Literarische Räume in Herta Müllers Der Mensch ist eingroßer Fasan auf der Welt : Literary Spaces in Herta Müller’s Der Mensch ist ein großer Fasan aufder Welt

Sammanfattning: This essay discusses Herta Müller’s 2009 novella Der Mensch ist einGroßer Fasan auf der Welt from a spatial perspective. Drawing from ideas from theSpatial Turn in the 1980s, the main characters of the novella are analysed and it isfound that while the women of the story are able to adapt to the changing of space,the male protagonist is struggling being stuck in what can be seen as a state ofconstant crisis, which renders him practically useless in the society he lives in.Three main theories are used for the analysis; Michel Foucault’s concept ofheterotopias, Henri Lefebvre’s definitions of societal space and Edward Soja’sideas of Thirdspace. Further, Müller’s own ideas of Utopia are brought in forreflection.