30652 - German Literature 2 (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have acquired in-depth knowledge about various aspects and problems regarding literary history. The student will have a sound knowledge of the individual authors and works, and will be able to evaluate the literary quality of the works that have been studied, analyzing the texts according to specific critical methodologies.

Course contents

 

The past in the present. Historical memory in literary discourse

How what we call literature actually developed in immemorial times can hardly be reconstructed. In its exclusively oral form for a long time, its primary function has been to preserve knowledge and memory, often as bound speech that could apparently consist solely of lists of memorable names. This function remains in the written traditions and in all their genres. In addition to attempts to deal with the past in literary discourse, for example in order to better understand one's own present, in order to face the unpleasant past, this discourse is often accompanied by ideologically determined interests. These can be attempts to idealize the past, also in a positive way, but mostly the point is to reinterpret the past and make it usable for current interests, i.e. to change it, or even to erase it, in the sense of Walter Benjamin's sentence: Even the dead will not be safe from the enemy if he wins. The course aims to discuss literary discourses in the German language since the Middle Ages under these aspects. The historical events, in a limited selection, should be exemplary for the described phenomenon.

• Die Varusschlacht im Jahre 9 (Luther, Kleist, Klopstock)
• Theoderich/Dietrich. Das gotische Reich in Italien und dessen Zerstörung durch Ostrom
• Der Dreißigjährige Krieg
• Der erste Weltkrieg
• Auschwitz/ die Shoah

 

Works

• 1 Wolfram von Eschenbach: Willehalm und Kreuzzugslyrik
• 2 Dietrichepik und Nibelungenlied
• 3 Varusschlacht: Luther, Heinrich von Kleist, Klopstock
• 4 Der Dreißigjährige Krieg 1: Grimmelshausen und Lyrik des Barock
• 5 Der Dreißigjährige Krieg 2: Schiller, Wallenstein und Brecht, Mutter Courage
• 6 Schillers Begriff der Geschichte
• 7 Georg Büchner, Dantons Tod (1835)
• 8 Weberaufstand: Heine und Gerhard Hauptmann
• 9 1. Weltkrieg 1: Thomas Mann, Der Zauberberg; Ernst Toller, Hinkemann (1923)
• 10 1. Weltkrieg 2:; Alfred Döblin, November 1918. Eine deutsche Revolution (1948-1950)
• 11 Auschwitz/Shoah 1: Der lyrische Diskurs, Paul Celan und Nelly Sachs.
• 12 Auschwitz/Shoah 2: Der dramatische Diskurs. Peter Weiss, Die Ermittlung und Rolf Hochhuth, Der Stellvertreter
• 13 Auschwitz/Shoah 3: Der narrative Diskurs. Uwe Johnson Jahrestage
• 14 Auschwitz/Shoah 4: Der literarische Diskurs nach 1968

The course will be held in German. Each participant must eitherwrite a home assignment or present a seminar paper. 

The programme for non-attending students has to be arranged with the professor

Readings/Bibliography

 

1) SECONDARY LITERATURE

   

• Walter Benjamin: Über den Begriff der Geschichte/ Sul concetto di storia (in tedesco o in italiano)
• Theodor W. Adorno, Dialektik der Aufklärung/Dialettica dell’ Illuminismo (in tedesco o in italiano);sufficiente la sintesi messa nel virtuale
• Sonja Boos: Uwe Johnson. In: Speaking the Unspeakable in Postwar Germany: Toward a Public Discourse on the Holocaust. 2014. Disponibile per unibo su jstor!
• Michael Dallapiazza: L’inferno è il presente, non l’aldilà. Dante nella letteratura tedesca dell’esilio. In: Unfer- Lukoschik/ Dallapiazza, La ricezione di Dante Alighieri: Impulsi e tensioni. Atti del convegno internazionale di Urbino, München, Martin Meidenbauer 2011, Peregre 2, 129-146.

 

Additional literature will be provided during the course

2) PRIMARY TEXTS

Aus der folgenden Liste sind 4 Werke auszuwählen

1. Opere medievali
   • Wolfram von Eschenbach, Willehalm , 1215 ca.(in tedesco moderno)
   • Nibelungenlied 1200 ca.(in tedesco moderno o in italiano)

1. Prosa

• Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (* um 1622 - 1676 ): Der Abentheuerliche Simplicissimus Teutsch, (Simplicius Simplicissimus); 1668 (datiert 1669)/ L'avventuroso Simplicissimus

  Thomas Mann, Der Zauberberg, 1924; La Montagna incantata/La Montagna magica

  Ilse Aichinger, Die größere Hoffnung, 1948; La speranza più grande

  Alfred Döblin, November 1918. Eine deutsche Revolution (1948-1950), Trilogie in 4 Bänden; 1: Bürger und Soldaten; 3.2: Karl und Rosa

  Heinrich Böll, Wo warst du Adam, 1951;

  1949 Il treno era in orario (Der Zug war pünktlich),

  1951 - (Dov'eri Adamo? -ripubblicato a cura di Anna Ruchat, Mondadori, 2021)

  1952 - L'angelo tacque

  Guenter Grass, Die Blechtrommel, 1959; Il tamburo di latta

• Grass, Katz und Maus (1961); Gatto e topoo Il gatto e il topo
• Grass, Hundejahre (1963); Anni di cani

  Elias Canetti, Masse und Macht, 1960

  Edgar Hilsenrath, Nacht, 1964; Notte

• Der Nazi und der Friseur, 1971/1977; Il nazista e il barbiere

  Jurek Becker, Jakob der Lügner, 1969; Jakob il bugiardo

  Uwe Johnson: Jahrestage 1. 1970, o in italiano: I giorni e gli anni, 21 agosto 1967 - 19 dicembre 1967 , traduzione di Nicola Pasqualetti e Delia Angiolini, Roma - L'orma editore, 2014

  Hans Magnus Enzensberger: Der kurze Sommer der Anarchie. Buenaventura Durrutis Leben und Tod, 1972

  Christa Wolf, Kindheitsmuster 1976; Trama d'infanzia

• Stadt der Engel oder The Overcoat of Dr. Freud.2010/ La città degli angeli

  Ursula Krechel, Shanghai fern von wo, 2008;

• U. Krechel, Landgericht, 2010
• U. Krechel, Geisterbahn, 2018

  Olga Grjasnowa: Der Russe ist einer, der Birken liebt. 2012./ Tutti i russi amano le betulle, Keller editore 2020

  B: teatro

  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Götz von Berlichingen mit der eisernen Hand, 1774

  Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock:

• Hermans Schlacht. Ein Bardiet für die Schaubühne (1769)/La battaglia di Arminio
• Hermann und die Fürsten. Ein Bardiet für die Schaubühne (1784);
• Hermanns Tod. Ein Bardiet für die Schaubühne (1787)

Heinrich von Kleist: Hermannsschlacht, 1808, publiziert 1821

Friedrich Schiller: Wallenstein (prima parte della trilogia), 1799

Georg Büchner: Dantons Tod, 1835 La morte di Danton

Friedrich Hebbel: Die Nibelungen. Ein deutsches Trauerspiel (1862)

Gerhard Hauptmann: Die Weber, 1891/92; I tessitori

Ernst Toller, Hinkemann (1923)

Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Romulus der Große. Ungeschichtliche historische Komödie, 1949; Romolo il Grande

Heiner Müller, Germania. Tod in Berlin, 1956/1971

Rolf Hochhuth, Der Stellvertreter, 1963; Il Vicario

Peter Weiss, Die Ermittlung, 1965; L‘istruttoria

 

Poesie

Rita Baldoni, “Ilse Weber, L’ultimo Lied. Lettere e poesie da Theresienstadt”, prefazione di Roberto Olla, Salomone Belforte, Livorno 2017.

Tamar Radzyner (1927-1991), Nichts will ich dir sagen, 2017

Non-frequentanti haben das Pruefungsprogramm mit dem Dozenten abzustimmen

 

Teaching methods

Seminar lessons

Assessment methods

The exam consists in an oral interview. During the interview the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student will be evaluated . The student will be invited to discuss the texts covered during the course and to move within the sources and bibliographical material in order to be able to identify in them the useful information that will enable to illustrate the similarities and cultural areas of the discipline. The achievement of an organic vision of the issues addressed during the classes and their critical use, which demonstrate ownership of a mastery of expression and specific language, will be assessed with marks of excellence. Mechanical and / or mnemonic knowledge of matter, synthesis and analysis of non-articulating and / or correct language but not always appropriate will lead to discrete assessments; training gaps and / or inappropriate language - although in a context of minimal knowledge of the material - will lead to votes that will not exceed the sufficiency. Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of guidance within the reference materials offered during the course will lead to failed assessments.

Office hours

See the website of Michael Gottlieb Dallapiazza