Family novels attract attention. They are debated in the press and become award-winning bestsellers. Television also follows this trend. Typical plots hold particular significance in relation to the involvement of the Nazi regime in a constructed war generation of parents or grandparents, which their children and grandchildren grapple with. But why do these stories evoke such emotional power, and how is this aesthetically created? What specific feelings are triggered by these representations? This book offers critical contributions to the art of emotionalization in novels, comics, and films. In addition to works by well-read authors such as Arno Geiger, Bernhard Schlink, and Uwe Timm, it also examines misunderstood or previously overlooked texts by Gisela Elsner, Thomas Harlan, and Reinhard Jirgl. Contributions are provided by Ole Frahm, Andrea Geier, and Siegl.