Blanks in "Sommerhaus, später", a short story by Judith Hermann

The article attempts to reflect on the story Sommerhaus, später (published in English as Summerhouse, later) by Judith Hermann, an icon of Fräuleinwunder (‘girl wonder’) literature, as an example of the author’s mastery of the art of omission. Firstly, the notion of the blank, central to reader-response criticism, is discussed. Next, the paper examines Roman Ingarden’s concept of spots of indeterminacy, the basis for further investigations into blanks by Wolfgang Iser (1970, 1972, 1976), who regarded them as an essential component of any literary text. Finally, the blanks identified in the title work of the Sommerhaus, später collection of short stories are analysed.