Erzählwerk

Erzählwerk is a term that can refer to a collection of stories or a body of narrative works by a single author or on a particular theme. The German word "Erzählwerk" literally translates to "narrative work" or "storytelling work." It is often used to encompass a significant literary output that focuses on storytelling, such as novels, short stories, novellas, or even oral traditions presented in written form.

When discussing an author's Erzählwerk, it implies a comprehensive examination of their fictional creations. This can include analyzing recurring motifs, stylistic developments, thematic concerns, and the evolution of their narrative techniques across multiple works. For example, one might speak of the Erzählwerk of a particular 19th-century novelist, referring to all the novels and stories they produced during their career.

Alternatively, Erzählwerk can describe a curated collection of diverse narratives brought together for a specific purpose, such as an anthology of fairy tales from a certain region or a compilation of science fiction stories exploring the theme of artificial intelligence. In such cases, the "work" aspect highlights the deliberate assembly and presentation of these narratives as a unified entity. The term emphasizes the fundamental act of telling stories and the collective output of such endeavors.