THEODOR STORM AND THE SHORE: (ANTI-)SYMBIOTIC ECONARRATIVES OF THE NORDIC COAST.
Theodor Storm (1817-1888), a key author of German realism, is internationally renowned for his coastal novellas. This paper examines Journey to a Hallig (Eine Halligfahrt, 1871) as an econarrative that uses the Hallig, a unique type of low-lying tidal island, as a concentrated littoral habitat to ex...
| Published in: | Metacritic Journal for Comparative Studies & Theory Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 126 - 146 |
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| Format: | Literary Criticism |
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Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, Faculty of Letters
Jul2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=195615651&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 195615651 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 24578827 KB6B jtl: Metacritic Journal for Comparative Studies & Theory issn: 24578827 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jul2026 vid: 12 iid: 1 pid: 21245 pub: Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, Faculty of Letters artinfo: ui: 195615651 10.24193/mjcst.2026.20.07 ppf: 126 ppct: 20 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P size: 2.1MB tig: atl: THEODOR STORM AND THE SHORE: (ANTI-)SYMBIOTIC ECONARRATIVES OF THE NORDIC COAST. aug: au: FÜRHOLZER, Katharina affil: University of Koblenz, Germany su: Symbiosis Coasts Narrative art Sea stories Environmental exposure Storms Narratives North Sea sug: subj: North Sea Symbiosis Coasts Narrative art Sea stories Environmental exposure Storms Narratives keyword: catastrophe literature econarratives in German literature flood narratives Nordic coast Theodor Storm ab: Theodor Storm (1817-1888), a key author of German realism, is internationally renowned for his coastal novellas. This paper examines Journey to a Hallig (Eine Halligfahrt, 1871) as an econarrative that uses the Hallig, a unique type of low-lying tidal island, as a concentrated littoral habitat to explore (anti-)symbiotic forms of human-nonhuman coexistence along the North Sea coast. In Storm's novella, the coastal shore as well as storm tides are dramatized as forces that expose the precarious and asymmetrical relations between humans, flora, fauna, and water, where life unfolds in unstable alliances with the sea. The analysis highlights how Storm narrates interdependence through dialectics of vulnerability and agency, including moments in which human action itself disrupts ecological processes. It further shows how this symbiotic tension is mirrored aesthetically, with the dynamics of the sea resonating in narrative rhythm, temporal layering, and a semantics of colour. Storm's text thus inscribes the risks of living with water and offers historical perspectives on coexistence, catastrophe, and ecological vulnerability that remain relevant today. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Literary Criticism src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Metacritic Journal for Comparative Studies & Theory is the property of Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, Faculty of Letters and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Metacritic Journal for Comparative Studies & Theory holder: Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj, Faculty of Letters dt: @attributes: year: 2026 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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