German Literature: A Very Short IntroductionGerman writers, from Luther and Goethe to Heine, Brecht, and Günter Grass, have had a profound influence on the modern world. This Very Short Introduction presents an engrossing tour of the course of German literature from the late Middle Ages to the present, focussing especially on the last 250 years. Emphasizing the economic and religious context of many masterpieces of German literature, it highlights how they can be interpreted as responses to social and political changes within an often violent and tragic history. The result is a new and clear perspective which illuminates the power of German literature and the German intellectual tradition, and its impact on the wider cultural world. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
2 The laying of the foundations to 1781 | 27 |
3 The age of idealism 17811832 | 58 |
4 The age of materialism 18321914 | 80 |
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18th-century achieved Adorno aesthetic artist Austria became Berlin Bildung Bildungsbürger Bismarck bourgeois bourgeoisie Brecht’s Büchner Buddenbrooks bureaucratic Catholic centre century character Christian classical commercial contemporary culture death drama economic emigration England English Enlightenment Europe’s Faust Fontane France Frankfurt French Friedrich German language German literature Germany’s global Goethe Goethe’s Heidegger Hölderlin Holy Roman Holy Roman Empire human identity Imperial Free Cities individual industry institutions intellectual Jena Jewish Johann Kant language Lenz literary lives Lutheran military modern monarch moral narrative Nazi Nietzsche Nietzsche’s Novalis novel official Paul Celan philosophy plays poems poet poetry political princely Protestant Prussia published realistic religion religious represented revolution revolutionary Schiller Schopenhauer Second Empire secular sense social socialist society Storm and Stress story symbolic theatre theme theology theory Thomas Mann Tin Drum Tonio Kröger tradition Wagner Weimar Republic Wilhelm Woyzeck writing wrote