GERMAN 421 A: Studies in Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture

Between 1750 and 1830, German playwrights created some of the most memorable characters on the modern theatrical stage, such as Lessing’s Minna or Goethe’s Faust. They adapted classical myths and dramatized history in new ways. Their goal was to establish a text-based theater for educating the audience and creating new forms of aesthetic community. They distanced themselves both from the lavish court spectacles of the time as well as the popular marketplace shows of the itinerant actors’ troupes.

In this course, we will examine the German and Viennese theater of the long 18^th century, the so-called Goethezeit, focusing our attention on five major playwrights and plays: Goethe’s Faust I; Schiller’s Maria Stuart; Lessing’s Minna von Barnhelm, Grillparzer’s Medea (from the trilogy Das goldene Vliess) and Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte. We will ask how these “very serious jokes” (Goethe’s term for his Faust) may continue to entertain and engage us today.

Annotated versions of the plays are available to help with the readings in German. Class discussion will be in German or English, depending on the linguistic preparation of the group. Required preparation: German 203. Recommended level of preparation: German 301, 302 or 303. Course requirements: Class participation, oral  presentations, critical journals, midterm and final-exam essay.