Through selected literary texts (poetry and prose), which deal with Berlin as the covert capital of the 20th century, different viewpoints that reflect the experiences of the modern Metropolis will be introduced. The lives and work of some of Berlin’s/Germany’s most prominent authors will be discussed, and the students will have the opportunity to guided participate in walks to historical sites in the city.
Learning outcomes:
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
Understand the social, cultural and literature phases that belong to the development of Berlin
Name the developments and themes in literature
Place authors, with works, times and themes
Have the ability to analyze texts
The ability to see the link between developments in the city and in literature
Method of presentation:
Lectures and class discussion; video presentations and site visits
Required work and form of assessment:
Presentation and interpretation of texts
3 Papers (25%)
Mid Term Exam (20%) und Final Exam (25%)
Oral participation in course and discussions, oral presentations (30%)
content:
1. Introduction: Historical Dates and Literary Places of Berlin
Dates and facts of German history between 1900 and 2000
Different phases of social, cultural, and literary development
2. Expressionisms: The Development of Berlin into a Place of Literary Modernism
The poetic of the city in modern literature; urban poetry
Perception and semiotics of the city
3. Poets’-Modernism and Metropolis: Berlin as Center of the Avant-garde
The meaning of the 'Avant-garde' in the so-called 'Golden Twenties'
4. Berlin under the Swastika
Fascist terror and extermination politics
Cruelty, terror, and the bureaucracy of the holocaust
5. The Double-Bind City: Searching for New Identities Before and After the Wall
The divided city-divided literature? Different concepts of reality and literature
6. Berlin at the Turn of the Millennium
Transitions in society and literature?
Literature and culture between Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg: structures of a reunified literary landscape
Required readings:
Walter Benjamin, Gottfried Benn, Wolf Biermann, Bertolt Brecht, Alfred Döblin, Christoph Hein, Franz Hessel, Georg Heym, Jakob van Hoddis, Wladimir Kaminer, Irmgard Keun, Gertrude Kolmar, Heinz Knobloch, Nelly Sachs, Georg Trakl.
Bienert, Michael. Die eingebildete Metropole. Berlin im Feuilleton der Weimarer Republik (1992). Hessel, Franz. Ermunterung zum Genuß. Kleine Prosa. Hg. von K. Grund/B. Witte (1981).
Hein, Jakob. Gebrauchsanweisung für Berlin (2006).
Kiaulehn, Walther. Berlin – Lob der stillen Stadt. Feuilletons (1989).
Rothe, von Wolfgang (Hg.). Deutsche Großstadtlyrik vom Naturalismus bis zur Gegenwart. (1973). Scherpe, Klaus B. Die Unwirklichkeit der Städte (1988).
Smuda, Manfred. Die Wahrnehmung der Großstadt als ästhetisches Problem des Erzählens (1992). Strohmeyer, Klaus (Hg.). Berlin in Bewegung. Literarischer Spaziergang 1:Die Berliner. Reinbek, 1987.
Strohmeyer, Klaus (Hg.). Berlin in Bewegung. Literarischer Spaziergang 2: Die Stadt. Reinbek, 1987. von Silvio, Vietta (Hg.). Das literarische Berlin im 20. Jahrhundert. (2001).
Wruck, von Peter (Hg.). Literarisches Leben in Berlin. (1987).
Berlin In Literature - Literature In Berlin
Through selected literary texts (poetry and prose), which deal with Berlin as the covert capital of the 20th century, different viewpoints that reflect the experiences of the modern Metropolis will be introduced. The lives and work of some of Berlin’s/Germany’s most prominent authors will be discussed, and the students will have the opportunity to guided participate in walks to historical sites in the city.
Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
Lectures and class discussion; video presentations and site visits
1. Introduction: Historical Dates and Literary Places of Berlin
Dates and facts of German history between 1900 and 2000
Different phases of social, cultural, and literary development
2. Expressionisms: The Development of Berlin into a Place of Literary Modernism
The poetic of the city in modern literature; urban poetry
Perception and semiotics of the city
3. Poets’-Modernism and Metropolis: Berlin as Center of the Avant-garde
The meaning of the 'Avant-garde' in the so-called 'Golden Twenties'
4. Berlin under the Swastika
Fascist terror and extermination politics
Cruelty, terror, and the bureaucracy of the holocaust
5. The Double-Bind City: Searching for New Identities Before and After the Wall
The divided city-divided literature? Different concepts of reality and literature
6. Berlin at the Turn of the Millennium
Transitions in society and literature?
Literature and culture between Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg: structures of a reunified literary landscape