Uni-Tübingen

Nicolas Potysch

Proceedings opened: 25 August 2016

Dissertation colloquium: 09 December 2016

Current information you can find here.

 

 

Biographical information

  • 1986: born in Herten, Nordrhein-Westfalen
  • 2005: Abitur at the Max-Planck-Gymnasium, Gelsenkirchen-Buer
  • 2006-2012: Ruhr-Universität Bochum;
  • 2009: Bachelor of Arts in German Philology and physics;
  • 06/2012: Master of Arts in German Philology (with distinction);
  • 11/2012: Master of Education (German and physics)
  • 11/2012: 1st state examination (German and physics)
  • 2009-2011: Beneficiary of the state scholarship programme of the Ruhr University Bochum
  • student assistant at the German Department of the RUB (2008, 2012-2013) and at the Physics Education Department of the RUB (2009-2012)
  • since October 2013: Research Assistant and PhD Student at the Research Training Group 1808: Ambiguity – Production and Perception at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
  • since October 2016: - Research assistant (50%) in the DFG Research Unit 2288: "Journalliteratur. Formatbedingungen, visuelles Design, Rezeptionskulturen" at the Ruhr University Bochum
  • since October 2016: Start-up funded (50%) at the RTG 1808: Ambiguity, Tübingen University
  • 09.12.2016 PhD colloquium, Tübingen (summa cum laude)
  • since April 2017: Research Assistant at Ruhr-Universität Bochum

 

Research interests

  • Illustrated literature – word-image-correlates
  • literature of the Early Modern Age – from the innovation of technique to the (r)evolution of media
  • Fairy tales, fables and myth of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and the modern age
  • Johann Karl August Musäus
  • literature of the Thirty Years' War
  • creation and staging of authorship and readership (literature as Akt)
  • emblematics
  • theories of textuality
  • intertextuality and -semiotics

 

Abstract:

»Bimodal and Bitextual Ambiguity - Constitutive Elements of Word and Image Interactions« (Working Title)

The scientific analysis of illustrated literature as independent artwork which is based on the interaction of two modalities is often only a protoscientific peer review with less range. The central question of these approaches is in most cases, if the illustrations do adequately figure the (only verbally meant) text. Therefore the functions of illustrations are located somewhere between the upper mentioned figuration, the guidance of illiterati and a somehow understood decorative gist. Potential interaction of image and word are reduced on an ›assorting aspect‹ – shady judgements and analysings of quality attendanting.

On these grounds my dissertation project tries to combine approaches of the German Literary Studies with linguistical, rhetorical and art-historical theories. Thus intermodal and intertextual ambiguity is shown as a productive intrinsic feature of illustrated literature. The (first of all inductive) research project is based on former studies about Georg Wickrams Ritter Galmy (1539) and Johann Carl August Musäus' Volksmährchen der Deutschen (1782-86) and extended to several other significant examples of illustrated literature. Special regard is attended to the incongruences in the (no longer self-evident) consistent structure of the text. These inherent textual gaps have to be complemented and completed by the (co-)productive reader. An impression of the focal point of this project can probably be given by the following crucial questions:

(1) How does intermodal resp. intertextual ambiguity works as a strategy of production and reception and what kind are their specific characteristics?

(2) Which role does the ›assorting aspect‹ for the understanding and the creation of illustrated literature play?

(3) How can ambiguity be defined for illustrated literature?

 

Teaching

  • Winter term 2011/2012
  • Tutorial "Techniques of literary studies" at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  • Summer term 2013
  • Introductory seminar course "Word-image-correlates in the 17th and 18th century (FNZ)" at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum
  • Summer term 2015
  • organising series of Lectures "DEUTUNGSspielRÄUME³ - Mehrdeutigkeit als allgegenwärtiges, kulturelles Phänomen" as part of the of the Studium Generale of the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • since Summer term 2007
  • Research project "Johann Carl August Musäus' Volksmährchen der Deutschen" under the direction of PD Dr. Andreas Beck
  • Winter term 2016/2017
  • Secondary seminar course "Bild und Text in der Literatur der Frühen Neuzeit (Flugblatt, Roman, Emblem)" at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

 

Papers

  • Tandem talk with Dr Nina-Maria Klug (University of Kassel) on "Multimodalität und Ambiguität" on May 22, 2014 at RTG 1808 Ambiguity, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • „Zur Ambiguität in Schrift-Bild-Relationen – In Slummibus“ Guest lecture on June 18, 2014, in Graduate Seminar "Rhetorik des Aufmachers. Theorie und Analyse von Zeitschriftencovern." Frank Duerr, M.A./Dr. Anne Ulrich, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • "Posuit fines tuos pacem - Emblematik und Politik in der Münchener Dreifaltigkeitskirche (1711-1718)." July 28, 2014 at the "10th International Conference Society for Emblem Studies" from July 27 to August 1, 2014, in Kiel. "Das Verstehen multimodaler Texte - Illustrierte Literatur als textu(r)elles Interpretationspotential." September 24, 2014 at the "14. International Conference of the German Association for Semiotic Studies (DGS)" from September 23 to 26, 2014, in Tübingen.
  • "Intermodal and intertextual ambiguity in literary image-type-combinations." January 28, 2015, at the Winter School "Mediality and Multimodality across Media" from January 28 to January 30,2015 in Tübingen.
  • "From Icons to Images: An Attempt for a Classification of Initials in Literary Texts". March 26, 2015 at the "10th International Symposium on Iconicity in Language and Literature" from March 26-28, 2015 at Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • "Kulturelle Narrative und kommunikative Praktiken". November 13, 2015 at the "Ersten Kongress der Kulturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft - Ansichten der künftigen Kulturwissenschaft/en" from November 12-14, 2015 at Leuphana Universität Lüneburg.
  • "Doppeldeutiges in Schrift und Bild". November 20, 2015at the "Abschlussworkshop GRK 1767 ‚Faktuales und Fiktionales Erzählen‘" from November 20-21, 2015 at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg.
  • "„Der wunderbare Charakter eines höchst gefährlichen Kranken“ – Widerstreitende Figurenbewertung in Lenz‘ ‚Waldbruder‘". February 13, 2016 at the "Symposium Ambiguity and Ambivalence" from 12-14 February, 2016 at Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • "Astronomischer Neuer Büchersaal -- 'Neutons Allgemeine Schwere', die 'Copernicanische Maschine' und das 'Whistonische Cometengebäude'". July 11, 2016 within the Series of Lectures "Literatur der Frühen Neuzeit und ihre kulturellen Kontexte" at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum.
  • "Ambiguität im bimodalen Raum: Doppeldeutiges in Schrift & Bild". Paper presented on September 28, 2016 at the Congress of the Deutsche Germanistenverbands with the topic "Erzählen" at Bayreuth University.
  • "Narrative Ambiguität durch Bildwiederholungen - Bildrepliken im Fortunatus (1509) und in Wickrams Ritter Galmy (1539)". Paper presented on November 11, 2016 at the Conference of the DFG Research Network "Vor-Augen-Stellen. Verfahren bildlicher Kommunikation in Text und Bild / Illustration" at the LMU Munich.

 

Publications

Book

Editorship

  • Potysch, Nicolas; Matthias Bauer (ed.)(2016). Deutungsspielräume. Mehrdeutigkeit als kulturelles Phänomen. Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang.

Essays

  • Potysch, Nicolas (2014). "Goethes Werther (2. Fassung 1787) - ein Pendant zu Lenz' Waldbruder?" In: Lenz-Jahrbuch 21. Literatur - Kultur - Medien 1750-1800. Ed. Nikola Roßbach, Ariane Martin and Georg-Michael Schulz. St. Ingbert: Röhrig, 7-37.
  • Potysch, Nicolas; Lukas Wilde (forthcoming: 2017). "Picture in Picturebooks". Routledge Companion to Picturebooks. Ed. Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer. London: Routledge.
  • Potysch, Nicolas (2017). "Zwischen Votivkult und Herrscherlob: Architekturemblematik in der Münchner Dreifaltigkeitskirche (1711-18)". Emblems and Impact. Ed. Ingrid Höpel. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Potysch, Nicolas (forthcoming: 2017). "Der wunderbare Charakter eines gefährlichen Kranken: Ambivalenzerzeugung in Lenz’ Waldbruder." Ambiguität und Ambivalenz. Eds. Matthias Bauer, Frauke Berndt and Sebastian Meixner. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann.

Reviews

 

Events (organisation)

  • Ringvorlesung "DEUTUNGSspielRÄUME³", gemeinsam mit Sophia Kuhs, im Sommersemester 2015 an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Workshop "Zweiten Emblematischen Werkstattgespräche" vom 26.05.-28.05.2016 an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Vortragsreihe "Ambiguität und Medien", gemeinsam mit Florian Rohmann, vom 23.-24.06.2016 an der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.
  • Workshop "Ambiguität in der Übersetzung", gemeinsam mit Angelika Zirker und Elias Güthlein, am 16.12.2016 in Kooperation mit dem Literaturhaus Stuttgart.