Das Motiv des Blinden - Die Welt mit der Haut sehen

Em Ensaio sobre a Cegueira, José Saramago descreve uma epidemia misteriosa de cegueira branca que se alastra rapidamente, levando ao isolamento dos contaminados em quarentena e ao desmoronamento da ordem social. Através de uma narrativa única sem pontuação convencional, o autor examina temas como a fragilidade da civilização, a sobrevivência e a compaixão humana, com uma mulher imune à cegueira como testemunha central dos eventos. Publicado em 1995, o livro ganhou aclamação internacional e inspirou uma adaptação cinematográfica.

Sophokles' Tragödie "König Ödipus" erzählt die Geschichte von Ödipus, dem König von Theben, der unwissentlich seinen Vater tötet und seine Mutter heiratet. Als eine Seuche die Stadt heimsucht, sucht Ödipus nach dem Mörder des vorherigen Königs Laios, um Theben zu retten. Durch die Nachforschungen des Sehers Teiresias und anderer Enthüllungen deckt Ödipus nach und nach die schreckliche Wahrheit über seine Herkunft und seine Taten auf. Konfrontiert mit den Konsequenzen seiner Taten, blendet sich Ödipus selbst und verlässt Theben im Exil. Das Stück thematisiert Schicksal, freie Willensentscheidung und die menschliche Hybris.

Written in the 5th century BCE, 'Antigone' by Sophocles is a tragedy set in the ancient Greek city of Thebes. The play revolves around Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who defies King Creon's law by burying her brother Polyneices, who was declared a traitor. This act of civil disobedience sparks a profound exploration of themes such as the tension between personal morality and state law, the nature of justice, the role of fate, and the dangers of excessive pride. The play highlights Antigone's unwavering commitment to her familial duty and the gods, contrasting with Creon's rigid adherence to the law. The tragic consequences of their inflexible moral standpoints lead to a devastating outcome, questioning the absolute authority of human law versus divine law.

In this novel, Max Frisch employs a postmodern narrative approach where the narrator constructs various stories about a man named Gantenbein, who, among other roles, pretends to be blind. The book delves into themes of identity, seeing and not-seeing, and the fluidity of reality. The narrative is characterized by its fragmented and often contradictory nature, reflecting the complexity of human identity and the ways in which individuals present themselves to the world. The novel also touches on the idea that happiness and authenticity can only be found within the confines of empirical reality, despite the creative and liberating aspects of constructing fictional identities.

This novella tells the story of Nathanael, a young man deeply marked by chilling childhood experiences involving the sinister figure of Coppelius and the myth of the Sandman, who steals children’s eyes. The story explores themes of mental illness, love, obsession, and the blurring of reality and illusion. Nathanael’s encounters with the Sandman and other characters, such as the automaton Olimpia, lead to a catastrophic collapse of his grasp on reality. The novella is a profound reflection on human fears, identity, and the psychological horrors that can result from unresolved childhood traumas.