GERM 303(F) Politics and Art in the Weimar Republic

World War I and the collapse of Germany's imperial Reich resulted in both political disarray and unprecedented artistic ferment. While socialists, communists, and fascists battled for political control, international aesthetic movements (dada, Expressionism, Bauhaus) flourished. The communities behind these vibrant movements, however, thrived only briefly; after 1933, most of the artists emigrated, and their works were banned and/or labeled "degenerate" by the National Socialists. In addition to examining the period's major artistic and literary movements, we will discuss its distinctive cultural phenomena: the "lost generation" returning home from World War I; the Expressionist cult of youth; artistic "premonitions" of Hitler; and the aestheticization of politics under the Nazis. This course provides a framework for exploring the intersection of aesthetic artifacts with historical "reality." We will analyze representative works of art in light of their historical settings and, conversely, use various texts and films to illuminate controversial histories. The following questions will guide our investigations: How could a period of such radical artistic innovation end in a political dictatorship? What are the political responsibilities, if any, of art and the artist? Should we separate politics from art? In what sense can art be considered "dangerous" or "degenerate"-either in Weimar Germany or in the United States today? Readings will include works by Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, Bertolt Brecht, Erich Maria Remarque, Ernst Jünger, Else Lasker-Schüler, and Georg Trakl; we will view films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Architecture of Doom, and Degenerate Art. All readings in German. Requirements: several 1-page "reaction" papers and a significant oral presentation, to be presented in revised, written form (ca. 10 pages) at the end of the semester.

Hour: Zilcosky