Lines in space: Freedom and the search for truth in the novels of Alfred Andersch

Abstract

Through an analysis of the four novels Sansibar (1957), Die Rote (196 1), Efraim (1967) and Winterspelt (1974), this thesis explores the development of the principles of freedom and truth upheld by the characters in Sansibar into the concept of the artistic outline found in the later novels. Crucial to an understanding of this is the Sartre quotation in Winterspelt . According to Sartre's ‘original project’, the individual human being starts off life as a rough outline, which lives itself subjectively, filtering objective reality through its own preconceptions and thus experiencing nothing which is not part of these preconceptions. As a painter creates an outline on a blank canvas, so we create the outline of our own lives and determin our destiny. In Andersch's novels, which are set against the existential void, the fate of the characters is never predetermined; rather, it is the individual's line of thinking which determines his or her course of action, and determines the nature of his or her relationships with others. As Andersch's characters become more aware of their freedom as human beings, they are able to develop conscious artistic outlines and so turn the existential void into a place of freedom. This thesis looks at four closely interrelated aspects of the artistic outline: ‘Lines of Thought’, ‘The Development of Outlines’, ‘New Directions’ and ‘Co-existence and convergence: the individual artistic outline as part of a whole’. By showing the development of these aspects across the four novels, it draws conclusions not only about Alfred Andersch's development as a writer but also about his vision of humanity.