Jenseits der political correctness – NS-Vergangenheit in Bernhard Schlink, Der Vorleser und Martin Walser, Ein springender Brunnen

Abstract

Martin Walser's autobiographical epic Ein springender Brunnen (1998) and Bernhard Schlink's thriller-like short novel Der Vorleser (1995) are comparable with respect to their criticism of public memory of the German National Socialist past, and their attempt at establishing a new, more differentiated perspective on the 'first generation'. This article analyses narrative techniques used to create ambiguity and self-reflexivity as well as the illusion of historical authenticity. It discusses in how far the image of perpetrators and on-lookers in both novels contributes to a new form of remembering National Socialism, and shows how this involves a problematic turning away from the victims' memory.