The Narrative of Hope – The Hope of Narrative

Description

The narrative of hope contrasts with a certain cult of positivity in contemporary society. Without propagating a discourse of fear, the narrative of hope remains aware of life's negativities. It promotes an intensity that drives actions and transcends mere survival or consumption so that the proper narrative of hope turns into a hope of narrative. Hope is not optimism but the certainty that something makes sense regardless of the outcome. This deep narrative hope encourages readers and provides strength to live despite desperate conditions. The paper will explore in which way hope as narrative transcends personal and temporal restrictions and limitations, inhabiting and promoting a messianic dimension. It opposes fear, which restricts possibilities, and fosters a passion for the new and different, giving room to a fundamentally different experience. Debating Arnold Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw, R.M. Rilke’s poem Im Jardim des Plantes, Paris, Kazimir Malevich’s painting White on White and Walter Benjamin’s Theses on the Philosophy of History as narratives of hope, the paper suggests instruments of understanding narrative in its fully human dimension.

Period	10 Oct 2025
Event title	Why Narratives Matter: Affordances and Constraints of Storytelling: PhDNet Conference | October 8–10, 2025
Event type	Conference
Location	Gießen , GermanyShow on map
Degree of Recognition	PhD