(University of Oregon, 2010-06) Jorgenson, Amanda Mary, 1984-
Set in the turbulence of 1968, Uwe Timm's novel, Heißer Sommer, focuses on
two themes: self-discovery and the exploration of boundaries. The protagonist in Timm's
novel is Ullrich, a university student who embodies the unrest of his time. Timm
intertwines Ullrich's inner private sphere with the outer political sphere, which allows
him to understand himself through the frame of his political activism. Moreover, Ullrich
is used as an instrument by Timm to critique and shed an ironical light on the
glamorization of the West German student movement. Timm illuminates several political
(as well as personal) contradictions and criticisms through his protagonist's exposure to
the revolutionary movement.
