German Studies 363: Romanticism

“Die ästhetische Erfindung der Moderne”

Macalester College

Fall 2004

Prof. David Martyn

Office: Humanities 211a

Tel.: 6547

E-mail: martyn@macalester.edu

Office Hours: M-W-F 12-1

 

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course description and goals

The goal of this course is to introduce you to the literature of German Romanticism (in the broadest sense of the term), which lasted roughly from 1775 to 1835 and comprised the movements generally known as “Storm and Stress” (Sturm und Drang), Classicism (Klassik), and Romanticism proper (Romantik). The emphasis will be on understanding the literature of this period in its intellectual context. Accordingly, we will read both literary works, including poetry, plays, and epic prose, as well as a number of discursive (or “theoretical”) texts that reflect the extraordinary developments in German thought in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Ideally, at the end of the semester you should have acquired knowledge not just of the literature that was being written during this era, but also of the intellectual and historical challenges that led to the invention of many new and influential ideas.

Indeed, numerous intellectual historians, social and literary theorists have identified the decades “around 1800” as a turning point or “threshold” period in the history of Western culture. Thinkers as diverse as Michel Foucault, Reinhart Koselleck, and Niklas Luhmann view these years as the social and intellectual birth of our world, of the time in which we now live – die Moderne, as it is called in German. They argue that many conceptions that we take for granted as natural apects of reality were in fact discursively “invented” in the decades before and after 1800: the modern idea of individuality; the notion of art as something of inherent (and not just utilitarian) value; the concept of (secular) history; the idea of the nation; the idea that language does not (and perhaps should not) accurately represent reality. Germany, more than France or England, is seen as key to these developments. Hence, studying the literature and thought of German Romanticism is an exercise in uncovering the origins of our world.

For example, our notion of a “liberal education” is based in many ways on ideas that were first advanced by Friedrich Schiller in his book On the Aesthetic Education of Man. When Schiller writes of an “aesthetic” education, he is using the word aesthetics in the modern sense to refer to the appreciation of art and natural beauty. One of the tenets of the course is that this concept of aesthetics – which originated in the writings of Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, a German 18th-century philosopher – is central to the discursive developments that prompted the birth of modernity. We will return repeatedly to this notion of the “aesthetic” in the course of the semester – hence the title of this year’s seminar, Die ästhetische Erfindung der Moderne.

 

 

required course

materials

Books:

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Urfaust (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1987)

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Iphigenie auf Tauris (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2001)

 

Ludwig Tieck, Der blonde Eckbert; Der Runenberg (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2002)

E.T.A. Hoffmann, Der Sandmann (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2003)

Heinrich von Kleist, Die Marquise von O . . . ; Das Erdbeben in Chili (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1993)

Isaiah Berlin, The Roots of Romanticism (Princeton University Press, 1999)

 

Photocopies:

A reader containing texts by various authors (“Textkonvolut”)

 

Where to get them: The German books will be sold at cost in class (assuming I have enough), as will the reader. The Roots of Romanticism is available (used) at the campus book store.

 

 

book on reserve

Five copies of Emory Ellsworth Cochran / Jonathan B. Conant, Cochran’s German Review Grammar, 4th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall) are on course reserve at the library.

 

 

student

responsibilities

Aside from all the usual things, such as doing all assigned reading, preparing for and attending class regularly, you are expected to do the following:

  • Keep a loose-leaf “reading journal” (Lektüre-Journal) in which you record your reactions to the readings. The journal should outline what you found important in the readings, what questions they provoked in your mind, what struck you as unusual, disturbing, interesting, or in any way noteworthy.

Journal entries should be from ½ to 1 page long (not longer), longhand if you write clearly, typed if not (double-spaced, courier 12 point), and written in German, except when the reading is in English. Style and language accuracy are not important. Entries are to be turned in at the beginning of almost every class (wherever “LJ”, for Lektüre-Journal, appears in the syllabus). You are allowed to skip four of them with no penalty. (You are free to write as many as you want, but there will be no extra credit for doing more than the minimum number required.) Also, four entries may be turned in late (i.e., in the next class session) with no penalty. Entries will be graded on the degree to which they reflect thorough and thoughtful reading of the assigned texts.

  • Present a five- to ten-minute oral report (not longer!). Suggestions for topics are given in the syllabus. The oral reports are of a factual nature and are designed to present background information that will help other course participants to understand and discuss the readings. They require a small amount of research (in reference works, for example). They will be graded on informational value and rhetorical (or pedagogical) effectiveness. Basically, the goal is teach the rest of us something you have found out about.
  • Write three 3- to 4-page papers (not longer). There will be four paper assignments, the first and last of which are mandatory; you will skip one of the other two assignments at your discretion. Writing assignments will be distributed in advance. You will be given an opportunity to rewrite the first paper. A revision of the second paper will only be accepted if the grade on the first version is below C; the final paper may not be revised. First and second versions of a paper will be weighted equally in determining the grade for any paper assignment.
  • Finally, as need arises, I will ask you to review points of grammar and to do and turn in grammar exercises from Cochran’s German Review Grammar. These exercises are to help you improve your written German. Since this is review work, no credit toward your course grade will be given for it, though of course by improving your writing it will help you indirectly. (Not turning in the grammar exercises will, however, entail a penalty on your final grade!).

In sum:

- 29 reading-journal entries (out of 33 assigned)

- oral report

- 3 papers (out of 4 assigned; leave out one of the middle two)

- grammar exercises as assigned

Late papers, late journal entries beyond the four allowed, and late oral reports will not be accepted.

 

 

policy on

attendance

Since part of your grade is based on class participation, it is in your interest not to miss class. More than 4 absences, excused or not, will result in a half-grade reduction to your final grade; more than 6 in a full-grade reduction; more than 8 in a failing grade.

When you do need to miss a class, please confer with your classmates to review what was discussed during your absence and to find out about any announcements such as changes to the syllabus. You are responsible for everything that was announced in class, whether you were present or not. (“I don’t think I was there when you said that” won’t fly.)

 

 

grade break-down

In calculating your grade, your work in this course will be weighted as follows: oral report 10%, class participation 15%, first paper 15%, reading journal 20%, second and third papers 20% each.

 

 

syllabus

The syllabus gives a plan of the semester and may be altered as the need arises. Changes will be announced in class.

 

 

department policy on plagiarism

You may not have a native speaker or another student go through your written work and find and correct errors before turning it in. This is against department policy and will be treated as a form of plagiarism. On the other hand, getting help from someone – especially me! – on discrete vocabulary or grammatical questions is perfectly acceptable. For other applicable rules on plagiarism, see the Student Handbook.

 

 

wochenplan

 

Abkürzungen:   K – Textkonvolut (“Reader”)

                        LJ – Lektüre-Journal

 

Datum

Lektüre / Diskussionsthemen

Schriftlich

einzureichen

Mögliche

Referatsthemen

 

 

 

 

8.9.

Vorbesprechung

 

 

10.9.

Novalis: Monolog (Handout)

Berlin: Roots of Romanticism, S. 1-20

 

 

 

 

 

 

13.9.

Goethe: Urfaust, S. 1-16

LJ

 

15.9.

Goethe: Urfaust, S. 16-30

LJ

Der Faust-Stoff (Julia)

17.9.

Goethe: Urfaust, 30-45

LJ

 

 

 

 

 

20.9.

Goethe: Urfaust, 45-62

LJ

Goethes Faust: Entstehungsgeschichte, Fassungen

22.9.

Goethe: Wanderers Sturmlied; Prometheus (K 81-85)

LJ

Sturm und Drang

24.9.

Berlin: Roots of Romanticism, S. 21-67

LJ (English)

 

 

 

 

 

27.9.

Herder: Briefe zu Beförderung der Humanität, 1., 24., 25. Brief (K 1-14)

LJ

Herder (Kelly)

29.9.

Herder: Briefe zu Beförderung der Humanität, 88., 107. Brief (K 15-20)

LJ

 

1.10.

Herder: Briefe zu Beförderung der Humanität, 114., 115., 121. Brief (K 21-37)

LJ

Begriffsgeschichte: ‚Nation’, ‚Volk’ (Breanne)

 

 

 

 

4.10.

Fällt aus

 

 

6.10.

Fällt aus

 

 

8.10.

Fällt aus

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.10.

Herder: (Universalismus & Relativismus)

First paper due

 

13.10.

Goethe: Wilhelm Meister (Auszug; K 38-46)

LJ

 

Der Bildungsroman (Emma)

Nachhol-sitzung:

14.10.,

20.45

Goethe: Iphigenie auf Tauris, S. 5-30

LJ

 

15.10.

Goethe: Iphigenie auf Tauris, S. 30-43

LJ

Goethe (Lindsay)

 

 

 

 

18.10.

Goethe: Iphigenie auf Tauris, S. 43-54

LJ

Klassik (Emily)

20.10.

Goethe: Iphigenie auf Tauris, S. 54-66

LJ

Schiller

22.10.

Schiller: Brief an Körner vom 22.02.1793 (K 47-56)

LJ

 

 

 

 

 

25.10.

(2. Sitzung)

Revision of first

paper due

Ästhetik (Milla)

27.10.

Schiller: Über die ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen, 12. bis 14. Brief (K 57-63)

LJ

 

 

Herbstferien

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.11.

Tieck: Der blonde Eckbert

LJ

 

Romantik

3.11.

(2. Sitzung)

Second paper due

 

5.11.

Novalis: Hyazinth und Rosenblüte (K 77-80)

LJ

Novalis (Ted)

 

 

 

 

8.11.

Hoffmann: Der Sandmann, S. 4-21

LJ

Hoffmann

10.11.

Hoffmann: Der Sandmann, S. 21-38

LJ

Freuds Sandmann-Deutung (Zindzi)

12.11.

Hoffmann: Der Sandmann, S. 38-42

LJ

 

 

 

 

 

15.11.

Kleist: Das Erdbeben in Chili, S. 51-57

LJ

Kleist

17.11.

Kleist: Das Erdbeben in Chili, S. 57-64

LJ

Die Novelle

Nachhol-

sitzung:

18.11.,

20.45

Kleist: Das Erdbeben in Chili, S. 64-69

LJ

 

19.11.

Gedichte der Klassik I: Schiller: Nänie (K 95-96); Goethe: Wandrers Nachtlied II („Ein Gleiches“; K 86), Natur und Kunst (K 88), Selige Sehnsucht (K 89; zusammen mit Hafis: „Keiner kann sich aus den Banden“, K 91), An Suleika (K 90)

LJ

Goethes West-Östlicher Divan

 

 

 

 

22.11.

Gedichte der Klassik II: Schiller: Der Ring des Polykrates (K 92-95); Goethe: Erlkönig (K 87); Hölderlin: Dichterberuf (K 97-99)

LJ

Third paper due

Die Ballade (John)

24.11.

Gedichte der Romantik: Novalis: Marienlied (K 100); Gunderode: Die eine Klage (K 101); Eichendorff: Schläft ein Lied, Der frohe Wandersmann, Heimweh, Das zerbrochene Ringlein (K 102-103)

LJ

 

 

Erntedankfest

 

 

 

 

 

 

29.11.

Humboldt: Einleitung zum Kawi-Werk (Auszug; K 104-112)

LJ

Humboldt

1.12.

(2. Sitzung)

 

 

3.12.

Schleiermacher: Hermeneutik und Kritik (Auszug; K 113-117)

LJ

Hermeneutik

 

 

 

 

6.12.

Berlin: Roots of Romanticism, S. 93-117

LJ (English)

 

8.12.

Schlegel: Athenäumsfragmente (K 121-124)

LJ

 

10.12.

Schlegel: Athenäumsfragmente (K 125-127); Kritische Fragmente (K 119-120)

LJ

Ironie