipskih okvira. No, korišteni su mitovi samo podloga koju Matković koristi kao sredstvo intervencije u problematiku vlastitog vremena i društva te unutar ova tri komada nazire ozbiljan rasap suvremene obitelji. Osim prikaza položaja žene i muško-ženskih odnosa, Matkovićeve drame odmakom u antiku stvaraju distancu pomoću koje je moguće sagledati suvremenu problematiku moderne nuklearne obitelji. Odnosi koje je moguće staviti u žarište istraživanja su primjerice odnosi unutar obiteljskih uloga muž-žena, otac-sin ili pak majka-sin. Sve tri drame prikazuju članove obitelji i njihove međuodnose u kriznim trenucima uvjetovanim vanjskim, društvenim utjecajima poput ratnog stanja te unutarnjim nemirima zbog osobnog gubitka identiteta ili pak napetostima uzrokovanim suvremenim problemima poput nedostatka komunikacije i otuđenja.
Research Interests:
The paper argues that the social changes that the institution of marriage or the ideas of relationships have undergone over the years are shadowed by changes in dramatic representations of marriage and relationships on Anglo-American... more
The paper argues that the social changes that the institution of marriage or the ideas of relationships have undergone over the years are shadowed by changes in dramatic representations of marriage and relationships on Anglo-American stages, most notably in terms of dramatis personae, dramatic form or genre, problems and topics addressed in the plays, communication strategies and depictions of interactions among characters etc. Firstly, the paper provides an overview of analysis of the notion of marriage and/or relationship in contemporary sociological and psychological studies (e.g. David Olson's circumplex model of marriage and family as well as his empirical typology distinguishing between five types of marriage, Stephanie Coontz and her view of the history of marriage, Kristin Celello's analysis of marriage as 'work'). The paper provides an analysis of American plays, among others, by Edward Albee (Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf, 1962, Marriage Play, 1987), Christopher Durang (The Marriage of Bette and Boo, 1976), Paula Vogel (Desdemona. A Play About a Handkerchief, 1999) and David Mamet (Boston Marriage 1999) and British plays by Harold Pinter (Betrayal, 1978), Peter Nichols (Passion Play, 1981), Chris Thorpe et. al (Presumption, 2007) and Enda Walsh (Penelope, 2010), showing to what extent the plays reflect the sociological changes of perception of marriage and relationships, what genres are used to depict them and how the plays were received by the audiences (nominations, awards, reviews).
Research Interests:
Na temelju dramske trilogije "Žena-bomba" preispituju se glavne odrednice poetoloških načela Ivane Sajko. Okosnicu pristupanja djelu i formiranja teorijskih načela autorice čini prije svega njeno poimanje ludila kao metode, revolucije kao... more
Na temelju dramske trilogije "Žena-bomba" preispituju se glavne odrednice poetoloških načela Ivane Sajko. Okosnicu pristupanja djelu i formiranja teorijskih načela autorice čini prije svega njeno poimanje ludila kao metode, revolucije kao cilja i dramskog pisma kao medija kojim se prenose. Detaljna analiza ukazuje na njihovu međusobnu povezanost i aktivizam Sajkičina dramskog pisma.
"The paper takes a closer look at the phenomenon of racial passing as form of cultural transition: as transformation of identity, i.e. as changing of the Self in William Faulkner’s Light in August and Philip Roth’s The Human Stain. The... more
"The paper takes a closer look at the phenomenon of racial passing as form of cultural transition: as transformation of identity, i.e. as changing of the Self in William Faulkner’s Light in August and Philip Roth’s The Human Stain. The aim of the paper is to try to show the way the two main characters, Joe Christmas in Light in August and Coleman Silk in The Human Stain, pass as white, the reasons for it, and, in the end, the consequences of their actions. The interesting point is that even though the writers of the novels are decades apart and despite the many differences in the lives of the two tragic black heroes, both Joe Christmas and Coleman Silk end up the same way – dead after passing for white and after being involved in sexual relationships with white women. Both characters seem to undergo an identity crisis as a result of their racial ambiguity, which they obviously cannot overcome.
In Light in August Joe Christmas is an African-American male often perceived by society as white. Even though some 70 years have passed since Faulkner’s novel, it still appears that whiteness is the most important element of an ideal and desired identity, as shown in Philip Roth’s The Human Stain, where Coleman Silk, again an African-American, passes for white in the 1990s. Though both novels show the characters during various periods of their lives, and in various life situations as well, we will see the different reasons and similar consequences of their ‘passing’ as forms of cultural transition.
Keywords: transition of the Self; Lacan; self-image; passing; race; racial identity; Faulkner; Roth"
"Nur im Irrenhaus sind wir noch frei. Nur im Irrenhaus dürfen wir noch denken. In der Freiheit sind unsere Gedanken Sprengstoff," sagte Möbius in Den Physikern, ein ins Irrenhaus gesperrter Wissenschaftler, bzw. Physiker, der sich... more
"Nur im Irrenhaus sind wir noch frei. Nur im Irrenhaus dürfen wir noch denken. In der Freiheit sind unsere Gedanken Sprengstoff," sagte Möbius in Den Physikern, ein ins Irrenhaus gesperrter Wissenschaftler, bzw. Physiker, der sich paradoxerweise nur als verrückt ausgibt, um seine für die Welt gefährliche Entdeckung nicht in die falschen Hände übergeben zu müssen. Auf der anderen Seite spielen in Achterloo die Patienten in einem gleichnamigen Irrenhaus ein Schauspiel aus therapeutischen Gründen vor, in dem sie Rollen von verschiedenen historischen Personen übernehmen: von Georg Büchner, von Napoleon, von Judit und Holofernes, Jan Hus, Sigmund Freud, Benjamin Franklin...
Die Arbeit befasst sich mit der Frage der Wirklichkeit und deren Darstellung in den zwei Stücken, wobei besonders die dramatischen Techniken wie Ironie, Paradox und Groteske untersucht werden. Die theoretische Achse der Arbeit beruht auf der dürrenmattschen Theorie der (Tragi)Komödie als der einzigen akzeptablen Form der Darstellung zeitgenössischer Wirklichkeit und unserer Welt.
Die Rezension behandelt den Sammelband "Literatur in Deutsch als Fremdsprache und internationaler Germanistik: Konzepte, Themen, Forschungsperspektiven" von Claus Altmayer, Michael Dobstadt, Renate Riedner & Carmen Schier (Hrsg.), Band 3.... more
Die Rezension behandelt den Sammelband "Literatur in Deutsch als Fremdsprache und internationaler Germanistik: Konzepte, Themen, Forschungsperspektiven" von Claus Altmayer, Michael Dobstadt, Renate Riedner & Carmen Schier (Hrsg.), Band 3. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 176 Seiten. ISBN 978-3-86057-622-9, 2014.
Research Interests:
Drawing on Paul Ricoeur's theory of identity being considered in terms of narrative identity (Time and Narrative, 1984–88), one can argue that a city as a built and designed environment represents an entity that over time establishes a... more
Drawing on Paul Ricoeur's theory of identity being considered in terms of narrative identity (Time and Narrative, 1984–88), one can argue that a city as a built and designed environment represents an entity that over time establishes a certain narrative identity that comes alive as a protagonist of its own ever-changing fiction.

The special issue of NALANS aims to give room to explore the urban narrative identities of European cities as they have been written in contemporary literature. In this call, we would like to define the term ‘contemporary’ as fiction that has been published in the last 20 years. The issue thus wishes to explore 21st-century fiction, playwriting, and poetry that features the city as its (main) protagonist and as an element equally important as, if not even more than, its characters in the traditional sense. In doing so, we invite the submission of articles that place particular emphasis on urban narratives of cities or city neighborhoods that have often been overlooked until now, such as mid-sized European cities to explore their multiple narrative identities arising from but not limited to chronicles, generational novels, travel writing and other forms of literary texts. 

Further emphasis on the articles should be placed on the discourse and the language this identity is created by. Roland Barthes (1976) argues that "[a]t the moment of speech’s utterance, language finds itself at the service of power on two levels. On one level, speech is immediately assertive and demonstrative of authority. On another level, speech seeks to be recognized by the other and finds this in the repetition of signs." Thus, we would like to receive studies that investigate further to what extent does the city itself speaks, possibly through the author of its urban narrative?

We thus encourage scholars to submit papers of 5.000 to 7.000 words that investigate the following topics that are not by any means exclusive:

how the city speaks in urban narratives and how is its narrative identity shaped (by language, discourse, geography, timeline, content, text from, etc.)
what function do memories and recollection of the past and present of a city have in shaping its narrative identity
investigations into the epistemology of urban writings
how do the urban narrative form a collective identity of the community and brings the members together?
urban places that are crucial in creating the narrative identity of a certain city (e.g. built heritage sites that speak such as hotels, cinemas, museums, historic cafes, statues, fountains, bridges, gardens, old universities, authors’/artists’ houses, etc.) in literature
descriptions of events that shape the narrative identity of a city (incorporated narratives of national and international festivals, theatres, exhibitions, art installations, and fairs, routes, performances) in literary works
novels/plays/poetry thematizing the architecture, art history, urban development, urban design, and planning


We invite submissions in form of abstracts of approx. 300 words to be submitted to wg2.wup@gmail.com no later than 15th January 2022. After an initial review of abstracts by the editors of the special issue, selected authors will be invited to contribute full-length (5.000-7.000 words) original research articles written according to APA 7th edition and adhering to standard NALANS guidelines for authors that can be found here guidelines https://www.nalans.com/index.php/nalans/about/submissions . The deadline for full articles is 15th April 2022. The issue is expected to come out by the end of 2022.

Contact Info:
Issue Editors

Sonja Novak

Mustafa Zeki Çıraklı

Asma Mehan

Sílvia Quinteiro

Submission:

Proposals (abstracts) should be sent to wg2.wup@gmail.com no later than 15th January 2022.

Contact Email:
wg2.wup@gmail.com
URL:
https://www.nalans.com/index.php/nalans/about/submissions