Paradigmen des Idyllischen

The idyll is ubiquitous: regardless of the literary genre, its elements are found in both different textual formations and in other cultural artifacts as well as everyday culture. Current phenomena such as the reinvigoration of nationalisms, the longing for "simple life" or the relationship between man and the environment are connected in a specific way with idyllic motifs, topoi or interpretation patterns. The essays of this volume take a cultural science look at the four paradigmatic areas of ecology, economy, articulation, and community. They examine how idyllising procedures are used in different historical contexts to structure orders, natural relations, and discourses. They develop cultural science perspectives on current debates that critically take the central role of the idyll as a desired and counter-image.