OVERVIEW

German literature comprises the written works of the German-speaking peoples.

The study of “German literature and culture” should not only provide a concise historical survey of German literature, but also give an understanding of the cultural developments of German-speaking countries.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to examine literary texts produced in German-speaking countries in their aesthetic value and as powerful instruments to understand the culture of these countries.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. semester:

At the end of the course, the student shall:

· Understand in depth the specific manifestations of Literature of Decline during the Jahrhundertwende in Austria

· Be acquainted with basic critical tools needed to analyse a literary work

· Acquire a specific technical vocabulary in the field of Literature

· Be familiar with the literary genres involved in Literature

Through all of the above, perform a competent critical review of a piece of war literature in relation to its historical-cultural and rhetorical-expressive specificities

2. semester:

By the end of this course you should have:

- Acquired an understanding of German history and culture

- Developed an ability to read and analyse fictional texts

- Developed an ability to understand social, historical and political factors that have influenced the German culture

PREREQUISITES

The students have to have finished already the written and oral exams of Lettcult I and Lettcult II, including the part of the Canone, the list of all canonic texts that represent German literature on a whole from its beginnings to the present.

TEACHING METHODS

1. Didactic Unit,  winter semester: 36 hours frontal lecture.

Traditional lessons.

Teaching will be in Italian. During the course 2 mock exams and 1 role playing game will take place.

During the lessons, constant feedback with the students is expected through verbal questions. The degree of maturity of the answers, their relevance and the use of adequate sector-specific terms will be considered for the outcome of the final test.

2. Didactic Unit, summer semester: 18 hours frontal lecture in German, reading texts in German (3 Cfu)

N.B.: 36 hours + 18 hours = 54 hours (9 Cfu)

Attendance is not obbligatory, but heartily recommended

Students who do not attend the classes have to contact the professor at the beginning of the semester and study the texts marked with *

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

1. semester:

Course title: "The End of Austria in Narrative Literature"

The course entitled "The End of Austria in Narrative Literature will be held during the fist semester and will focus on the representation of endings in Austrian fin-de-siècle literature. The analysis of works emerging fron the experece of dcline and dissolution will provide an opportunity to reflect on the aesthetic function of literature and on its role as an interpreter of history.

The course will be structured around the following topics:

- The concept of the Fin-de-Siècle

- The agony of Habsburg civilisation

- The culture of fragmentation

- Schnitzler and the void

- Hofannsthal and foreboding

- Kraus and the apocalypse

- The Habsburg Myth

- Joseph Roth

- Stefan Zweig

2. semester

Aktualität und Geschichte im deutschsprachigen Drama und Theater vom Naturalismus bis zum 21. Jahrhundert.

(Actuality and History in German Drama and Theatre from Naturalism to the 21st century)

 PROGRAMME/CONTENT:

• After focussing first in a sort of theoretical introduction on different drama and theatre concepts over the past two centuries  we are going to trace, taking the examples of theatre plays with historical or societylinked plots as well as significant theatre productions, the evolution of drama and theatre from Naturalism to the 21st century.

Primary literature:

Thomas Bernhard: Heldenplatz
Elfriede Jelinek : Die Kontrakte des Kaufmanns                                                                        

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. semester:

Alberto Destro, I Paesi di lingua tedesca, Il Mulino, 2004

· Marino Freschi, La Vienna di Fine secolo, Editori Riuniti, Roma, 1997

It will be the professor’s responsibility to provide the students, in each instance, with photocopies related to the documents studied during lessons and to prepare lecture notes at the end of the course.

NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS:

Non-attending students shall present the programme specified above, with the above cited critical literature and with the addition of the following textbooks:

· Robert Musil, L’uomo senza qualità

· Hermann Broch, Hofmannsthal e il suo tempo

Secondary literature:

Dossier containing parts of

Manfred Pfister: Das Drama (genaue Seitenangabe demnächst) - Biblioteca
Norbert Greiner u.a.: Einführung ins Drama. Handlung – Figur - Szene –Zuschauer (genaue Seitenangabe demnächst) - Biblioteca
Franziska Schössler: Einführung in die Dramenanalyse. 2. Aufl., Lehrbuch J. B. Metzler. Stuttgart: Metzler 2017. - Teams, Materialien
Seitenangaben: IX, 1-17, 21-22, 32-33, 59-70, 73-75, 109-123, 134-137, 215-226
C. Bernd Sucher (Hg.): Theaterlexikon - Biblioteca

Primary literature:

Frank Wedekind: Frühlungs Erwachen
Gerhard Hauptmann: Die Weber
Karl Kraus: Die letzten Tage der Menschheit
Ödön von Horváth: Italienische Nacht
Bertolt Brecht: Der aufhaltsame Austieg des Arturo Ui
Wolfgang Borchart: Draußen vor der Tor
Peter Weiss: Die Ermittlung
Friedrich Dürrenmatt: Die Physiker
Peter Handke: Publikumsbeschimpfung*
Heiner Müller: Die Horatier*
Harald Mueller: Totenfloß

----------------------------
Thomas Bernhard: Heldenplatz
Werner Schwab: Volksvernichtung
Botho Strauß: Gleichgewicht*
Elfriede Jelinek : Die Kontrakte des Kaufmanns+ b                        

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lessons'start date will be announced on this page as soon as it is available. 

Class schedule

GERMAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE III

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written and Oral exams

ASSESSMENT METHODS

1. semester: 

Learning assessment includes a written test.

Knowledge related to the course will be assessed via:

1) Yes-and-no questions, for which the student shall demonstrate knowledge of the main cultural foundations (literary, historical, geographical, political) related to the German world.

Reference textbook: Alberto Destro, 'I Paesi di lingua tedesca', Il Mulino, 2004 (Manual)

Constant updating on the part of the student on current German political topics (by reading newspapers, listening to TV and radio newscasts) is ‘welcome’.

2) Open-ended questions in which the student shall demonstrate knowledge of concepts related to the topic of the course.

The skills achieved by the student shall be evaluated through targeted exercises, in which the student shall demonstrate the ability to apply the tools provided during the lessons.

Textbooks in references + lecture notes

2. semester:

An exam, the length of which varies according to the programme, held by the professor responsible for the course, during which the level of the student’s knowledge will be assessed according to the following criteria:

a) ability to read, translate and comment on and contextualise critically excerpts from texts examined during the course, plus other supplementary texts read and prepared autonomously, see the list which can be downloaded from the professor’s website, the course on aulaweb and can also be consulted on the notice board outside the professor’s office;

b) ability to respond in Italian and German to questions on topics covered during the course and on supplementary texts prepared for the examination, as well as possibly developing an autonomous critical discourse.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Target group

Students from the 3rd year of LCM

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.

Credits

The exam is equivalent to 6 / 9 credit points.

Languages

Lessons will be held in German language (with explanaitions in Italian)