German Literature Research Articles

The article is devoted to a review of current trends in modern research in Russian and foreign German studies. The purpose of the article is to describe existing trends in Russian and German studies and current research based on the material of the German language. In the article, German studies is understood in its narrow definition, as a subject area whose sphere of interests exclusively includes research in German language and literature. The material for the analysis was scientific articles in leading Russian and German publications, associations of government agencies, as well as publications of Russian and German research organizations. The rationale for this is the significant advances in scientific research of Russian (Soviet) and German Germanists in the twentieth century. During the study, methods of analysis, synthesis and observation were used. The development trends of Russian and German German studies are determined by the cultural, historical, socio-political, and informational features of the development of modern society. Text, corpus and translation are considered as the main sources of promising trends in German studies for the description and interpretation of the facts of the modern German language in diachrony and synchrony. Text models and text types are substantiated from the perspective of modern discursive practices of the German language community (migration discourse, multimodal discourse, political and populist discourse, valeological discourse, etc.). The results of corpus research are considered as an empirical basis for research in German studies and for the strategy of inductive generalization. Research in the field of translation studies is aimed at fixing and systematizing established translation techniques based on innovative digital technologies.

Creation of cultural and poetic conditions in German cultural and political centers suitable for the reception of folk poetry in general, and thus also of a Serbian poetry; conceptualization and textualization of the image of Serbs, especially on the basis of Talfja's translations of Serbian folk poetry in German literature and nonfiction in the 20s and 30s of 19th century. Formation of literature circles in Berlin led by Goethe, Brothers Grimm, Kopitar, Stieglitz and Varnhagen. Description of the trip in the book Visit to Montenegro, with Stieglitz's special interest in folklore, legends and epic folk poetry in Njegos's Grlica. Stieglitz's importance as a cultural mediator and one of Talfja's best followers is also mentioned.

This paper proposes a high-order conceptual model of human wellbeing that isolates identity among other discriminate variables that are constituents and determinants of wellbeing. Drawing on germane literature, the paper understands wellbeing as a dynamic and subjective state that is satisfied when individuals can pursue and achieve their aspired quality of life. Achievement of this state is facilitated by conversion factors that can be summarized into three overarching categories namely environmental, social, and personal conditions. These conversion factors enable individuals to transform resources or opportunities into functionings or their desired outcomes. The paper notes the vital role and magnitude of the influence of identity on human action in the pursuit of wellbeing at individual level and proposes a high-order conceptual model of wellbeing expressed as a function of identity, environmental, social, and personal conditions. Although identity is an element of personal conditions, it is argued here that identity deserves to be considered discriminately in the wellbeing model because of its unique and profound influence on human action, which lends weight to the explanatory power of the conceptual model of wellbeing. The paper appeals for inclusion of identity transformation interventions in the agenda of development practice and recommends areas that need further research.

The article “The specifics of the mystical discourse in humanitarianism” presents the results of research into the essence of mysticism throughout its historical development in the context of philosophy, religious studies, and literature. The author understood the essence of the mystical in such fields of humanities as: philosophy and literary studies. Differences in the perception of mysticism in “Western” and “Eastern” philosophies are clarified. Attention is focused on the concepts of Ukrainian scientists who interpreted mysticism and mysticism in different ways. The concepts of "female mysticism", "Christian mysticism", "German mysticism", mysticism of the occult era, as well as modern mysticism are also analyzed. Their leading specific features, which developed and transformed depending on socio-cultural changes, are singled out. Concepts of mysticism of such philosophers as Meister Eckhart, V. Stace, V. James are outlined. An attempt was made to analyze mystical elements in myths and folklore, the connection of mysticism with mythopoetics and neomythologism in literature was considered. It has been established that interest in the mystical, as well as in the philosophy of existentialism, especially spreads in response to significant social changes, when values are reassessed and spiritual orientations change, it is the mystical experience that arouses special interest and acquires a mass character. It has been noticed that mysticism in literature, in particular, in Ukrainian, is now gaining considerable popularity. Authors of whimsical prose, mystical novels and short stories actively engage mystical experience as an anthropological mode. The origins of mystical images in literature can be seen in myths and in German literature of the 18th and 19th centuries (J. von Goethe, E. Hoffmann). The author of the article also drew attention to different classifications of demonological images in Ukrainian literature (classifications by V. Davydyuk, N. Levkovych, A.-D. Kryvenko), their specificity depending on different regions of Ukraine, the connection with holidays and special days for Ukrainians, as well as the fact that many images of Ukrainian mythology are characterized by ambiguity.

Abstract: This biographical memoir commemorates the life, work, and professional legacy of eminent professor of German and comparative literature Theodore Joseph Ziolkowski (1932-2020), who was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1984.

While the origins of two of Kraepelin's three subtypes of dementia praecox (DP), catatonic and hebephrenic, are well understood, no similar clear narrative exists for his concepts of paranoia and paranoid DP, which require a consideration of both German and French sources. An important milestone in the French literature is the massive 524 page monograph entitled "Le Délire Des Persécutions" published in 1871 by Henri Legrand du Saulle which contained extensive, clinically detailed descriptions of a wide range of cases with prominent, organized persecutory delusions. Many of his cases reported auditory hallucinations (AH), and some bizarre, Schneiderian delusions. The delusional content could evolve to include prominent somatic and/or grandiose themes. Using a symptomatic diagnostic framework, Legrand du Saulle proposed that this syndrome represented an independent "species" of mental illness. He sought to give a voice to the affected individuals, including a chapter devoted entirely to their writings. He described several clinically fascinating features of such patients including how often they moved residence to unsuccessfully flee their persecutors and how delusional beliefs could be communicated to spouses and relatives. Unlike Kraepelin, he was little interested in their course of illness or rates of deterioration, except to note that recoveries occurred in 20% of cases. The clinical richness of this work substantially exceeded that in the contemporaneous German literature. Most of the cases described by du Saulle would fit easily into the two major non-affective delusional syndromes articulated 28 years later in Kraepelin's famous 6th edition of his textbook: paranoia and paranoid DP.

German-speaking surgeons have left a deep imprint on the history of diagnostics and treatment of proximal femur fractures. Some of the studies published in German have fell into oblivion, others are cited until today, although sometimes quite inaccurately. The cause of such inaccuracies are citations from secondary sources due to unavailability of the original or inability to read it because of a language barrier. In the current literature, globally predominated by English articles, the "German history" of treatment of proximal femur fractures remains undervalued. The aim of the present article is to point out its contribution. Literature search was performed in original publications and historical sources. The German-speaking surgeons have considerably contributed to the development of the treatment of proximal femur fractures. The analyzed period between 1847 and 1970 may be divided into three basic periods. In the first period (1847-1896), the German-speaking surgeons (Langenbeck, Trendelenburg, König, Heine, Dolinger)were the first worldwide to start treating the fractures of proximal femur operatively. In the second period (1897-1935),mainly in the 1930s,the initiative in Europe was taken over by surgeons publishing studies in Franceand in Belgium. Overseas, American surgeons were coming to the forefront. In Germany, onlyPauwels developed the first biomechanical classification of femoral neck fractures. In the third period (1936-1970), mainly in the 1940s and 1950s, implants were designed (Pohl, Künstcher), based on close collaboration betweenGermanengineers and surgeons, that served as a model for a dynamic hip screw and a proximal femoral nail, which are currently the implants of choice in the treatment of trochanteric fractures. The historical contribution ofGerman-speaking surgeons to understanding the issue of proximal femur fractures and their operative treatment is far more significant than presented in the historical studies published in English.

In this article, we discuss the ways in which Digital Humanities projects organise their resources, and argue for the need to collaborate with specialised services from other institutions for specific tasks, just as research publishers do. More specifically, we argue that libraries have a new central role to play in the publication of research data in repositories. Using the TextGrid Repository (TGR) as an example, we present its main components, its history, its main features, and discuss its advantages and disadvantages in comparison with similar repositories and technologies. We then present its current development within the Text+ consortium, both in the form of new features but also in the integration of existing corpora, making it interesting not only for German literature (as has been the case until now), but also for other traditions, especially Spanish literature.

Статья посвящена сравнительному анализу образов Козьмы Пруткова и Готтлиба Бидермейера, ставших значимыми фигурами русской и немецкой литературы середины XIX века. Актуальность работы состоит в необходимости выявления степени их типологической схожести, для того чтобы обозначить общие и индивидуальные черты этих литературных персонажей. В статье рассматриваются прием образа-маски, сближающий этих героев, а также социальная и культурная сферы жизни общества, так как оба персонажа стали откликом на вызовы времени. К анализу привлекаются произведения, написанные от имени Козьмы Пруткова и Готтлиба Бидермейера, документальной основой исследования стали письма А.М. Жемчужникова и комментарии Л. Эйхродта. Аналитический акцент ставится на сопоставлении всех точек пересечения образов-масок с целью доказать, что Готтлиб Бидермейер не является «немецким вариантом» Козьмы Пруткова. The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of the images of Kozma Prutkov and Gottlieb Biedermeyer, who became significant figures of Russian and German literature in the middle of the XIX century. The relevance of the work lies in the need to identify the degree of their typological similarity in order to identify the common and individual features of these literary characters. The article examines the technique of the image-mask, which brings these characters closer together, as well as the social and cultural spheres of society, since both characters have become a response to the challenges of the time. The works written on behalf of Kozma Prutkov and Gottlieb Biedermeyer are involved in the analysis, the documentary basis of the study were letters by A.M. Zhemchuzhnikov and comments by L. Eichrodt. The analytical emphasis is placed on comparing all points of intersection of images in order to prove that Gottlieb Biedermeyer is not a “German version” of Kozma Prutkov.

In the 1920s Westernization and modernism characterized the cultural life of big Japanese cities, and the cinema quickly became the main entertainment of the urban masses. In this decade studios began to shoot movies following the cinematic techniques and narrative styles of European and American cinema, and increased production of film adaptations of Western literature works popular at that time. This paper focuses on the adaptations of German literature works, specifically of Gerhart Hauptmann plays, produced in Japan during the 1920s. While those films have been lost, stills and reviews of film magazines published at the time of screening have been archived. The study draws on these materials and examines the intertextual and intercultural relations between the films and the literary works. It provides a brief overview on the reception of German literature in Japan, compares the plays and films analysing the permutations in narratological elements, and offers insights on how cultural, political, and social context influenced the directors’ adaptation process.

Abstract This article asks if the phenomenon of the Conservative Revolution had exponents in rural western Norway in early 20th century. It sheds light on Thorleif Schirmer (1877–1941), a teacher and writer. Schirmer elaborated his ideology with radical and conservative rhetoric, influenced by German literature and politics. He presented a cyclical understanding of culture. To secure its existence, nations should revolutionize its mythical origins. Antisemitism fuelled his theories. The positive reception of Schirmer’s writings, indicates conceptual resemblance between the Scandinavian folk and the German Volk.

Aim. To analyze the artistic reflection of the activities of the political movement “Red Army Faction” (RAF) in the work of the modern German prose writer B. Schlink using the example of the novel “The Weekend” and identify the main reasons for its appearance in the 1960s in Germany.Methodology. Analytical, cultural-historical, comparative-historical, descriptive and psychological methods of studying the artistic text are used to reveal the theme. The author of the research gives an analysis of public life in Germany after the Second World War. The article indicates that the topic of the formation of a new, economically strong, modern German state was reflected not only in public life, but also in art as well as in literature. At the same time, as part of the study of practical material, the reasons that led to the emergence of a radical movement in the country were identified, the “shadow” sides of the economically successful Federal Republic of Germany were revealed. The relevance of the problem indicated in the article is due to the reflection and representation of the activities of RAF in the modern German literature on the example of B. Schlink's novel “The Weekend”. The main content of the study is a contextual analysis of the novel on a given theme, in addition, an interpretation of the “generational conflict” problem and a comparison of this topic with the works of the German classics are briefly given.Results. According to the results of the study, it was concluded that in the novel “The Weekend” Schlink managed to show a complex collision between the “acceptance” and the “understanding” of German history by different generations, the writer psychologically subtly noticed the inability to objectively analyze the same historical event through the eyes of “fathers'” and “children”. In addition, it was revealed that in the novel the writer subtly leads the reader to the awareness of the senselessness of the armed war against the “former” Nazis and neo-Nazis in the same ways that they had previously used.Research implications. The study confirms the problem of generations is relevant for modern Germany and occupies one of the main places in the works of B. Schlink. The theme of “fathers” and “children” is also present in Schlink’s works out of connection with the Nazism theme and is psychological in nature. It should be noted that in domestic literary criticism the topic of Nazism is widely analyzed on the example of the novel “Reader”, however, other novels devoted to the problem of generations have not been sufficiently analyzed. The results of the study can be used in the further study of Schlink’s works, in teaching the course on history of foreign literature of the XX–XXI centuries.

ABSTRACT Figures identical to Hrothgar in Scandinavian analogues (i.e., Ro or Hróarr) shed minimal light on the king’s character in Beowulf. More promising insights into the literary history of Hrothgar can be obtained by comparing him with the figure of Etzel in Middle High German literature. Two passages involving Etzel, one from the Nibelungenlied and the other from the Klage, are identified herein as the closest extant analogues to two passages from Beowulf involving Hrothgar. Behind the two sets of analogous passages evidently lies an archaic character type that informs the representation of both Hrothgar and Etzel. The type is that of the sedentary overlord, whose cosmopolitan court attracts wealth and warriors from beyond its borders. The type is courteous and magnanimous, yet also tragic and pitiable, with a glorious past and a precarious present.

This research inquired into the ways in which EFL teachers think of the role of target culture in English language education. Of special interest in this research was the issue of whether teaching the target culture is seen as important when it comes to English language learning and teaching in EFL contexts or not. Equally important was the question of whose target culture is taught. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with ten EFL teachers at different language institutes: five were from Khartoum, Sudan and five from Tehran, Iran. The interview questions, which were formulated after extensive reading of germane literature, explored themes related to culture and its role in English language education. The main and most important finding of the research indicates that EFL teachers think that it is necessary to teach elements of the target culture that are not at odds with their local cultures. Another related finding is that the target culture is conceptualized in monolithic terms and is equated with American and British cultures.

Tales That Touch: Migration, Translation, and Temporality in Twentieth- and Twenty-First- Century German Literature and Culture eds. Bettina Brandt and Yasemin Yildiz

In light of many attempts by recent scholars to come to terms with national concepts of literature, it is amazing to notice that even medieval and late medieval German literature is suddenly functionalized to support ideological, political purposes, so it seems. One of the major cultural-historical objects commonly referred to as the first major indicator of Austrian cultural identity was the famous Ambraser Heldenbuch, written by Hans Ried in Innsbruck on behalf of Emperor Maximilian I. After a critical review of a variety of approaches to the history of ‘Austrian’ medieval literature, this study examines closely what we can learn from the Ambraser Heldenbuch with regard to such a national reading of ‘Austrian’ in literary-historical terms.

Plants, Places, and Power: Toward Social and Ecological Justice in German Literature and Film by Maria Stehle (review)

Attention and Distraction in Modern German Literature, Thought, and Culture by Carolin Duttlinger (review)

Politically correct behavior implies the use of language and the right linguistic action. Therefore, language affects the human thought process, which determines the perception of reality and the individual’s actions. These measures of language that reform and sensitize people to justice and inclusion have raised many research questions. At the linguistic level, the concept aims to exclude any discriminatory use of language from discourse. From a sociological aspect, political correctness implies that speech that does not lead to discrimination and does not destroy a person’s identity. While, on the other methodological side, political correctness still implies the renewal of the culture of learning, that is, the redefinition of the educational paradigm. The paper aims to examine the perception of students of different fields of study about political correctness in the language and to compare the obtained data to raise awareness of the importance of using political correctness. 68 students of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Split and Libertas International University participated in the research. The work is based on the hypothesis that there are significant statistical differences in individual opinions regarding the direction of the study. Research has shown that more students of International Relations and International Business are warned about political correctness in the language because it is related to their profession, as opposed to the students in Split who study German language and literature. This was to be assumed, considering the different goals of the outcomes of the mentioned studies. The paper can be a guide for future similar research on a larger population, as well as a form for raising awareness of the importance of the concept of diversity and its implementation in higher education.

Abstract The aim of this article is to outline several aspects of a canon of early modern German literature as they had been discussed by a volume Klassiker der Frühen Neuzeit (ed. Regina Toepfer) in 2022. In the light of recent criticism of any conception of canon as an outcome of hegemonial thinking as well as considering the increasing disregard of early modern literature even in universities, it is foremost the Early Modern Literature Studies who are urged to discuss the question of whether there are sufficient reasons for upholding a literary canon at least to a certain degree and whether texts of the early modern period can or must be part of such a canon.