Die neuen Patriarchen : Inka Bachs und John von Düffels Romane über die Familienoberhäupter (2004)

The article discusses two contemporary novels by Inka Bach ("Glücksmarie") and John von Düffel ("Houwelandt"), both of 2004, against a backdrop of their very significant authority characters of the father they draw. It is shown that these characters attract the reader's attention so strongly that no other character can compete with them. On one hand modern education offers more sensitive and human patterns for the characters of the father nowadays. On the other hand the authoritative fathers also provide some securities, especially for their wives, that gentle, weak fathers cannot give. This is already notable in Kafka's works. The distinction between the "old" and the "new" patriarchs is, however, that the new ones torture their daughters and sons to survival, not to death.