"Mich in Variationen erzählen" : Günter Grass and the ethics of autobiogaphy.

Braun, Rebecca (2008) "Mich in Variationen erzählen" : Günter Grass and the ethics of autobiogaphy. Modern Language Review, 103 (4). pp. 1051-1066. ISSN 0026-7937

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Abstract

This article examines Grass's 2006 autobiography Beim Häuten der Zwiebel against the background of a long career of overtly complex literary self-presentation. Its aim is twofold: to situate the autobiography as an aesthetic form within Grass's œuvre, and to use what I term Grass's much wider `autobiographical project', developed over the course of his career, to suggest that a kind of narrative ethics may in fact underlie much apparently wilful posturing in autobiographically informed literature. Using Philippe Lejeune to develop the idea of a `contractual effect' felt by author and reader, I argue that Grass draws on the autobiographical mode in order to critique contemporary reading practices.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Modern Language Review
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3310
Subjects:
?? grassautobiography beim häuten der zwiebelliterary self-presentationnarrative ethicsphilippe lejeunelinguistics and languagelanguage and linguisticsliterature and literary theorypd germanic languages ??
ID Code:
34212
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
16 Sep 2010 08:32
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
22 Sep 2024 00:14