Canon, Intertext, and Naïve Readings: On the Most Important Sentence in Uwe Johnson's Novel Anniversaries

Abstract

This contribution follows Johnson's referencing Paul Celan's poem “Todesfuge” (“Deathfugue”) in his novel Jahrestage (Anniversaries). It develops a comprehensive understanding of this citation as discursive process: The implications of the allusion to the poem on the level of the plot merge with the quote's poetological function. With the reference to “Deathfugue” Johnson suggests that his novel carries a claim for canonical status, a claim the novel signals by a single repetition of sound, which also sheds light on Johnson's elaborated techniques of citation.