German Romanticism had a great movement in the 19th Century in Germany, but didn't come around until after the English went in a more romantic direction.
German writing in the 19th Century was known for its valuing humor, wit, and beauty.
German writing in the 19th Century was known for its valuing humor, wit, and beauty.
The German romantics tried to create a new synthesis of art, philosophy, and science, looking to the middle ages as a more integrated period.
Three Types of 19th Century German Literature
- Gothic Fiction
- Elements
- Virginal Maiden: young, beautiful, pure, innocent, kind, virtuous. Older, Foolish Woman: portrays the woman as weak and completely submissive. Hero: he is witty, and successfully challenges the tyrant, saves the virginal maid without expectations. Tyrant: Tries to put his blame onto others. Stupid Servant: acts as comic relief by asking seemingly stupid questions, transitions between scenes, brings news, messenger, moves plot forward. Clowns: break the tension and act as comic relief. Rebels: Most likely a thief or kidnapper. Clergy: always weak, usually evil. Setting: A character in itself. The plot is usually set in a castle, an abbey, a monastery, or some other, usually religious edifice, and it is acknowledged that this building has secrets of its own. It is this gloomy and frightening scenery, which sets the scene for what the audience should expect.
- Writers and their work
- Horace Walpole- Castle of Otranto- Known as the possible first Gothic Romance with many unbelievable supernatural elements.
- Clara Reeve-best known for The Old English Baron (1778). Clara was set to take Warpole's plot and adapt it to the elements of the 18th century realism. She also tried to make the supernatural event more believable than Walpole's.
- Romanticism (Romantic Period)-Focused on traveling, nature, and ancient myths.
- Writers and their work
- E.T.A. Hoffmann's Der Sandmann (The Sandman)-1817
- Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff's Das Marmorbild (The Marble Statue)-1819
- Both The Sandman and The Marble Statue were darker than previous romantic ones and also involved some Gothic elements.
- Grimm's Fairy Tales
- collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
- The first volumes were much criticized because, although they were called "Children's Tales", they were not regarded as suitable for children, both for the scholarly information included and the subject matter. Many changes through the editions – such as turning the wicked mother of the first edition in Snow White and Hansel and Gretel to a stepmother. They removed sexual references, such as Rapunzel's innocently asking why her dress was getting tight around her belly, and thus naïvely revealing her pregnancy and the prince's visits to her stepmother—but, in many respects, violence, particularly when punishing villains, was increased.
- In 1825 the Brothers published their "small edition," (a selection of 50 tales) designed for child readers. This children's version went through ten editions between 1825 and 1858.
- Naturalism: Was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. It was depicted as a literary movement that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality.
- Characteristics
- Pessimism- Very often, one or more characters will continue to repeat one line or phrase that tends to have a pessimistic connotation, sometimes emphasizing the inevitability of death.
- Detachment- By creating nameless characters. This puts the focus on the plot and what happens to the character, rather than the characters themselves.
- Determinism, the idea that individual characters have a direct influence on the course of their lives is supplanted by a focus on nature or fate.
- Another common characteristic is a surprising twist at the end of the story.
- Writers and their work
- Ernest Hemingway-was a very known author for Naturalism but was only born in the 19th century. There was no work of his that was actually done in the 19th century.
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