CONTRAST AS THE MEANS OF ACHIEVING COHERENCE IN NEW GERMAN DRAMA

Abstract

This article provides practical analysis of structural, stylistic, semantic and graphic types of contrast in present-day German drama and the role of contrast in achieving text coherence. Semantic contrast is divided in further groups, among which present and most common in analyzed dramas are imagery, plot and semantic associative types. Six texts serve as the factural source of this analysis, all written between 2007 and 2009: «Die goldenen letzten Jahre» by Sibylle Berg, «Schwarzes Tier Traurigkeit» by Anja Hilling, «HEAVEN (zu tristan)» by Fritz Kater (Armin Petras), «Der Goldene Drache» by Roland Schimmelpfennig, «Morgen in Katar» by Theresia Walser and «TEHERAN 1386» by Claudius Lünstedt. It also includes a brief overview of previous researches to definition of contrast, as well as its functions in literature. The article concludes that every drama tends to different contrast types and their combinations; the rhythmic intertwining of contrasted text segments invests in perception of the text by its recipients as coherent. It is also shown, how usage of contrast can create distancing effect (Verfremdungseffekt) in present-day German drama. The paper also outlines the perspectives in the future studies of the contrast in drama.