The meaning of love (2008-2013)

Love narratives in contemporary German literature since 1990

Professor Alison Lewis and Dr Andrew Hurley
ARC Discovery Project DP0880004

This study of love in contemporary German literature led to deeper insights into intimacy in one of our major European trading partners, as it undergoes a period of economic uncertainty and social change. The project enhanced our understanding of the varied ways in which individuals, as well as national literatures in the western tradition, respond to the challenges of globalisation. Through examining the semantics of modern love and what love means to different sections of society (friendship, passion, marriage, sex etc.) in a contemporary European culture that bears many similarities to our own, this project brought benefits to Australians' understanding of how the meaning of love evolves over time.