From the hotel to the rental housing: the motif of home in novels of the "new objectivity"

The article examines the motif of home in novels of the "new objectivity", which is embodied in images of a hotel's room, a room to rent and rental barracks. In the course of research we studied the novels "Hotel Savoy" by J. Roth, "Fabian" by E. Kastner and "The artificial silk girl" by I. Keun. The research into the motif of home in novels of the "new objectivity" is based on modern studies on spatial structures in modernist literature, which consider a hotel as a type of space perfect for the man of the modern era, who is living outside of the existing traditions. The images of the hotel, rental room and barracks are close due to several common features: the hero is living there temporarily; there is no connection between the space of the house and the hero's individuality; living there means breaking with family tradition; these spaces make privacy permeable and establish the type of relationship between people combining intimacy and detachment. The motif of the temporary house is connected, on the one hand, with the motif of the hero's constant movement and, on the other hand, with the motif of waiting, the hero's inability to make a decision about his future. The article puts forward the hypothesis that the image of the temporary home appears in the "new objectivity" as a crisis phenomenon, which includes social and individual components. The heroes' temporary house reflects the era of transition, when the freedom and independence of the hero are associated with loneliness and inaction.