Article in Press
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Abstract
This study investigates the discourse of contagion in selected texts of German literature through an interdisciplinary framework combining historical discourse analysis, psychoanalytic perspectives, and gender studies. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concept of discourse and theoretical contributions by Susan Sontag, Brigitte Weingart, and Klaus Theweleit, the study examines how contagion functions not only as a medical phenomenon but also as a cultural and emotional metaphor. Particular attention is given to the interdiscursive relationship between contagion, blood, bodily fluids, and hegemonic masculinity. The analysis focuses on Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice and Elfriede Jelinek’s The Pianist, exploring how representations of blood and infection reflect themes of repression, sexuality, fear, shame, and marginalization. The findings suggest that the discourse of contagion extends beyond clinical meanings and operates as a cultural mechanism that shapes social perceptions and gender constructions. The study further demonstrates that literary texts function as sites where social power structures and ideological tensions circulate and become embedded in language and collective consciousness.
