"In this study, Stephen Brockmann challenges the received wisdom that the immediate postwar period in Germany was an intellectually barren one characterized primarily by silence on the major issues of the day, revealing, in addition to attempts to obfuscate those issues, a German intellectual - and literary - world characterized by an often high level of dialogue and debate."--BOOK JACKET.
"Nuremberg: The Imaginary Capital is a broad study of German cultural and intellectual history since 1500, with a particular emphasis on the period from 1800 to the present. The book explores the ways in which Germans, over the past two centuries, have imagined Nuremberg as a cultural and spiritual capital, focusing feelings of national identity and belonging on the city - or on their Images of it." "Nuremberg: The Imaginary Capital analyzes the way in which a particular city came to be seen, in Germany and elsewhere, as representative of the national whole. The book goes beyond the analysis of particular historical periods by showing how successive epochs' images of Nuremberg built on those preceding them; thus German cultural and intellectual history is shown as an intelligible unity centered around fascination with and veneration for a particular city."
A history of German film dealing with individual films as works of art has long been needed. Existing histories tend to treat cinema as an economic rather than an aesthetic phenomenon; earlier surveys that do engage with individual films do not include films of recent decades. This book treats representative films from the beginnings of German film to the present. Providing historical context through an introduction and interchapters preceding the treatments of each era's films, the volume is suitable for semester- or year-long survey courses and for anyone with an interest in German cinema. The films: The Student of Prague - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - The Last Laugh - Metropolis - The Blue Angel - M - Triumph of the Will - The Great Love - The Murderers Are among Us - Sun Seekers - Trace of Stones - The Legend of Paul and Paula - Solo Sunny - The Bridge - Young T rless - Aguirre, The Wrath of God - Germany in Autumn - The Marriage of Maria Braun - The Tin Drum - Marianne and Juliane - Wings of Desire - Maybe, Maybe Not - Rossini - Run Lola Run - Good Bye Lenin - Head On - The Lives of Others Stephen Brockmann is Professor of German at Carnegie Mellon University and past President of the German Studies Assocation.
Focusing on the early literature of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from its inception through the 1950s, this work addresses the overlooked period in literary scholarship. It highlights the significant cultural and political influences that shaped the literary landscape during these formative years, offering a fresh perspective on the GDR's literary heritage and its evolution.
East Germany's Final Year in Culture and Memory
Exploring a unique historical period, the book reveals that between late 1989 and autumn 1990, the GDR transformed into an unexpected haven of freedom, despite its oppressive reputation. During this time, the dictatorship had collapsed, yet the welfare system persisted, creating a paradoxical environment where citizens experienced unprecedented liberties. This examination challenges conventional narratives about the GDR, highlighting a brief moment of liberation amidst a backdrop of historical oppression.
Exploring the evolution of German cinema from early classics like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari to contemporary works by filmmakers such as Fassbinder and Herzog, this comprehensive guide offers an in-depth introduction to the subject. It features detailed chapters on thirty-two films and seven interchapters that contextualize historical developments. The expanded second edition includes five new films and a focus on women's contributions to cinema, making it an essential resource for both enthusiasts and academic settings. Stephen Brockmann, a noted professor, provides insightful analysis throughout.
English / GermanDeutsch / EnglishOne of the most controversial aspects of Brecht scholarship in the last two decades has been Brecht’s relationship with the many women in his life. Who Was Ruth Berlau? is devoted primarily to the life and work of Bertolt Brecht’s collaborator and lover Ruth Berlau, the Danish actress and journalist who accompanied Brecht and his family on their epic journey from Finland across the Soviet Union and the Pacific Ocean, as Brecht sought to put as much distance as possible between himself and Nazi Germany. In addition to contributions by leading scholars on Berlau and her relationship to Brecht—scholars such as Sabine Kebir, Hans Christian Nørregard, Franka Köpp, and Grischa Meyer—volume 30 of the Brecht Yearbook also makes available, for the first time, Bertolt Brecht’s and the great exile filmmaker Fritz Lang’s scenario “Never Surrender,” a recently discovered preliminary stage of the work on Lang’s classic 1943 anti-Nazi film Hangmen Also Die. Included are sections on contemporary theater in Great Britain, Hungary and Brazil; music, theater, and politics; and the Brechtian Lehrstück and the concept of Gestus. Roughly half of the contributions to volume 30 are in English and half are in German.Distributed for the International Brecht Society.
This text contains Bertolt Brecht and Fritz Lang's German-language scenario 437, a treatment for what would eventually become Lang's classic anti-Nazi "Hangmen Also Die".
As Brecht’s Galileo observed, a country which needs heroes is unfortunate indeed – words which suggest that a society’s need for heroes is always a function of its shortcomings. By examining the role that heroes and heroism have played in German literature and culture over the past two centuries, the essays in this volume illuminate and contour both a flawed German society in need of heroes and the flawed but essential heroes brought forth by that society. Beginning in he era of the anti-Napoleontic Wars of Liberation, advancing to the challenging situation Germany faced at the end of World War II, and concluding with the current reemergence of a unified Germany after almost half a century of division, this volume broadens our understanding of the inadequacies and breakdowns of German society. In addition to analyses of heroism in German culture during the last two centuries, this volume contains the first major essays in English on cultural representations of disability in German culture and on AIDS in German literature, as well as two essays on the scholarly accomplishments of Jost Hermand, to whom all of the essays in the volume are dedicated.
This book is the first systematic attempt in English to examine the literary consequences of German reunification. In its emphasis on problems of national identity, it is one of the first books in any language to treat contemporary Germany as a cultural and national unity. In exploring the ways in which authors of the 1990s have sought to cope with history and national identity, the book addresses questions about the role of the nation and a national literature in the context of economic and political globalization.