The Uncanny in Paulus Hochgatterer's Crime Fiction

Abstract:The hidden depths of an idyllic Heimat, the return of a repressed past/history, the representation of that which cannot easily be put into words: discussions about what is typically Austrian in Austrian crime fiction implicitly revolve around the function of the uncanny. Child and adolescent psychiatrist and author Paulus Hochgatterer is justifiably prominent in these discussions. His detective trilogy encompasses the genre of ‘provincial crime fiction’ as well as conscious engagement with psychoanalysis and literary aspirations. All three texts deliberately position themselves outside the genre conventions of traditional analytical detective novels and thrillers. This article analyses the distinction between narrative tension and the uncanny which underpins Hochgatterer's plots.