Studies on poetry lectureships (Poetikdozenturen) also shed light on the role of literary studies in the production, circulation, and reception of literature. While literary scholars already draw on sociological concepts to analyze their symbolic, institutional, and material entanglements within the literary field, this essay proposes to further examine the boundary work they perform through the format of the poetry lectureship.
This paper examines the concept of 'publisher authorship' by highlighting the significant yet often overlooked role of publishers and calls for a sociological analysis of their contributions, networks, and decision-making processes in the shaping of the literary field. The study advocates for a more inclusive literary history that acknowledges marginalized voices and lesser-known publishers.
Even in the ongoing processes of globalisation and digitisation, questions concerning the formation of literary canons persist in the domain of German studies. This enduring relevance is evidenced by the practice of compiling reading lists as a form of orientation aid, a method employed by the majority of institutes. The notion of a canon, being inherently flexible due to its historical and cultural contingencies, renders this practice an indispensable academic service, signifying a continuous endeavour to unravel the dynamic nature of the canon.
This article responds to three attempts to reshape the sociology of literature with reference to (1) ideological criticism (Sapiro), (2) the sociology of conflict (Franzen) and (3) quantitative sociology (Lauer). Assuming that literature and its modes of production and reception have changed significantly under the socio-cultural conditions of late capitalist modernity, this change not only poses new challenges for the sociology of literature but ultimately leads to the persistent problem of autonomy of art and literature. How the approaches discussed here react to this problem is critically summarized with regard to both the current conditions and the history of the sociology of literature. Linked to this summary is the ongoing debate about the open question of the disciplinary classification of literary sociology within the humanities and social sciences.
The question of the relationship between internal and external analysis of literature remains open across disciplinary inquiries. Although Pierre Bourdieu claims to offer a definitive answer to the question, he is underrepresented in the scholarship. This essay provides a Bourdieusian theory of interpretation, explaining, in particular, its affinity for allegory.
We examine a corpus of 42 university reading lists from German departments, providing the first comprehensive empirical study of this type of document in 20 years. The article discusses the paratexts, structure, and content of reading lists and highlights their complex relationships with the academic canon and the process of canonization.
This article examines Jeremias Gotthelf's bridal search stories. It combines the religio-political dimension of Gotthelf's texts with questions of tension research. It is shown that the dynamics of tension generation come into conflict with the values propagated by the text and ultimately lead to an astonishing reversal of values.
The article investigates an important yet underexamined phenomenon in digital literary communication: the use of "Book Tropes" such as Enemies to Lovers or Forced Proximity by mostly non-professional readers. Book Tropes are examples of self-directed category formation in the digital sphere, showcasing not only differences but also notable similarities to the terminology used in literary studies.
This article discusses theoretical and methodological issues that have advanced field theory in the domain of literature, and some other that have not been previously addressed. First are presented the alternative research strategies to construct the field as a space of possibles and as a space of position. The question of the field's social and geo-cultural boundaries is then considered, before revisiting the concept of autonomy and its methodological implications. The article ends by suggesting the use of Bourdieu's concept of symbolic violence in the study of literary texts. The conclusion raises the question of the impure foundations of autonomy.
This article examines the cultural policy of the Bonn Foreign Office that determined the functions of Frankfurt Book Fair and other international book fairs from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1980 s. Firstly, it focusses on the role of the Frankfurt Book Fair in the New Ostpolitik, particularly with regard to the participation of Eastern European writers and publishers. Secondly, the cultural policy dimension of the 'guest of honour' of the Frankfurt Book Fair, a special literary programme initiated in 1976 is put under scrutiny. Thirdly, the participation of German publishers in the Warsaw Book Fair, which was supported by the Federal Foreign Office, is analysed. Finally, international book fairs in Jerusalem, Cairo and Moscow are studied in the perspective of cultural policy.
The sociology of literature has an ambiguous relationship with both literary studies and sociology. This essay advocates for a sociology of literature that can be understood as a specialised branch within the broader field of cultural sociology. The article also distinguishes between a 'soft' concept of literary sociology as an interpretative-qualitative discipline and a 'hard' concept that also incorporates the methodology of empirical social sciences.
Over the past 150 years, the semantics of the Danube floodplain landscape have been largely linked to the increasing industrialisation of the river and embedded in changing discourses on nature and the environment. The paper traces how as a result of these changes the Danube floodplains were reinterpreted by the Austrian public from a landscape perceived as exotic to one perceived as native, and what role literature and popular science texts played in this process.
The literary landscape is shaped by constant conflicts-debates over aesthetic value, moral acceptability, author's rights, and literary success. These conflicts manifest in public controversies, scandals, and feuds, which structure the literary discourse. This essay outlines a theory of literary conflict, exploring how struggles over legitimacy, authorship, and aesthetic value drive the dynamics of literature. Drawing on the sociology of literature, it examines literary disputes as arenas of negotiation, where competing actors engage in valuation battles and power struggles. Additionally, the essay highlights the role of reception in shaping literary conflicts, arguing that readers actively participate in defining literary norms.
