German Worker's Literature: A Classroom Approach

Abstract

In 1960 Walter Jens lamented the status of the worker's world in contemporary German literature: Die Arbeitswelt scheint noch nicht einmal in den Blick geruckt zu sein. Wo ist das Portrat eines Arbeiters, wo die Zeichnung eines Maurers, wo agieren die Madchen in der Fabrik... ? Ist unser tagliches Tun so ganz ohne Belang?' Although applicable to the situation in the FRG at that time, Jens's observation is not universally applicable to German literary history in its entirety. In fact, the literature of the German working class has enjoyed a long, rich history, commencing in the early nineteenth century with the emergence of the German proletariat as a distinct social class and the subsequent organization of the German worker's movement. Since the early 1800's and continuing into the present time, German worker's literature has been a recurring, integral feature in the broader context of German culture and continues to demonstrate its importance, centrality, and vitality. The potential of this body of literature to satisfy two important objectives should not be overlooked: 1) to enable students to appreciate the problems and possibilities of literature to explore the political, social, and economic nature of man; and 2) to provide students an opportunity to explore more fully the role of work and worker in society, given the role of work to be one of the most decisive social determinants in a person's life. The recent availability of inexpensive, yet high quality editions of worker's literature, coupled with an ever-expanding body of scholarship on the subject, now make it possible and worthwhile for German students to explore in depth this heretofore neglected aspect of German culture. The following outline organizes the study of worker's literature into three periods: 1) The Early 1800's-1912; 2) 1912-the Mid-1940's; and 3) The Mid-1940's-the Present Time. Following a historical overview for the course, a suggested syllabus, an instructional rationale, instructional strategies, and a brief bibliography are presented. Since there are few materials available in English for teaching German worker's literature, the following 15-week course is designed as a seminar for the upper-level German student whose language skills enable analysis and discussion of primary German documents.