Literature of Catastrophe - Detailseite

The seminar studies the catastrophe both as poetological concept and as a literary and cultural theme. In poetological terms, the catastrophe is the final action of a tragedy that brings irreversible calamity. In fiction, particularly in speculative fiction and science fiction, a catastrophic event is often the point of departure or backdrop against which the plot develops. The course focuses on the catastrophe in fiction of the late 20^th and early 21^st century although we might look at some historical works as well, such as Bocaccio’s Decameron or Mary Shelley’s apocalyptic novel The Last Man. To keep the field of catastrophic literature manageable, we will likely focus on global catastrophe.