Contemporary Literature and Culture


Description / Outline

 

This research project focuses on the literature and culture of the 20th and 21st centuries, studying the significant paradigm shifts between postmodernism and the 'ethical turn'. The analyses comprise the complex interrelations between literature/culture and a scope of liminal experiences ranging from aging, Alzheimer's disease and trauma to religious crises and death. The investigation of these and other topics takes place both through single-author studies and with the support of larger research clusters at Erlangen, such as ELINAS or the ‘Interdisciplinary Centre on Contemporary Literature and Culture’ (IZ). Members of the English literature team are also actively involved in national and international research activities, for instance journals such as Neo-Victorian Studies and The Journal of Postcolonial Writing. Recent theses have covered topics as diverse as contemporary poetry, postmodern drama, feminist literature, autobiographical writing, environmental literature, and Irish urban novels.

 

Faculty/Institution