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GM4095: ALLUSION AND FUSION IN GERMAN LITERATURE B (2023-2024)

Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46


Course Overview

“Everyone who lived in high-up, magical places must feel the same way. You come down into the world and you mingle, but all the while there's something calling you back.” (A. Hasan) The pain of feeling different from others is one of the most enduring themes in literature. For some this is enriching, others are destroyed by it. 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Gundula Sharman

Qualification Prerequisites

  • Either Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Either European Studies (EU) (Studied) or German (GM) (Studied)
  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The course will analyse the relationship between and the impact of Goethe's Werther and Buechner's Lenz on their respective contemporary societies. Both protagonists suffer from a conflict between the unfolding of the individual on the one hand, and the expectations of society on the other, and both gained iconic status in German literature. The course will then move on to examine the ways in which these texts continued to be relevant to readers in the 20th century. Both text were repeatedly reworked by modern authors particularly in East Germany, most prominently by Ulrich Plenzdorf and Volker Braun. Students will examine the reasons for the lasting appeal of the original texts and gain an understanding of the various ways the reworkings functioned in face of communist censorship.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

There are no assessments for this course.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
FactualRememberILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.

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