„Hustý popis“ jako literárněvědná metoda? // "Thick description" as a method of literary theory?

• Main Author: Jitka Paitlová
• Format: Article
• Language: ces
• Published: Univerzita Karlova, Filozofická Fakulta 2016-11-01
• Series: Svět Literatury
• Subjects: hustý popis; Clifford Geertz; nový historicismus; Thomas Fechner-Smarsly; thick description; new historicism
• Online Access: http://svetliteratury.ff.cuni.cz/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2017/01/jitka_paitlova_52-64.pdf

This paper deals with a selected example of the understanding of the Anglo-Saxon New Historicism by German literary scholars. It focuses on the method of “thick description” as formulated by the American anthropologist Clifford Geertz and as criticized by German literary scholar and ethnologist Thomas Fechner-Smarsly. In connection with the so-called anthropological turn, it consists in the application of ethnology in literary criticism. According to Geertz a semantic density arises from the complexity of described, but Geertz fails to formulate a general theory. Fechner sees a great potential for literary studies in the method of “thick description”, but he criticizes the lack of system in Geertz’, when he is reluctant to formulate a generally applicable model of this method. Fechner therefore calls for contextualization, organization and instantiation methods of “thick description” in literary studies and, moreover, emphasizes the interdisciplinary overlap.