GERM 304(F) Dealing with the Past
`Vergangenheitsbewältigung', or coming to terms with the past, is the key term defining post-WWII German culture and literature. We will explore the way that Germans have individually and collectively dealt with the destruction they not only inflicted on others but also provoked to be unleashed on themselves. Clearly, the ideological, cultural and economic devastation of the Third Reich had and continues to have a tremendous impact on the collective German identity. We will look closely at the various forms and changing intensity in which this experience was reflected upon after the war. Many authors played an important role in those very different decades, and we will look closely at their works. We will find similarities and differences between the 50s (Schmidt, Borchert, Eich), the 60s (Hochhut, Weiss, Becker), the 70s (Böll, Schneider, Stefan) and the 80s (Kluge, Wolf). In addition to movies and fictional literature we will also look into other non-fictional and theoretical texts. This class is taught in German. Readings in German and English.
Format: lecture/discussion. Written work: bi-weekly response papers of 500 words, oral presentation, mid term exam, final exam.
Prerequisites: German 201. No enrollment limit (expected: 8).
Hour: DIERS