VVZ API is not affiliated with ETH Zurich. Data might be outdated or incorrect. Please view the official ETHZ Vorlesungsverzeichnis for binding information.
Sound Studies and Literature – A New Paradigm?
Sound Studies und Literatur – ein neues Paradigma?
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:02:08
Abstract
The lecture presents the methodological diversity of sound studies inasfar as they are related to the study of literature and undertakes to critically assess exemplary works. It offers an overview of central aspects of the sonic turn, with the aim of presenting and examining methodological instruments for literary studies oriented towards the history of knowledge.
Objective
Is literature silent? The paper pages of the book or the screen of the tablet that we look at while reading might suggest so. Nevertheless, when reading, one cannot help but have the impression that literature contains sound. Doesn't it allow us to identify authors by their "voice," for example, or guide our reading through repetitions and assonances? Does it not seem to reproduce the sonic world? In other words: How is the relationship between literature and sound to be thought of? In recent years a concept of 'sound' has emerged in the realm of the so-called sound studies which thinks of acoustic phenomena in their connection with human perceptions and actions (Morat/Ziemer 2018). Research in the context of the 'sonic turn' assumes that literature both generates and stores sound and that our understanding of literature should be closely linked to the conceptualization and writing practice of sound as well as the conditions of its production and reception. Strongly interdisciplinary, this research thus combines perspectives from the cognitive sciences, with approaches from the technical sciences and cultural studies. At times, it has argued to dispense with the traditional fixation on writing and instead to approach literature also through sound practices and listening techniques. These practices and techniques should not only be object of studies, but, employing "listening as a research method" (Holger Schulze), should be integrated into the research methodology. The lecture will confront the methodological diversity of sound studies inasfar as they are related to the study of literature and will undertakes to critically assess them. It will offer an overview of central aspects of the sonic turn, with the aim of presenting and examining methodological instruments for literary studies oriented towards the history of knowledge.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- DS , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 40
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Sound Studies und Literatur – ein neues Paradigma? |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
-
Science in Perspective (In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses.)
-
Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence (SiP courses are recommended for bachelor students after their first-year examination and for all master- or doctoral students. All SiP courses are listed in Type A. Courses listed under Type B are only recommendations for enrollment for specific departments.)
-
-
-