Transnational Rubble Literature

: A Comparative Study of German and British Post-War Texts 

Abstract

In this PhD thesis I analyse and compare German and British texts of the immediate post-war years. By identifying common topics and themes, motifs and symbols, as well as elements of a transnational aesthetic of post-war literature, I argue that there is one transnational genre of post-war literature, which I call rubble literature, instead of two very distinct genres of German post-war literature and British post-war literature. Although the new, transnational genre derives its name from the existing German genre of ‘Trümmerliteratur’, it differs from it and significantly broadens it. It does so not only by including non-German texts, but also with regards to contents. According to my concept of the transnational genre of rubble literature, the central motif of rubble does not just refer to the physical ruins of German and British cities, but also to the psychological ruins of post-war individuals, as well as to the social, political, and ideological ruins of the post-war societies they are living in. I argue that the motif of rubble, fragmentation and disintegration is inscribed in the form, as well as the content of German and British post-war literature. My research ties in with the national analyses and interpretations of the literature of the post-war years, but at the same time my comparative approach allows me to identify new and transnational characteristics of post-war texts. In doing so, my thesis offers novel and unique perspectives on the literature of the immediate post-war years, revealing that which takes place beyond and across national categories.

Date of Award	2018
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	King's College London
Supervisor	Lara Feigel (Supervisor) & Ben Schofield (Supervisor)