Historical caesuras in the contemporary Austrian family novels

This article elaborates on the novels which are focused on the themes of the family complex laid out in a historical dimension and can thus be defined as family novels. In Austrian literature at the beginning of the 21st century the tendency of describing the family as a mirror of society is obvious. Because this is especially pertinent for family novels, which show the destinies of three or more generations of a family, we find in the narrative’s focus historical and political circumstances in Austria during and after the Second World War. Using the example of the analysed novels this article examines historical caesuras which are shown in them and analyses the way they affect the destinies of single family members and whole families. At the same time, it seeks to answer the question if family novels can be analysed not only at the private but also at the family level since they refer to the important twentieth-century Austrian historical and social caesuras. The analysis finally allows for identification of specific characteristics of family novels in current Austrian literature