Outer World and Inner World: Socialisation and Emancipation in the Works of Peter Handke, 1964-1981

This study centres on three groups of texts by Peter Handke, which investigate particular types of mediation between outer and inner world, reality and consciousness. The main figures in Kaspar, Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter and Wunschloses Unglueck are all subjected to processes of socialisation - language, perception patterns and social roles - which prescribe and mould their inner world. Close textual study of these works and an examination of possible emancipatory strategies put forward by Handke are combined with a contextualisation of Handke’s literary theory and a placing of his work within twentieth century Austrian and West German writing.