'Der letzte Augenblick der huebschen Idylle': Rezeptionsaesthetische und rezeptionsgeschichtliche Ueberlegungen zur problematisierung der Idylle bei Wilhelm Raabe.

摘要

This dissertation examines how Raabe's ambiguous use of idyllic concepts sheds light on the problematics of his reception history. Challenging the currently established view which denies that Raabe's texts provide any basis for the conservative and nationalistic interpretation patterns that emerged from the older Raabe reception, I demonstrate that Raabe's use of idyllic topics in combination with an ambiguous narrative technique encouraged a reactionary reception.; Concentrating on Raabe's late works, I explore his technique of incorporating code words from traditional idyllic literature into his texts to raise his readers' expectations while at the same time challenging their preconceived notions by combining the idyllic motifs with incongruous elements. After placing Raabe's oeuvre in its literary context in relation to the idyllic genre (Part I) and taking a thematic approach with chapters centered around significant idyllic settings and character types (Part II), I explore how Raabe's narrative discourse echoes the ambiguity of his themes (Part III). By applying concepts of reader-response theory (Rezeptionsaesthetik), it is possible to show that Raabe's style, unusual punctuation, intertextual references and especially his reminiscence technique, with its unreliable narrators and textual inconsistencies, invite two diverging interpretation patterns: On the one hand, innovative narrative techniques stimulate critical readers to broaden their horizon of expectations and question their assumptions about idyllic literature. On the other hand, Raabe obscures this message by building patterns of nostalgia into his texts, allowing readers to ignore problematic aspects and reaffirm their idyllic cliches.; Part IV argues that this disturbing reception was based on a one-dimensional reading of idyllic concepts. Through a detailed analysis of early literary criticism appearing in the Raabe Society's newsletters and other conservative publications, I investigate Raabe's position in the conflict between modern literary movements and an anti-modern opposition that stressed irrationality and Germanic values. A comparison of Raabe's works with the literary and theoretical products of "Heimatkunst" reveals differences as well as parallels and attempts to prove that the new Raabe critics, overzealous in their efforts to clear the author's reputation, overlooked problematic aspects in his works.