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Why is there “a world in a grain of sand”? And why in German literature is it a “sandman” who brings dreams? The specific materiality of sand allows for a broad range of metaphorical uses with strong epistemological implications. With its small discrete grains of the same size, sand is barely limited in its potential to coalesce into formations that can be counted yet remain innumerable and to dissolve. Exploring sand in literary texts means to deal with issues like the history of the microscope, the problem(s) of infinity, “sandy” or “grainy” mediality and loose grounds as well as the subjects of remembrance, dream and the historicity of the human being. In this seminar we will read texts by Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Theodor Kornfeld, Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, Ingeborg Bachmann, Stefan Heym, Paul Celan, E. T. A. Hoffmann and Bodo Kirchhoff. The discussion will be in English, but reading knowledge of German is required for the course material. This course will be taught by Max Kade Visiting Professor, Annina Klappert