Was soll das für eine Liebe sein? : Zur literarischen Darstellung des Liebeskomplexes im Licht der Spätmoderne
(2026) In Lunder germanistische Forschungen- Abstract
- This thesis comparatively examines literary representations of love in contemporary German-language works of fiction published in the late 1990s to early 2000s and the late 2010s to early 2020s. Through the perspective of primarily urban, female characters – their search for love and associated media engagement – the study explores tensions between evolving cultural discourses, conflicting identities and ideals, and new technological possibilities in late modernity, as well as the understandings and practices of love these tensions produce. The theoretical and methodological assumptions underpinning the study are threefold. Firstly, love is a cultural construct that can be redefined and remodelled. Secondly, the specific socio-cultural... (More)
- This thesis comparatively examines literary representations of love in contemporary German-language works of fiction published in the late 1990s to early 2000s and the late 2010s to early 2020s. Through the perspective of primarily urban, female characters – their search for love and associated media engagement – the study explores tensions between evolving cultural discourses, conflicting identities and ideals, and new technological possibilities in late modernity, as well as the understandings and practices of love these tensions produce. The theoretical and methodological assumptions underpinning the study are threefold. Firstly, love is a cultural construct that can be redefined and remodelled. Secondly, the specific socio-cultural context, characterised by individualisation, commodification, digitalisation, women’s emancipatory project and a hedonistic urban culture, shapes the characters’ understanding and practice of love. Thirdly, literary representations can shed light on the particularities of late modern love semantics as well as contributing to the understanding of love. Based on the comparative analysis, the thesis suggests that shifts in technology and cultural discourse underlie changes in the representation of the characters’ understanding of, and agency in relation to, love, but it also identifies several continuities in the late modern experience of searching for love, notably inner conflict and intellectualisation. Furthermore, many of the characters engage in individually fulfilling and/or practical relationship models beyond idealised romantic coupledom, ranging from chosen families of friends and pets to imaginary or virtual relationships. In doing so, they challenge the notion that romantic partnership alone constitutes a fulfilled adult life and thus also undermine prevalent sociological narratives of late modern relational desolation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e46e7ab1-3a18-4de5-99ef-82caefeabda2
- author
- Lindholm, Maja LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- Professor Neuhaus, Stefan, Universität Koblenz
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-09-18
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Love, Relationships, Love semantics, Romantic love, Search for love, German-language literature, Late modernity, Eva Illouz, Individualisation, Women's emancipation, Digitalisation, Urbanity
- in
- Lunder germanistische Forschungen
- issue
- 76
- pages
- 335 pages
- publisher
- Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University
- defense location
- C:121, LUX, Helgonavägen 3, Lund.
- defense date
- 2026-10-17 10:15:00
- ISSN
- 0348-2146
- ISBN
- 978-91-90055-92-2
- 978-91-90055-93-9
- project
- Eine prekäre Liebe - Zum Liebesdiskurs der Beziehungsunfähigkeit in den Werken gegenwärtiger deutschsprachiger Schriftstellerinnen im spätkapitalistischen und spätmodernen Kontext
- language
- German
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e46e7ab1-3a18-4de5-99ef-82caefeabda2
- date added to LUP
- 2026-08-31 12:52:44
- date last changed
- 2026-09-23 13:46:52
@phdthesis{e46e7ab1-3a18-4de5-99ef-82caefeabda2,
abstract = {{This thesis comparatively examines literary representations of love in contemporary German-language works of fiction published in the late 1990s to early 2000s and the late 2010s to early 2020s. Through the perspective of primarily urban, female characters – their search for love and associated media engagement – the study explores tensions between evolving cultural discourses, conflicting identities and ideals, and new technological possibilities in late modernity, as well as the understandings and practices of love these tensions produce. The theoretical and methodological assumptions underpinning the study are threefold. Firstly, love is a cultural construct that can be redefined and remodelled. Secondly, the specific socio-cultural context, characterised by individualisation, commodification, digitalisation, women’s emancipatory project and a hedonistic urban culture, shapes the characters’ understanding and practice of love. Thirdly, literary representations can shed light on the particularities of late modern love semantics as well as contributing to the understanding of love. Based on the comparative analysis, the thesis suggests that shifts in technology and cultural discourse underlie changes in the representation of the characters’ understanding of, and agency in relation to, love, but it also identifies several continuities in the late modern experience of searching for love, notably inner conflict and intellectualisation. Furthermore, many of the characters engage in individually fulfilling and/or practical relationship models beyond idealised romantic coupledom, ranging from chosen families of friends and pets to imaginary or virtual relationships. In doing so, they challenge the notion that romantic partnership alone constitutes a fulfilled adult life and thus also undermine prevalent sociological narratives of late modern relational desolation.}},
author = {{Lindholm, Maja}},
isbn = {{978-91-90055-92-2}},
issn = {{0348-2146}},
keywords = {{Love; Relationships; Love semantics; Romantic love; Search for love; German-language literature; Late modernity; Eva Illouz; Individualisation; Women's emancipation; Digitalisation; Urbanity}},
language = {{ger}},
month = {{09}},
number = {{76}},
publisher = {{Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University}},
school = {{Lund University}},
series = {{Lunder germanistische Forschungen}},
title = {{Was soll das für eine Liebe sein? : Zur literarischen Darstellung des Liebeskomplexes im Licht der Spätmoderne}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/261272008/Maja_Lindholm_-_avhandling.pdf}},
year = {{2026}},
}