Reading Wolfgang Herrndorf's Tschick (2010)

This article highlights how Wolfgang Herrndorf's bestselling novel Tschick (2010) is particularly well suited for advanced courses focused on cultural and linguistic enrichment. Herrndorf's Tschick, I argue, facilitates interaction, engagement, and individual interpretation; is linguistically accessible because of its use of high-frequency vocabulary and conceptual orality; and can motivate students to be more active and engaged class participants. The article introduces the novel and describes the advanced college course in which it is taught. It then outlines readability factors and discusses their implication for the teaching of Tschick, providing sample teaching ideas that consider the linguistic ability of the advanced language learner as well as broader professional objectives.