“Zu fremd sind seinem körper diese empfindungen geworden”: learning with challeges in the novel Im zimmer wird es still, by Jan Walther

Abstract

The novel Im Zimmer wird es still, published in 2011 by Jan Walther belongs to a group of fictional works in German literature which deals with the question of sexuality. Sexuality is conceptualized, in this context, as a set of cultural norms valid in a certain social space which disciplines the ways pleasure and desire can be lived. In this sense, this article aims to discuss (1) how the main characters of this novel deal with classification systems valid in their interaction scope and (2) the way they insert the imperative of pleasure in their personal identities. In both these aspects, their behaviour seems to have clear elements of dissidence.