Department of German and Dutch

Modern & Medieval Languages

Department of German and Dutch

GERMAN COURSE INFORMATION For full information about DUTCH courses and staff please CLICK HERE

Paper Ge 13

Aspects of German-speaking Europe since 1945

MML Part II

This paper deals with the literature, thought, and history of Germany, Austria and Switzerland since 1945, but its main focus is Germany since 1989. It should prove particularly attractive to those who have just spent a year in Germany. Those who have spent a year elsewhere will not, however, be at a disadvantage.

The recent period is remarkably rich, and it takes in the aftermath of the 'failed' socialist experiment in the GDR as well as the culture of the industrialised, 'postmodern' society of the other German-speaking societies. This is a period in which a wide range of different forms of culture are taken seriously and where the feminine voice is heard particularly strongly. Challenges to authority are frequent, and there is ever greater awareness of the manipulative power of the media - the press, radio and television. Film also enjoys a strong revival.

The paper does not aim to cover every aspect but to concentrate on particularly fascinating features in which members of the Department have a strong research interest. Currently there are topics on such issues as contemporary German politics, modern German autobiography, media theory, Berlin in modern German film, Germany and Europe, German literature and reunification, sport and the making of modern Germany.

Topics likely to feature in succeeding years include: the modern German bestseller, multiculturalism in modern Germany; East German society before and after 1989; the debate over national identity since 1989, contemporary women's writing; Austrian culture and politics since 1945; aspects of modern Swiss writing.

Back to top

Introductory reading:

  • Eva Kolinsky, W. van der Will (eds.). The Cambridge Companion to Modern German Culture (Cambridge, 1998)
  • Stuart Parkes, Understanding Contemporary Germany (London: Routledge, 1997)
  • Steve Crawshaw, Easier Fatherland. Germany and the Twenty-First Century (London: Continuum, 2004)

Back to top

Course guidance

The paper is divided into topics, some of which may change from year to year depending on the teachers available. Topics will be advertised in advance in course information issued by the Department and candidates may be able to do preliminary work on certain topics during their period abroad. Lectures and seminars will be organised on all these topics and they will form the basis of examination questions. There will be two mutually exclusive questions on each topic (EITHER/OR). There will also be one or two questions of a general nature relating to the themes of the paper as a whole. Students will be able to answer ANY three questions.

Here are links to a recent examination question paper and the examiners' report on it.

[In past papers prior to Tripos 2007 you will see that there were two sections, A and B, and candidates were required to answer at least one question from each section, but this is no longer the case.]

Topics for Tripos 2012

Contemporary German politics

The opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany in 1990 transformed the landscape of German politics and generated a mass of unforeseen problems, many of which are only now beginning to be resolved. Fundamental have been the problems of integrating the Länder of the former GDR into the federal system of the Federal Republic, the socio-economic and political legacy of the GDR, the question of the identity and self-image of the newly reunited Germany. Equally important have been the implications of reunification for Germany's position in the European Union and for the development of Germany's relations with the wider world, the latter in ways which have shaped the German government's response to the world crisis triggered by the events of 11 September 2001. The change of government from Helmut Kohl's CDU/CSU coalition to Gerhard Schröder's SPD/Green coalition in 1998 both underlined continuities and introduced change, giving yet another perspective on the perennial 'German question'.

The German language since 1945: Wissenschaftssprache, Kultursprache, Denglisch, McDeutsch?

From 'Ächz! Würg! Eine Industrienation verliert ihre Sprache' (1984) to 'Rettet dem Deutsch! Deutsch for Sale' (2006), the front page of Der Spiegel has offered windows on the perception of many educated Germans that their language is on the brink of disaster. The spread of English into many domains of German life, both the use of English loanwords scattered through German, and the replacement of German by English in business, politics and science, have brought on an identity crisis, with many Germans struggling to find a way to express pride in their language without falling into nationalist stereotypes. The sense that the language is not respected outside of Germany has grown into a demand for legislation, protection, a special status for German. New organisations like the Verein deutsche Sprache and the Stiftung deutsche Sprache have sprung up, ready to lobby politicians to campaign for the use of German in the EU, where English and French still reign supreme despite Germany's large population and large financial contributions. The spelling reform, still contentious, resulted in a loss of power and status for Der Duden, and seemed to many like an attack from within. Where is the German language going in the 21st century? This module will examine recent developments and the public response to them.

German literature of the Wende and reunification

The reunification of Germany had only limited cultural effects in the West, but the literary scene in the former GDR was transformed by the complete lifting of censorship (particularly self-censorship), a shift in thematic focus, and a market economy. Virtually all East German writers sought to come to terms with the new freedoms, new themes, and the fresh demands of their readership. The topic on literature and reunification shows some of the ways in which writers are obsessed with a reinterpretation of the past (especially in the light of the opening of the secret police files), a confused sense of identity, and a general unease with new (western) values.

Berlin in Film

Berlin is one of the great film cities of the world. Film has played a fundamental role in fashioning the city's image and cultural self-understanding. This option will consider some of the stations of Berlin's post-war film history, from Staudte's 'Trümmerfilm' Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946), through Helke Sander's 'Frauenfilm' Redupers: Die allseitig reduzierte Persönlichkeit (1977), Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980), and Wenders' Der Himmel über Berlin (1989), to the new Berlin films of the last decade, when the city has been rediscovering the sort of productivity and innovation which characterised the pre-war hey-day of the UFA production company. Particular emphasis will be given to six post-reunification films that illustrate the variety of the new representational 'takes' on the city.

Germany in Europe

Germany has played a central role in the development of European integration since the Second World War and remains today one of the states that dominates the EU. Initially, plans for European co-operation grew out of the new relationship between France and the Federal Republic. France, three times the victim of German aggression, sought to contain Germany and to secure the market for French agricultural produce. Germany sought both political rehabilitation and a wider market for German manufactured goods. Since then successive German chancellors have vied with their French counterparts to promote often divergent visions of European unity. This option explores the history of German engagement in Europe since from the 1950s to the present. It examines the evolution of Franco-German relations and their implications for European integration. We shall also focus on the perceptions of other European states of German ambitions in and aspirations for Europe, with particular emphasis on the strong Eurosceptic tendencies in the United Kingdom.

Contemporary German Women's Writing

[There will be no lectures or examination questions on this for Tripos 2012, but the topic might be revived in future years.]

Judith Herman's short stories have achieved international success. Yet women writers are still not always treated as the equals of men; Hermann's generation was described in the Spiegel with the patronizing term 'literarisches Fräuleinwunder'. Here, Hermann is looked at alongside thought-provoking, often provocative recent writing by other women writers whose works address, among other things, German society, eating disorders, nature, love and violence. The module will reflect on the set texts' diverse approaches to contemporary living, while remaining conscious of the question of whether it is appropriate to group writers together on the basis of their gender at all.

Literature and political responsibility in East and West

Günter Grass and Christa Wolf are the two most famous living German writers. This module examines their respective major autobiographical texts as well as a short fictional work by each. The focus will be on the relationship between literature and political responsibility. Grass and Wolf offer an illuminating contrast between the gender perspective of a man and a woman, between the different experience of citizens of two different post-war German states, and as individuals who have had to come to terms with the loss of an entire belief system (in Wolf's case twice)

Back to top

Reading lists

Contemporary German politics

  • S. Parkes, Understanding Contemporary Germany (1997)
  • K. Larres, Germany Since Unification (2nd edn 2001)
  • D. Lewis, Contemporary Germany. A Handbook (2001)
  • H. Williams, C. Wright and N. Kapferer (eds), Political Thought and German Reunification (2000)
  • P. Pulzer, German Politics 1945-1995 (1995)
  • P. O'Dochartaigh, Germany since 1945 (2003)
  • Steve Crawshaw, Easier Fatherland. Germany and the Twenty-First Century (London: Continuum, 2004)
  • Tom Heneghan, Unchained Eagle. Germany after the Wall (London: Pearson, 2000)

Back to top

German literature of the Wende and reunification

  • Stefan Heym, Auf Sand gebaut
  • F.C. Delius, Die Birnen von Ribbeck
  • Thomas Brussig, Helden wie wir
  • K.O. Conrady (ed.), Von einem Land und vom andern. Gedichte zur deutschen Wende

Secondary reading

  • S. Brockman, Literature and German Reunification (Cambridge, 1999)
  • Osman Durrani et al (eds), The New Germany: Literature and Society after Reunification (Sheffield, 1995)
  • Ruth J. Owen, The Poet's Role: Lyric Reponses to German Unification by Poets from the GDR (Amsterdam/New York, 2001)

Back to top

Berlin in Film

  • Ostkreuz (1991)
  • Das Leben ist eine Baustelle (1997)
  • Lola rennt (1998)
  • Lola und Bilidikid (1999)
  • Sonnenallee (2000)
  • Die Unberührbare (2000)

(Copies of these films are now kept in the MML Library, not in the Department of German's film collection.)

Secondary reading

  • Thomas Elsaesser, New German Cinema: A History (Basingstoke, 1989)
  • Sabine Hake, German National Cinema (London, 2002), esp. pp. 168-92
  • Guntram Vogt, Die Stadt in Film: Deutsche Spielfilme 1900-2000 (Marburg, 2001)

Germany and Europe since 1945

  • Walter Laqueur, Europe in our Time (1995)
  • D. Urwin, The Community of Europe: A History of European Integration since 1945 (2nd edn, 1995)
  • F. R. Pfetsch, Die Europäische Union. Geschichte, Institutionen, Prozesse (2001)
  • H. Herz, Die Europäische Union. Politik, Recht, Wirtschaft (1999)
  • P Alter, The German Question and Europe (2000)
  • D. Dinan, Europe Recast. A History of European Union (2004)

For reference:

  • T. Bainbridge, The Penguin Companion to the European Union (1995)
  • Europa von A bis Z. Taschenbuch der europäischen Integration (2002)

Back to top

The German Language since 1945

  • Ulrich Ammon, Ist Deutsch noch internationale Wissenschaftssprache? : Englisch auch für die Lehre an den deutschsprachigen Hochschulen (1998)
  • Karin Eichhoff-Cyrus and Rudolf Hoberg (eds.), Die deutsche Sprache zur Jahrtausendwende. Sprachkultur oder Sprachverfall? (2000)
  • Falco Pfalzgraf, Neopurismus in Deutschland nach der Wende (2006)
  • Rettet die deutsche Sprache. Beiträge, Interviews und Materialien zum Kampf gegen Rechtschreibreform und Anglizismen (2004)
  • Bastian Sick, Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod (2004, and subsequent volumes)
  • Dieter E. Zimmer, Sprache in Zeiten ihrer Unverbesserlichkeit (2005)

Back to top

Contemporary German Women's Writing

[There will be no lectures or examination questions on this for Tripos 2011, but the topic might be revived in future years.]

Primary texts:

  • Tanja Dückers, Spielzone, Berlin: Aufbau Verlag (1999)
  • Karen Duve, Regenroman (2001)
  • Judith Hermann, Sommerhaus, später (1998)
  • Emine Sevgi Özdamar, Mutterzunge, Köln: Kiepenheuer & Witsch(1998)

Secondary reading:

  • Elisabeth Boa, 'Lust or Disgust? The Blurring of Boundaries in Karen Duve's Regenroman', in Heike Bartel and Elizabeth Boa, eds., Pushing at Boundaries: Approaches to Contemporary German Women Writers from Karen Duve to Jenny Erpenbeck (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006)
  • Peter Graves, 'Karen Duve, Kathrin Schmidt, Judith Hermann: "Ein literarisches Fräuleinwunder"?', German Life and Letters, 55:2 (2002): 196-207
  • Brigid Haines and Margaret Littler, Contemporary German Women's Writing: Changing the Subject (Oxford: OUP, 2004)
  • Lyn Marven, 'German literature in the Berlin Republic — Writing by Women', in Stuart Taberner (ed.),Contemporary German fiction. Writing in the Berlin Republic (Cambridge: CUP, 2007)
  • Moray McGowan, 'Turkish-German fiction since the mid 1990s', in Stuart Taberner (ed.), Contemporary German fiction. Writing in the Berlin Republic (Cambridge: CUP, 2007)

Back to top

Literature and political responsibility in East and West

Primary texts:

  • Günter Grass, Katz und Maus (1961)
  • Günter Grass, Beim Häuten der Zwiebel (2006)
  • Christa Wolf, Kindheitsmuster (1976)
  • Christa Wolf, Was bleibt (1990)

Secondary reading:

  • Helen Bridge, Women's Writing and Historiography in the GDR (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2002), pp. 57-75
  • Michael Beddow, 'Doubts about Despair: Christa Wolf's Kindheitsmuster', in James Harrdin (ed.), Reflection and Action: Essays on the Bildungsroman (Columbia: U of South Carolina Press, 1991), pp. 415-47
  • Anne Fuchs, '"Ehrlich, du lügst wie gedruckt": Günter Grass's Autobiographical Confession and the Changing Territory of Germany's Memory Culture', in German Life and Letters, 60 (2007), pp. 261-75.
  • Anna Kuhn, Christa Wolf's Utopian Vision: From Marxism to Feminism (Cambridge: CUP, 1988)
  • Anita Bunyan, 'Christa Wolf', in Hilary Brown, ed., Landmarks in German Women's Writing, Oxford etc: Peter Lang, 2006, pp. 173-191
  • Julian Preece, The Life and Work of Günter Grass: Literature, History, Politics (Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2001)
  • John Reddick, The 'Danzig Trilogy' of Günter Grass (London: Secker & Warburg, 1975), pp.87-169
  • Stuart Taberner, 'Private feelings and Public Virtues: Günter Grass's Beim Häuten der Zwiebel and the Exemplary Use of Authorial Biography', Modern Languages Review, (103) 2008, pp. 143-154.
  • Rebecca Braun, '"Mich in Variationen Erzählen": Günter Grass and the Ethics of Autobiography', Modern Language Review, 103, 2008, pp.1051-66
  • Moray McGowan, 'Turkish-German ficion since the mid 1990s', in Stuart Taberner, Contemporary German Ficton. Writing in the Berlin Republic (Cambridge: CUP, 2007)

Course adviser

Students who wish to discuss any aspect of the course may approach their Directors of Studies or supervisors. They may also consult the Department's undergraduate course advisers for this paper, who are Dr Peter Hutchinson of Trinity Hall (network tel: 32542, e-mail: ph10000@cam.ac.uk), and Dr Joachim Whaley, (Gonville & Caius College, network tel: 32454, e-mail: jw10005@cam.ac.uk.

Back to top

Links to all German papers and comparative papers with a substantial German element

 

 

 

Share/Bookmark