Homeland image in Herta Müller’s essay «Homeland or The Deception of Things»

Abstract

Aim. The article deals with the analysis of the term «homeland» that is based on Herta Müller’s essay, German authoress who originates from Romania, Nobel prizewinner in Literature 2009 «Homeland or The Deception of Things» (1997).

Methods. In the article there has been applied the system approach by using the biographical, sociological and Cultural Studies methods. On the basis of the biographical method there has been investigated a close connection Herta Muller’s works with her own life experience. On the basis of the sociological method there have been distinguished the main themes of the essay, namely the opposition minority/native population, small/big/historical homeland, the representation of socio-political problems (life under dictatorship conditions, influence and consequences of the national socialist politics et al.). Cultural Studies elucidate the problematic of ethnic belonging, identity, the relation of so-called «popular» native culture and strange culture of the minority.

Results. There has been represented the analysis of the term «homeland» from three different perspectives – small, big, historical homeland and issues of identity and cultural belonging related to them. There has been investigated Herta Müller’s problematic relation to the term «homeland». The article presents a detailed analysis of main homeland images that were created by Müller on the paper, what is linked up with the authoress’s personal experience.

Scientific novelty. The article is dedicated to the problematic nature of the term «homeland», which has recently become the subject of active investigations in European space, and which has not been given proper attention from the scientific and cultural point of view in Ukraine. Besides that «homeland» is analysed from the non-traditional point of view. Because of the actual tragic events world’s scale, namely threatening return to wars, dictatorships, enforced migrations of different nationalities and so on the term is losing its authentic meaning and sacral value. Loss/search of identity, questions of ethnic/cultural belonging, feelings of homelessness, fear, exposure, strangeness/estrangement etc. follow homeland nowadays.

Pactical significance. The article may serve for the further investigation and analysis of the actual problematic nature of the term «homeland». The results of the research can be used for writing scientific articles, course projects and qualification papers in the first place in literary criticism, but also in other subjects.