If, as I have claimed, interconnectedness and mutual dependence are what characterizes modern life, this is the place to pay tribute to the interconnections of academic work which enabled me to complete this book.
First and foremost, I would like to thank my dissertation advisor Prof. Tobias Döring, who has guided this project since its inception and whose advice and criticism have helped it grow into its present state. As I have always learned best not from instruction but through imitation, it is above all Tobias Döring’s rigorous philological practice and his joyful approach to literature that continue to inspire me in my own reading and writing.
I am also very grateful to my second advisor, Prof. Klaus Benesch, for his initial encouragement to take up doctoral studies and for offering advice and support throughout the completion of my dissertation as well as to Prof. Annette Keck for agreeing to join my dissertation committee.
The dissertation at the basis of this book was completed with generous funding from the German Research Foundation (dfg), first with a doctoral position in the research training group “Globalization and Literature” and then within the research unit “Philology of Adventure”, both at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. I am grateful to all the participants of these research groups, not only for providing an excellent institutional framework for academic work but also for creating a stimulating environment for thought and exchange.
Part of my doctoral studies was spent as a visiting scholar at Columbia University, and I thank Prof. Sarah Cole and Prof. Jack Halberstam for hosting me and allowing me to benefit from Columbia’s rich academic atmosphere.
Dr. Sarah Fekadu-Uthoff has encouraged my academic advancement since my undergraduate days when I attended her introductory seminar, and I am grateful for her continued support, friendship, and shining example.
I am furthermore indebted to Patrick, Kathrin, Fabienne, Matthias, Florian, Laura, Philipp, Philipp, Claudine, and Vid, my friends and colleagues at lmu Munich, whose dedication, wit, friendship, and companionship have made long writing days bearable and lunch breaks highly enjoyable.
I thank my friend Dr. Laura McAleese for copy-editing the final version of this book and for giving valuable suggestions for improvement.