Sprachskepsis Im Modernismus - Eine Texteigenschaft? Anhand Von Carry Van Bruggen: Eva (1927)

Abstract

It is striking that, in the debate on modernism in literature, approaches with widely divergent theoretical claims end up with very similar results as far as the central qualities of modernist texts are concerned. Scepticism relating to language itself (“Sprachskepsis”) is often seen as one such quality of modernist texts. How can this be explained? Answers to this question are sought using the novel Eva (1927) by the Dutch writer Carry van Bruggen as an example. In this article, the explanation is not sought in the text itself, but in the annexation of existing research and in the legitimation of the commitment of the critics themselves, directed against any form of ideological ossification.