Wenn Krieg in postheroischer Gesellschaft ausbricht. Überlegungen zu ‚Cassandra-Rufen‘ der Literatur

Abstract

Literature has the ability to refer to potential conflicts in societies earlier than any other media. Contemporary German-language literature reacts enthusiastically to the wars in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, in the peripheral regions of the Russian Federation and last but not least in Afghanistan. A new figure of the soldier emerged. A soldier who comes from the post-heroic society and breaks down mentally and physically in wars. So the question arises, how would people react if a war broke out in post-heroic society and not on its fringes?

Keywords

• Contemporary German literature
• war
• post-heroic society
• soldier figures
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• Cassandra calls