“Ich bekam ein Puzzle zum Geschenk”. Denkbilder bei Elias Canetti

The present paper examines the concept of thought images in the work of Elias Canetti by highlighting particular aspects, which can be gathered in the image of the puzzle. The puzzle, first of all one of Canetti’s most beloved ‘toys’, becomes a particular significance in his work, as it represents in its single parts the different aspects of his thought and his worldview. It constitutes the starting point of the present research, that aims at investigating the images of thought in the short prose (Die Stimmen von Marrakesch, Die Provinz des Menschen, Das Gewissen der Worte) such as the transformation (Verwandlung), which can be understood only in the reciprocal interaction of the parts, i.e. of the different aspects of his way of thinking.