Literarische Textanalyse II: Drama und Prosa [LALLB205]

Learning outcomes

• Acquisition of drama-specific vocabulary and analysis techniques

• Ability to trace the evolution of specific literary forms and functions of drama

• Ability to develop a personal analysis of the role of family and generations in a drama or prose text

• Ability to take a position in relation to scientific texts (secondary literature)

• Acquisition of level B2 according to CEFR criteria (for non-native speakers of German)

Objectives

The aim of this course is to develop skills in literary analysis through the analysis of plays and prose texts. In the context of the theme chosen for the year 2022-2023, it will also establish links between the texts and the different historical and political contexts in Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries. The course also focuses on the different forms of selfreflexivity within the texts. This course aims at the acquisition of level B2 according to the CEFR*. For native speakers of German, it will aim to develop their writing and stylistic skills. *https://www.coe.int/fr/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages

Content

Familie im Wandel? Der Mikrokosmos Familie in deutschsprachigen Texten des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts

This course is a continuation of Literarische Textanalyse I: Prosa und Lyrik. After the analysis of narrative texts and poems, we will study drama in particular, but will also continue the analysis of narrative texts.

In 2023-2024 (2nd semester), the topic will be the theme of family and generations in several dramas and novels of the 20th and 21st centuries. The dilemmas facing the "Mutter Courage" in Bertolt Brecht's play Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder (1938/39) are still shatteringly topical, but VThomas Bernhard's drama Heldenplatz (1988) and Katja Petrowskaja's Vielleicht Esther (2014) also show us how the trajectories of families have been shaped by war, exile or migration. The aim is to study how the texts deal with these issues, to distinguish between literary devices and to understand the sometimes very complex reception of the different texts.

Exercises description

The compulsory exercises (15 hrs) aim to stimulate oral expression in German by means of activities focusing on different subjects related to German-speaking culture and to the texts read for the course. Each student will give an oral presentation of a chapter related to the history of 20th century Germany.