This study examines the development of contemporary science fiction poetry through selected works by German-language examples. It starts from the observation that literary scholarship has largely approached science fiction as a narrative genre, while poetic forms of sf have remained comparatively underexplored. The study argues that, particularly since the 2010s, a new generation of experimental poetry has emerged that combines speculative future imaginaries with innovative poetic forms and intermedial aesthetics.
The paper demonstrates that these texts redefine science fiction not only thematically but also formally. Digital navigation structures, fragmented syntax, intermedial techniques, and hybrid linguistic forms transform poetry into an experimental laboratory of the future. Science fiction poetry thus emerges not as a marginal phenomenon, but as an aesthetically innovative mode of contemporary literature that responds to ecological, technological, and social transformations through new poetic strategies towards posthumanist poetry.
Table of Contents
0. Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Dystopian Pop Poetry
3. Lyrical Planetology
4. Expanding Reality
5. Climate Poetry
6. Robot Dreams
7. Posthumanist Utopia
8. Conclusion
9. Bibliography
Objectives and Key Themes
This work examines the emergence and formal characteristics of contemporary science fiction poetry in the German-speaking world. It investigates how speculative future scenarios and posthumanist perspectives are translated into innovative poetic forms that transcend traditional narrative storytelling.
- Analysis of intermedial and digital-based poetics
- Exploration of ecological and climate-related themes in modern poetry
- Investigation of artificial intelligence as a subject and poetic mirror
- Deconstruction of anthropocentric perspectives and binary categories
- Examination of hybrid forms, including game-inspired structures and performative linguistic strategies
Excerpt from the Book
Robot Dreams
The poetry collection Zweites Buch der Unruhe [Second Book of Restlessness] by Silke Scheuermann (born in 1973) contains, in its final chapter entitled “Der achtsame Roboter” [The mindful robot], eight poems — including four sonnets — that explore this form of artificial intelligence. These robot poems constitute one of the most remarkable examples of contemporary German-language science-fiction poetry. Rather than employing the conventional narrative frameworks of speculative fiction — space travel, technological conquest, dystopian warfare — Scheuermann approaches artificial intelligence through the intimate form of lyric poetry. Her texts explore robots not primarily as technological entities, but as emotional and epistemological mirrors through which the human condition itself becomes newly visible. In doing so, the poems shift the discourse on artificial intelligence away from technological fascination and toward questions of consciousness, empathy, memory, and desire.
The sequence develops a distinctly posthuman poetics in which the borders between human and machine become increasingly unstable. Robots are no longer represented as radically “other”; instead, they appear as extensions of human affect, projections of loneliness, and reflections of contemporary emotional life under technological conditions. Scheuermann’s poetry thereby participates in broader posthuman debates associated with theorists such as Donna Haraway, yet transforms these philosophical concerns into a lyrical and highly intimate mode of expression.
Summary of Chapters
0. Abstract: Provides an overview of the study, noting that contemporary science fiction poetry has evolved into an aesthetically innovative mode of literature that explores ecological, technological, and social transformations.
1. Introduction: Outlines the historical marginalization of science fiction poetry within literary studies and argues for its legitimacy as a form of literature of cognitive estrangement.
2. Dystopian Pop Poetry: Analyzes Thomas Krüger’s "Alarm auf Planet M" as a futuristic pop ballad that blends satirical social criticism with postmodern reflection through a hybrid formal structure.
3. Lyrical Planetology: Discusses Christian Schloyer’s digital and game-inspired poetry, which utilizes interactive structures and QR codes to demand active reader navigation.
4. Expanding Reality: Explores Carla Cerda’s engagement with recursive loops, digital language codes, and chatbots to examine the blurring boundaries between human consciousness and technological machines.
5. Climate Poetry: Investigates Tim Holland’s "wir zaudern, wir brennen" as a polyphonic work that uses fragmented structures to reflect on ecological crisis and anthropogenic vulnerability.
6. Robot Dreams: Examines Silke Scheuermann’s robot poems, which approach artificial intelligence as an emotional mirror and an intimate projection of human longing.
7. Posthumanist Utopia: Analyzes Rike Scheffler’s "Lava. Rituale" for its innovative use of AI-generated visuals and coded sign language to give voice to non-human entities.
8. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings, highlighting that science fiction poetry serves as a critical, experimental laboratory for navigating the future and rethinking the subject.
9. Bibliography: Lists the primary works and secondary academic literature consulted for this research.
Keywords
Science Fiction Poetry, Posthumanism, Anthropocene, Intermediality, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Poetics, Ecological Crisis, Cognitive Estrangement, Contemporary Literature, Lyrical Transformation, Subjectivity, Climate Fiction, Robot Narrative
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this work?
The study focuses on the development and formal characteristics of contemporary science fiction poetry in German, highlighting its role as a sophisticated medium for exploring speculative and posthuman themes.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The work covers themes such as ecological collapse, the role of artificial intelligence, digital influences on poetry, the dissolution of traditional identities, and the critique of political and neoliberal power structures.
What is the primary goal of the author?
The primary goal is to establish science fiction poetry as a legitimate and innovative subject of literary study, challenging the traditional view that science fiction is exclusively a narrative genre.
Which scientific methods are employed in the analysis?
The study employs qualitative literary analysis, focusing on formal aesthetics, intermedial references, and the thematic integration of contemporary scientific and posthumanist debates.
What defines the main body of the research?
The main body consists of close readings of specific poets—Krüger, Schloyer, Cerda, Holland, and Scheuermann—to demonstrate how they utilize unique formal strategies to address futuristic and existential questions.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Science Fiction Poetry, Posthumanism, Anthropocene, Digital Poetics, Intermediality, and Cognitive Estrangement.
How does the author interpret the role of AI in modern poetry?
The author views AI in these poems not as an external technological threat, but as an intimate mirror of human loneliness, desire, and the recursive nature of human consciousness.
In what way does the study address the "Anthropocene"?
It analyzes how poetic structures reflect the fragility of human existence in an age of climate instability, specifically looking at how authors use fragmentation and visual experimentation to represent these crises.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Henning Heske (Autor:in), 2026, Towards Posthumanist Poems. Characteristics of Contemporary Science Fiction Poetry, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1724639
