EU7295: Poetry in German (Advanced)
| School | null |
| Department Code | null |
| Module Code | EU7295 |
| External Subject Code | R220 |
| Number of Credits | 20 |
| Level | L5 |
| Language of Delivery | English |
| Module Leader | Dr Ruth Owen |
| Semester | Spring Semester |
| Academic Year | 2013/4 |
Outline Description of Module
The emphasis of the module is on developing the ability to read and engage critically with poetry in German. This builds on techniques and knowledge acquired during the first-year programme on German Culture.
It will introduce students to examples of political poetry in German. Students will develop transferable skills in critical reading through seminar discussion of a variety of very short and mostly well-known texts.
On completion of the module a student should be able to
- Deliver commentary on a poem, its themes and linguistic effects
- Relate poems to one another and their literary context
- Show familiarity with different phases and trends in the history of German poetry
- Apply basic concepts of textual analysis
- Present arguments logically, drawing on secondary reading
- Critically assess certain positions of theory and criticism
How the module will be delivered
20 lectures and 8 seminars
Skills that will be practised and developed
Close reading
Critical thought
Basic research skills
Organisational skills
Study skills
Writing skills
How the module will be assessed
|
Summative |
30% |
Essay of approx. 2,000 words (excl. bibliography) |
|
Summative |
70% |
Exam |
Assessment Breakdown
| Type | % | Title | Duration(hrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam - Spring Semester | 70 | Poetry In German (Advanced) | 2 |
| Written Assessment | 30 | Poetry In German (Advanced) | N/A |
Syllabus content
- An introduction to analysing poems
2 - Two political poems on the lone individual: Heym's 'Robespierre' and Braun's 'Eigentum'
3 - Two poems of atrocity: Celan's 'Todesfuge' and Kaschnitz's 'Hiroshima',
4 - 3 little poems on the legacy of WW2: Kunert's 'Wenn die Feuer', Pataki's 'wien, zärtlich' and Hahn's 'Nach Jahr und Tag'
5 - Two political poems by the great German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine
6 - this is Reading Week
7 - Brecht's tripartite address 'An die Nachgeborenen'
8 - Two political warning poems: Enzensberger's 'Ins Lesebuch' and Eich's 'Wacht auf'
9 - How to write a commentary on a poem
Over the Easter recess, each student will prepare a presentation on one long or two shorter political poems of their own choosing.
Essential Reading and Resource List
Terry Eagleton, How to read a poem (Blackwell, 2007) - this is in the ASSL in multiple copies
Georg Heym, 'Robespierre'
Volker Braun, 'Das Eigentum'
Paul Celan, 'Todesfuge'
Marie Luise Kaschnitz, 'Hiroshima'
Günter Kunert, 'Wenn die Feuer verloschen'
Ulla Hahn, 'Nach Jahr und Tag'
Heidi Pataki, 'wien, zärtlich'
Heinrich Heine, 'Das Sklavenschiff'
Heinrich Heine, 'Die schlesischen Weber'
Bertolt Brecht, 'An die Nachgeborenen'
Hans Magnus Enzensberger, 'Ins Lesebuch für die Oberstufe'
Günter Eich, 'Wacht auf'
An Introduction to German Poetry - R D Gray
German Poetry - Martin Swales
Arbeitsbuch Deutschsprachige Lyrik - 3 volumes (1880-1916, 1916-1945, seit 1945)
Menschheitsdaemmerung - Kurt Pinthus