Autofiktion und Kulturtradition bei Hermann Hesse
Autofiction and Cultural Tradition in Hermann Hesse’s Works

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the relation between autobiography and autofiction in Hermann Hesse, also discussing the question of where the former ends and the latter begins in his novels and short stories. Although Hesse did not explicitly write an autobiography, he repeatedly wove autobiographical details into his works. The term autofiction seems appropriate for such texts, although the works cited in the paper as examples – Herman Lauscher, Under the Wheel, Klingsor’s Last Summer, and The Steppenwolf – exhibit different forms or degrees of it. While Herman Lauscher is closest to an autobiography, in Klingsor’s Last Summer it appears in a more sublimated form, with autobiographical elements appearing only sporadically. At the same time, works like The Steppenwolf describe an inner reality – emotional states and crises – experienced by the author himself. Finally, the paper also points out that Hesse repeatedly pursued an educational mission in the classical sense, including his autofictional works, in order to impart to his readers the educational content of European and Asian cultural traditions.

• Details
• Contents