Classical German literature
Walter Veit
8 points
* 2 hours per week
* First/Second semester
*
Clayton
Objectives On successful completion of the course students should have obtained an advanced knowledge of German literature and thought of the 18th and early 19th centuries; they should be familiar with a great variety of texts from all genres, including historical and philosophical writings; their main themes, and their critical assessment today. They should also have achieved a comprehensive understanding of the political, economic, social and cultural context, and its presence in Germany and Europe today.
Synopsis The subject focuses on the major aspects of the most important period in the history of literature in German speaking countries. The Age of Goethe is a corner-stone in the foundation of the culture of modern Germany. Students will study works of Immanuel Kant, Georg Forster, Herder, Wieland, Goethe, Schiller, and Hölderlin, critically investigating the humanism of these writers as the basis of a revolutionary reassessment of the individual, the writer, society, nation, and history in the context of the European Enlightenment project, of which German classical writing is both an affirmation and a critique.
Assessment Written (5000 words): 70%
* Examination (1 hour): 30%
| Published by Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
3168 Copyright © Monash University 1996 - All Rights Reserved - Caution Authorised by the Academic Registrar December 1996 |