„Stehen, im Schatten / des Wundenmals in der Luft.“ Zu einer Denkfigur des Widerstands in Paul Celans Lyrik

Abstract

The linguistic and conceptual image of standing pervades Celan’s poetry from his early to his late works, developing a distinct gestural dimension that signifies steadfastness as well as an uncompromising moral verticality. As a testamentary gesture it is a fundamental part of Celan’s legacy to his son and future generations, making resistance against falsification, leveling, and trivialization, against a perverted reality the core idea of a humanism that does not primarily seek to reshape society itself but rather aims at changing individual conscience.

The present study examines the development of this fundamental and oppositional word within several relevant historical and biographical contexts of Paul Celan’s poetry.