معرفی
Thomas Martinec is an Adjunct Professor and Senior Academic Councilor at the University of Regensburg within the Institute of German Studies. He serves as Internationalization Officer and Vice President of the Lessing Society, and co-organizes the international Lessing Workshop. Holding a Habilitation in Regensburg, his academic journey includes fellowships at Oxford and Durham University.
- Born: 1982 in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany
- Education: Studied German, English, and Philosophy in Mainz and New York (NYU), PhD in Mainz (2013), Habilitation in Regensburg (2021)
Research Interests center on Literature from the 18th to 21st centuries, with a focus on Empathy, Aesthetics, and Hermeneutics. His work explores the intersection of Literature and Emotion, particularly through the cultural history of Einfühlung (empathy), and interdisciplinary approaches to Literature and War, especially WWI narratives in Germany and Australia. He investigates Literature and Music from the 18th to 20th centuries, analyzing how musical concepts shape poetic form.
Publications include monographs on Lessing’s tragic theory (Lessings Theorie der Tragödienwirkung, 2003) and empathy in aesthetics (Einfühlung, 2023). His edited volumes and articles address ambiguity in literature, Jünger’s WWI discourse, and empathy’s role in interpreting fiction. Recent articles examine hermeneutic rationality, narrative perspective in Schlöndorff’s Blechtrommel, and the paradox of fictional emotions.
- Scientific Awards:
- Research Prize of Freunde der Universität Mainz (2003)
- Oskar-Seidlin-Preis der Eichendorff-Gesellschaft (2008/2009)
- Teaching Awards (2017) from the Faculty of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies and the Bavarian Ministry of Science
- Grants & Projects:
- DFG-funded network on Empathy (2018–2022)
- PPP Research Project on WWI Remembrance Cultures with Australia (DAAD-funded, 2020–2021)
- DFG Project 'Wissen und Bedeutung in der Literatur' (2010–2013)
Teaching spans courses on German Enlightenment, 20th Century German Literature, Literature and Emotion, and Interpretation Methodology. He co-organized international visiting professorships and lectures, including with scholars from Boulder, Durham, and Helsinki.
