Abstract
THE argument as to whether an Austrian nation exists either as a concept or as a reality appears to have provoked a renewed debate on the by now familiar motion: can one talk of a specifically Austrian national literature? Proposing the motion are those who argue that there are in the works ofAustrian authors ranging over a wide period certain recurring themes and attitudes which justify the assertion that there is a 'typically Austrian' national character as distinct from the German, and hence also an Austrian national literature. Opposing the motion are those who will concede only that there exists a German literature in Austria, and hold that all literature in the German language is part of German literature. Typical of the more aggressive opponents of the motion is Egon Schwarz, who in a review of Das grosse Erbe, a collection of three essayswhich attempt to establish the existence of an Austrian literature, writes pungently:
Published Version
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