MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY GERMAN LITERATURE

The students will acquire some knowledge about the literary history of the German-speaking lands between the 19th and the the beginning of 20th century. They will start to develop a critical reading approach to the literary texts in order to better understand them and place them in the right historical-cultural frame. Moreover they will understand how to recognize and analyse literary themes and motifs of the main literary movements of the period.

Lectures and seminar work by students.

The course will provide an overview of the main themes and motifs of the German and Austrian culture of the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Particular attention will be paid to the analytic study of some of the most important works of the period and to their cultural contextualization.

A- Choose one of the following books:

• Chiara M. Bulioni et. al., Letteratura tedesca. Epoche, generi, intersezioni, Firenze, Le Monnier, 2019, vol. 1, capp. 10, 11, 12, 13, pp. 393-542.

• Ladislao Mittner, La letteratura tedesca del Novecento, Torino, Einaudi, 1995 (1-354, chapters concerning the period from the fin de siècle to the First World War)
• Marino Freschi, La letteratura tedesca, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2008 (1-280, chapters concerning the period from the fin de siècle to the First World War).
• Giuseppe Bevilacqua, Novecento tedesco, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2004. (1-124, chapters concerning the period from the fin de siècle to the First World War).
• Hermann Bahr, L’espressionismo, Trento, Sylvi edizioni, 2011 (1-126)
• M. Dallapiazza, U. Kindl, Storia della letteratura tedesca, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2001 (vol. 2, pp. 333-400; vol. 3, first chapter).

B- Choose one of the following books:

• Eric Kandel, L’età dell’inconscio. Arte, mente e cervello dalla grande Vienna ai nostri giorni, Raffaello Cortina Editore 2012 (1-188)
• MITTELEUROPA. Mito, Letteratura, Filosofia, Trento, Silvy, 2011 (1-212)

• Antonella Gargano, La Berlino dell’espressionismo, Trento, Silvy, 2012 (1-266)
• Luigi Forte, Berlino città d’altri, Vicenza, Neri Pozza, 2018 (1-300).
• Grazia Pulvirenti, La farfalla accecata, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 2008 (1-208).

C - Read the following books (at least two in German):

• Thomas Mann, I Buddenbrook. Decadenza di una famiglia, Torino, Einaudi, 2006 oppure Milano (1-600)

• Thomas Mann, Thomas Mann, La Morte Venezia, Torino, Einaudi, 2015 (1-118).

• Joseph Roth, La cripta dei cappuccini, Milano, Adelphi, 2012 (1-196).
• Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Lettere del ritorno, Catania, Villaggio Maori, 2014 (1-100)
• Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Elektra, Venezia, Marsilio, 2012 (1-193) or Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Lettera di Lord Chandos e altri scritti, Venezia, Marsilio, 2017 (1-185)
• Rainer Maria Rilke, I quaderni di Malte Laurids Brigge, Milano, Garzanti, 2002 (1-213)
• Franz Kafka, La metamorfosi, Torino, Einaudi, 2010 (1-70).
• Arthur Schnitzler, Signorina Else, Milano, Adelphi, 1988 (1-122).
• Kurt Schwitters, Piccole storie Dada, a cura di Renata Gambino, Catania, Villaggio Maori, 2018 (1-220) (three tales)

A CHOICE OF POEMS IN GERMAN (on the platform Studium)

N.B. The texts in Italian translation are to be used only by the following: 1. students enrolled in the LCEEO degree course who did not choose German as a foreign language;

2. students enrolled in non-linguistic courses whose knowledge of German is level B1, or a lower level, in the Common European Reference Framework for Languages.

Please remember that in compliance with art 171 L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.

For further information on sanctions and regulations concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association on Copyright).

All the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.