Kontemplation und Konfrontation

Historically, contemplation and autobiographical narration appear intricately linked. In numerous classical works, the author's retreat to a calm and leisurely place is presented as a prerequisite for self-reflection and the recounting of life. This influential idea is still manifest in current autobiographical as well as poetological texts. At the same time, new models of autobiographical narration are emerging. Precarious concepts of subjectivity prevalent in modernity and post-modernity are reflected in unstable narrative situations, whilst the ideal of leisurely narration is deconstructed and satirized. Instead of quiet contemplation, some autobiographers opt for an arduous confrontation with their pasts. Georg Feitscher traces the heterogeneous concepts of current autobiographical writing and demonstrates how classical topoi of contemplation continue to affect this genre.