Carolin Duttlinger

The Cambridge introduction to Franz Kafka

Preface 1. Life 2. Contexts 3. Works 4. Scholarship and adaptations Guide to further reading Index.

The Ethics of Curiosity: Ruth Klüger, Weiter Leben

Abstract Curiosity plays a dual role in Ruth Klügers memoirs weiter leben. Growing up during the Third Reich, the protagonist responds to her experiences of anti-Semitic persecution with an unflinching curiosity which contrasts with the indifference and evasion displayed by the adult generation. The same desire to confront the truth about the Shoah also determines her enquiries into the experiences of fellow survivors later in life. Building on Sigmund Freuds theory of the Wißtrieb as an instinctive response to existential challenges, the article argues that curiosity interlinks the childs struggle for survival and the texts own strategy of recollection. While Klüger thematizes the limitations of both institutional and personal modes of recollection, curiosity emerges as the basis of an alternative memory practice based not on kinship or emotional ties but on a more fundamental desire to confront the truth. A universal anthropological trait, curiosity can facilitate an enduring engagement with the past which transcends differences between children and adults, men and women, victims and perpetrators.

From Photography to Film and Back Again. Helmar Lerski's Dramaturgy of the Human Face

Helmar Lerski’s Köpfe des Alltags (1931) stands out among Weimar photobooks for its experimental approach to photographic narrativity. By moving away from the single, representative portrait to the photo-group or series, Lerski tries to capture human identity in its intrinsic diversity. His expressive portraits and sequential arrangements reflect his background as a cameraman working on silent film productions. Yet his answer to film is not simply to invest his images with a narrative quality but rather to play with the viewer’s preconceptions. The article shows how the arrangement of his photos blurs the boundaries between sitters and challenges the notion of identity as stable and discrete. Lerski’s recording method, in turn, reveals the inherent contradictions of his approach: while purporting to put those at the margins of society center stage, he demands complete passivity from his models to enact his creative vision.

Benjamin's Literary History of Attention: Between Reception and Production

This article argues that attention and distraction form a central concern of Benjamins writings on literature. Individually and in conjunction, they underpin processes of textual production and reception, yet their relationship is fluid and subject to historical change. In this respect, Benjamins exploration of the interplay of attention and distraction in writers such as Leskov, Baudelaire and Brecht also leads to more general reflections about the social, cultural and psychological shifts brought about by industrialization and modern mass culture. Benjamins writings on literature trace developments which he also explores in relation to film. And echoes of his ‘literary history of attention’ can also be found in both his own critical approach and his self-reflexive comments on the process of writing.