The German literature of Prague and the Bohemian countries - on the current reorientation of research
Abstract
This article sums up and reexamines the hitherto prevalent representation of interculturality in the Bohemian lands and Prague (as a coexistence of Czechs, Germans and Jews) and the pervasive conception of both Prague German and Sudeten German literature as homogenous entities that was, in part, derived from it. Based on recent research findings, the article aims to correct the simplistic notion of Prague German literature and of German literature in the Bohemian lands in general, arguing for an understanding less reliant on clear demarcations, but of greater complexity due to its attention to detail.
Consequently, this necessitates a transcultural and transregional re-evaluation of German literature in the Bohemian lands, in order to locate it anew within the complex field of confluence between the sphere of action and the area of tension at play between German, Jewish, Czech, Habsburg literature and culture.