‘Everything is autobiographical’: Hans-Ulrich Treichel’s idiolect in Lost (1999)
Literator
Field | Value | |
Title | ‘Everything is autobiographical’: Hans-Ulrich Treichel’s idiolect in Lost (1999) ‘Alles is outobiografies’: Hans- Ulrich Treichel se idiolek in Lost (1999) | |
Creator | van der Merwe, Philip | |
Description | Joachim Dicks writes in his review on Hans-Ulrich Treichel’s latest novel, Frühe Störung,that the author shows continuity by having developed in all of his books a unique and unmistakeable style that he calls ‘the so-called Treichel sound’. Treichel’s style, tone and mixture of thematic concerns in all of his eleven works of prose from Von Leib und Seele: Berichte up to Frühe Störung are indeed recognisable as distinctively Treichel, but has remained an unexplored terrain. The question therefore arises: What is the nature of the so-called ‘Treichel sound’ or his idiolect? Lost is a case in point with regard to Treichel’s idiolect: the narration includes factual historical and autobiographic information that represents both an ‘official life’ and a ‘carnival’, i.e. his representations of lives are determined by two aspects of theworld: the aspect of the piety of seriousness and by the aspect of laughter. This article firstly focuses on the theoretical possibility of using ‘serious’ factual autobiographic and historical information in combination with humour. The most prominent idiolectic traits of Treichel’soeuvre are then introduced, also in order to provide a context for the following discussion of Lost. Here it becomes apparent that Treichel’s humour has a tragicomical and derisive effect with regard to the narrator’s depiction of his childhood, family experiences and his cultural context. The microcosmic family context and the macrocosmic national and international contexts as they were formed because of the Second World War has lead to a loss of the narrator’s identity. The result of Treichel’s manner of dealing with serious contents that includes humour is the creation of a self-concept that can be described as self-exploratory,honest or confessional, self-centred, humorous and critical of German society - and these are also key features of Treichel’s idiolect. This article thus argues that the combination offictionalised serious historical and autobiographic factuality and humour characterises the ‘Treichel sound’. Joachim Dicksskryf in sy resensie oor Hans-Ulrich Treichel se nuutste roman, Frühe Störung, dat die outeur kontinuïteit vertoon deurdat hy in al sy boeke ’n unieke en onmiskenbare styl ontwikkelhet wat hy die ‘Treichel-klank’ noem. Treichel se styl, toon en mengsel van tematiesebelangstellings in al elf sy prosawerke van Von Leib und Seele: Berichte tot Frühe Störungis inderdaad herkenbaar as ‘kenmerkend Treichel’. Tot dusver is dit nog ’n onontdekteterrein. Die vraag kom dus na vore: Wat is die aard van die sogenaamde ‘Treichel-klank’of sy idiolek? Lost is ’n tipiese voorbeeld ten opsigte van Treichel se idiolek: Die narratiefsluit feitelike historiese en outobiografiese gegewens in wat sowel ’n ‘amptelike lewe’ én ’n ‘karnaval’ insluit, dit wil sê sy representasies van lewens word deur twee aspekte van die wêreld bepaal: die aspek van vroomheid en erns en die aspek van ’n gelag. Hierdie artikelfokus eerstens op die teoretiese moontlikheid daarvan om ‘ernstige’ feitelike outobiografieseen historiese inligting in kombinasie met humor te gebruik. Die kernaspekte van Treichelse oeuvre word daarna bekend gestel, ook met die doel om ’n vergelykbare konteks vir diebespreking van Lost te bied. Hier word dit duidelik dat Treichel se humor ’n tragikomieseen minagtende effek het ten opsigte van die verteller se uitbeelding van sy kindertyd, syervaringe binne sy gesin en sy kulturele konteks. Die mikrokosmiese gesinskonteks en die makrokosmiese nasionale en internasionale kontekste soos wat hulle as gevolg van die Tweede Wêreldoorlog gevorm is, het gelei tot die verlies aan die verteller se identiteit. Diegevolg van Treichel se manier van omgaan met ernstige inhoude wat ook humor insluit, is die skepping van ’n self-konsep wat as self-ondersoekend, eerlik of biegtend, selfgesentreerd, humoristies en krities teenoor die Duitse gemeenskap beskryf kan word. Hierdie eienskappeis ook kernaspekte van Treichel se idiolek. Die artikel argumenteer dus dat die kombinasie van gefiksionaliseerde ernstige historiese en outobiografiese feitelikheid en humor die ‘Treichel-klank’ kenmerk. | |
Publisher | AOSIS | |
Date | 2014-12-10 | |
Identifier | 10.4102/lit.v35i2.1151 | |
Source | Literator; Vol 35, No 2 (2014); 11 pages Literator; Vol 35, No 2 (2014); 11 pages 2219-8237 0258-2279 | |
Language | eng | |
Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1151/1612
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1151/1613
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1151/1614
https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/1151/1590
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