Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Modern Foreign Languages

Major Professor

Maria Stehle

Committee Members

Thorsten Huth, Sarah Eldridge, Elize Bisanz

Abstract

This dissertation presents an event analysis by Juri M. Lotman on Peter Bichsel’s Kindergeschichten (1969) in the context of „kulturelles Wissen“ [Cultural Knowledge] a term coined by Michael Titzmann (1989). The method is based on Lotman`s early approaches on the principles of the semantic feature analysis and is supported by the elaborations of contemporary researcher. Referring to M. Titzmann (2003, 2017) and N. K. Renner (1983, 2004) I center my work on two events: 1) the change of a character and 2) the change of the surrounding spatial and world order. Thus, the events are defined by the tense relationships between the characters to the prevalent world picture.

The analysis confirms the compatibility between the Kindergeschichten and the Lotman`ian concepts of event and the semiosphere. Lotman`ian approaches prove to be effective heuristic-analytical tools for the narrative dynamics in the Kindergeschichten. Additionally, the Kindergeschichten are fruitful sources to illustrate the Lotman`ian concepts and to conduct scientific explorations in cultural semiotics. Since literary event analyses can provide “powerful means for making sense of life” (Lotman, 1990, p. 170), this dissertation provides a groundwork for insights into cultural dynamisms in the context of kulturelles Wissen.

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