Forum for Modern Language Studies Advance Access published online on December 17, 2007
Forum for Modern Language Studies, doi:10.1093/fmls/cqm121
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The mirage of the new world: Eveline Hasler's Ibicaba, das Paradies in den Köpfen
Department of German
16 University Gardens
University of Glasgow
Glasgow G12 8QL
United Kingdom
| Abstract |
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Eveline Hasler's historical novel Ibicaba, das Paradies in den Köpfen (1985) concerns the emigration of a group of Swiss citizens to Brazil in 1855. The article considers the author's technique of blending fact and fiction to craft a powerful account of white slavery in the New World, and traces links between Hasler's novel and nineteenth-century literary works by Friedrich Gerstäcker and Amalia Schoppe. Examining Hasler's use of characterisation, theme and leitmotiv, the article probes the manner in which the novel illuminates a dark episode in Swiss history, while also contributing indirectly to the modern political discourse on economic migration, people trafficking and bonded labour.
Key Words: Hasler, Eveline twentieth-century German literature women's writing historical novel Swiss history Brazil economic migration people trafficking