GRN2015

Two centuries of German literature I: from Lessing to Büchner

S Hesse

4 points - 2 hours per week - First semester - Clayton - Prerequisites: GRN1325, GRN1425, GRN1525 or GRN1625 - Corequisites: GRN2415, GRN2515 or GRN2615

Objectives On successful completion of this subject students should have gained an overview of the main periods, styles, genres, intellectual preoccupations and socio-historical trends in German literature from the middle of the eighteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century through reading texts by the most significant German authors of the time. The subject is conceived as part 1 of a survey of German literature. It is to serve both as an orientation for students completing a minor sequence or specialising in German linguistics and as an introduction for students proceeding to more advanced literature/culture studies in third and fourth year options. Students should gain confidence in reading the German language at an advanced level, in understanding the social relevance of literature, in using the technical vocabulary of literary studies, in analysing literary texts and in discussing them in English and German, keeping in mind that many of our students will spend time at a German university in their third year.

Synopsis This subject will examine eighteenth and nineteenth century German literature in a socio-historical context through the study of selected texts.

Assessment: Written (2000 words): 70% - Examination (1 hour): 30%

Prescribed texts

Büchner G Woyzeck Reclam
Goethe J W v Iphigenie Reclam
Hoffmann E T A Der Sandmann Reclam
Kleist H v Das Erdbeben in Chili Reclam

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