Maria Löschnigg Livres

Since the late twentieth century, letters in literature have seen a remarkable renaissance. The prominence of letters in recent fiction is due in part to the rediscovery, by contemporary writers, of letters as an effective tool for rendering aspects of historicity, liminality, marginalization and the expression of subjectivity vis-à-vis an ‘other’; it is also due, however, to the artistically challenging inclusion of the new electronic media of communication into fiction. While studies of epistolary fiction have so far concentrated on the eighteenth century and on thematic concerns, this volume charts the epistolary renaissance in recent literature, entering new territory by also focusing on the aesthetic implications of the epistolary mode. In particular, the essays in this volume illuminate the potential of the epistolary (including digital forms) for rendering contemporary sensitivities. The volume thus offers a comprehensive assessment of letter narratives in contemporary literature. Through its focus on the aesthetic and structural aspects of new epistolary fiction, the inclusion of various narrative forms, and the consideration of both conventional letters and their new digital kindred, The Epistolary Renaissance offers novel insight into a multi-facetted (re)new(ed) genre.

Since the late twentieth century, letters in literature have seen a remarkable renaissance. The prominence of letters in recent fiction is due in part to the rediscovery, by contemporary writers, of letters as an effective tool for rendering aspects of historicity, liminality, marginalization and the expression of subjectivity vis-à-vis an 'other'; it is also due, however, to the artistically challenging inclusion of the new electronic media of communication into fiction.While studies of epistolary fiction have so far concentrated on the eighteenth century and on thematic concerns, this volume charts the epistolary renaissance in recent literature, entering new territory by also focusing on the aesthetic implications of the epistolary mode. In particular, the essays in this volume illuminate the potential of the epistolary (including digital forms) for rendering contemporary sensitivities. The volume thus offers a comprehensive assessment of letter narratives in contemporary literature. Through its focus on the aesthetic and structural aspects of new epistolary fiction, the inclusion of various narrative forms, and the consideration of both conventional letters and their new digital kindred, The Epistolary Renaissance offers novel insight into a multi-facetted (re)new(ed) genre.

The essays in this volume focus on new approaches to how literature reflects and creates ?world?, and thus to the issues of ?literature ?and? world? and ?literature ?as? world?. They discuss questions of the implied worldview of literary texts on the one hand, and the way literature may create ?world? through self-referentiality and the establishing of intermedial relations with other arts on the other. 00In the latter cases, works will foreground their own fictionality and/or mediality, and their status as artefacts and as the products of a poietic act of creation. Illustrating the potential of new approaches and developments for describing the nature of the worlds devised in fictional texts, the authors pay tribute to a scholar whose work has been foundational regarding the study of metareferentiality in literature and the arts, contemporary intermediality studies and the study of implied worldviews in literary texts: Werner Wolf.

Addressing academic and general readers, this volume provides interpretations of major Canadian novels in English published during the last twenty years. Comprising a wide range of topics and genres, including writing by recent immigrants and by First Nations authors as well as speculative fiction on global future(s), these novels testify to the richness, vitality and diversity of contemporary Anglo-Canadian writing. The twenty-five essays by established and emerging scholars in the field show how contemporary Canadian novels in English have reflected transformations in Canadian society since the turn of the millennia. In particular, they reappraise the cultural diversity which is central to an understanding of contemporary Canadian writing. The volume thus investigates the ongoing formation of a specifically Canadian form of multiculturalism and of Canadian cultural sensibilities as acted out in literature.

Since the 1960s and 70s, critics have highlighted the significance of the short story in Canadian literature, often calling it the country’s most versatile genre or the heartbeat of its literary scene. The 2013 Nobel Prize awarded to Alice Munro not only recognizes a leading figure in this genre but also revitalizes interest in the short story as a distinct literary form. Amidst the vibrancy of contemporary short fiction, which has been somewhat overlooked by literary criticism, this book delves into Canadian short stories, examining thematic and structural elements alongside their socio-cultural contexts. It compiles and updates critical analyses, offering a comprehensive overview of major developments over the past twenty-five years. The text explores cultural and narratological shifts and includes close readings of key works. One chapter is dedicated to Munro, while the remaining chapters address themes such as gender, regionality, global change, multi- and transculturality, and the influence of Native writing in Canada. The extensive final chapter focuses on current trends in the short story cycle, particularly regarding modern life stories and migration narratives. By examining transitional moments in Canadian short story writing, the book innovatively addresses central issues in Canadian Studies.

In a globalised world, migration has become a central issue, under new auspices, especially for immigrant societies and cultures like the Canadian. Considering the importance of migration narratives in contemporary Canadian literature, the essays in this volume address questions of migration from a literary perspective. After all, it is in the form of cultural practices such as literature that the human factor in migration expresses itself. In particular, the essays investigate the multiplicity and transitory nature of migrant identities as manifested in contemporary Canadian novels and short stories. The contributions to this volume analyse, on the example of literary renderings of migration and exile, the transformation and fictionalising of intercultural experience in narrative. The focus lies on literary renderings of trans-culturation and the blurring of ethno-cultural boundaries in the wake of migration, on renderings of the experience of living and writing in exile, as it were, and of living with or in between several languages, societies and cultures.

Maria und Martin Löschnigg Diese flüssig geschriebene Kurze Geschichte der kanadischen Literatur bietet erstmals eine umfassende Einführung in ein bedeutendes Teilgebiet des anglistisch-amerikanistischen Literaturstudiums. Das Buch vermittelt einen Überblick über die Entwicklung der kanadischen Literatur in englischer Sprache von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart und stellt Gattungen, Autoren und zentrale Werke systematisch und anschaulich im kulturgeschichtlichen Kontext dar. Rezension „Viele Informationen, Anregungen und daher Entdeckungen auf engem Raum - dieses Buch und kanadische Literatur sind längeres Verweilen wert.“ Max Bracht (Gütersloh) in Neusprachliche Mitteilungen aus Wissenschaft und Praxis, 56. Jahrgang, 1. Quartal 1/2003