German Flashcards
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
(1749-1832)
Studied a lot of different things, from science to literature. He was a dramatist, poet, and scientist. Innovated the “Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) movement in Germany. This movement marked the progression away from the Age of Reason toward the Age of Romanticism. Literature at this time contained themes of youthfulness and celebrated emotive and reckless passion. His influences include Homer, Ossian, and William Shakespeare, whom he lauded for his wisdom of nature.
Faust
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Based on same legend as Marlowe’s Dr, Faust, but Goethe’s transcends Marlowe’s morality play. Like Marlowe’s, Goethe’s deals with Helen of Troy and Mephestopoles. Another woman he gets involved with is Margareta, who turns into Gretchen when Faustus defiles her.
Sorrows of Young Werther
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Werther is in love with Charlotte, but Charlotte is too happily in love with her husband to leave him.
Rainer Maria Rilke
(1875-1922)
Writer and poet, considered one of the greatest lyric poets of modern Germany. Rilke created the ‘object poem’ attempting to describe with utmost clarity physical objects, the “silence of their concentrated reality.”
Thomas Mann
(1875-1955)
–Buddenbrooks and The Magic Mountain.
Buddenbrooks
Thomas Mann
Story of a German bourgeois family, the Buddenbrooks.
The Magic Mountain
Thomas Mann
Story of Hans at a tuberculosis sanitorium in the mountains of Switzerland—Hans is just faking sick—story deals with non-existence of time. End with outbreak of WWI.
Docktor Faustus
Just know Thomas Mann wrote this, alluding to Goethe.
Franz Kafka
Czech-born, German speaking. Posthumously published novels express the alienation of 20th century man. Kafka’s nightmares of dehumanization, bureaucratic labyrinths, and totalitarian society have much in common with the works of George Orwell.
The Trial
Kafka
The book starts with the famous words: “Someone must have traduced Joseph K. for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning.” Depicted the hopeless attempts of Josef K. to survive nightmarish events, that start at his breakfast table. “Someone must have been spreading lies about Josef K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one morning.” Josef K. denies his guilt, and starts endless investigations of the court system. But there is no truth and he dies “like a dog.”
The Castle
Kafka
– where Josef K. arrives at a village, claiming to be a land surveyor. “The Castle hill was hidden, veiled in mist and darkness, nor was there even a glimmer of light to how that the castle was there.” K. tries to obtain recognition of his status as the officially appointed land surveyor to the Castle, a mysterious domain that rules over the village. K wants to meet Klamm, the castle superior. His assistants, Arthur and Jeremiah, are not helping. K. makes love to the barmaid Frieda, a former mistress of Klamm. Frieda leaves K. when she discovers that he is merely using her.
The Metamorphosis
Kafka
character turns into a bug and no one cares or notices.
Bertolt Brecht
German poet, playwright, and theatrical reformer, one of the most prominent figures in the 20th-century theatre. In his works Brecht have been concerned with encouraging audiences to think rather than becoming too involved in the story and to identify with the characters. In this process he used alienation effects (A Effekts). Brecht developed a form of drama called epic theatre in which ideas or didactic lessons are important. Associated with Communism. His concept of the Verfremdungseffekt, or V-Effekt (sometimes translated as ‘alienation effect’) centered on the idea of ‘making strange’ and thereby making poetic.
Mother Courage
Bertolt Brecht
was an attempt to demonstrate that greedy small entrepreneurs make devastating wars possible. “What they could do with round here is a good war. What else can you expect with peace running wild all over the place? You know what the trouble with peace is? No organization.” ETS views this play as didactic.
The Good Woman of Sezchuan
Bertolt Brecht
examined the dilemma of how to be virtuous and at the same time survive in a capitalist world.
