Advanced Seminar in German Literature: Truth and Madness in German Literature, 1700 to 1830
GRST 301
Fall 2015
| Section:
01
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| This course may be repeated for credit. |
What is real? What is true? And how can I know and access the real and the true? These perennial questions gained new urgency in the time period between 1700 and 1830, when a large number of long-held assumptions about society, culture, and the world in general were undergoing dramatic changes.
Adherents of the Enlightenment and subsequent intellectual movements have almost always fought their battles against the established order by insisting that they were pursuing reality over appearance and truth over falseness and madness. This strategy of positioning oneself on the side of truth and one's opponents on the side of lies and insanity is still employed in discourse today and is often difficult to combat in the interest of attaining a more nuanced understanding of reality.
In this seminar, we will look at some of the seminal literary texts of the period between the rise of the Enlightenment and the beginning of industrialized modernity to try to understand how truth and reality were strategically employed, why it seemed to make sense to contrast reality with madness, and what happened when the line between the real and the unreal, truth and lie, became blurred.
The course will combine close readings with investigations of the relationship between the texts and their historical contexts. It will apply the insights gained from analysis of the literature and history to contemporary concerns and debates. It will enable the participants to improve their written and spoken German and learn to make detailed and complex arguments. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA GRST |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: GRST217 OR GRST251S OR GRST252S |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (GRST-MN)(GRST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Subject to change, please do not purchase in advance!
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, EMILIA GALOTTI (Reclam)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, DIE LEIDEN DES JUNGEN WERTHER (Reclam)
E.T.A. Hoffmann, DER SANDMANN (Reclam)
Georg Buchner, LENZ (Reclam)
Other readings will be made available in Moodle.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Three papers of increasing length, 2 tests; oral presentations; leading class discussion. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Regular attendance and participation required. This course is suitable for students who have studied or lived in a German-speaking country, as well as for those who have completed GRST 217 or the equivalent. Students who are uncertain about their preparation should consult the instructor during Orientation or Drop/Add. |
| Instructor(s): Baeumel,Martin Times: ..T.R.. 10:30AM-11:50AM; Location: FISK403; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 16 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 10 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 2 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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