Zwischen Freiheit und Fremdbestimmung. Überlegungen zu H.G. Adlers ontologischer Panoramatik

Rüdiger Görner

Abstract

Since the early 19th century the panorama has attracted much attention in terms of the pictorial rendering of experiencing the world. This interest continues to be epitomized by Walter Benjamin’s reflections on this subject matter, mainly in the context of his studies on the Parisian passages. This article argues in contrast that H.G. Adler’s use of the panorama in his major novel of the same title, and the way in which he put the panoramatic to use as a narrative structure, represents one of the major applications of this symbol in post-war fiction. It discusses the ontological relevance of this motif in Adler’s fiction and essayistic œuvre against the backdrop of the Shoah. Furthermore, it argues that another of Adler’s key motifs, the wall, offers the possibility of panoramatic projections of all shades of suffering, anxiety, and ambivalence about the meaning of identity. (RG, in German)

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