German Literature, Critical Thought and New Media 1900-1945 (403-0-1)

Instructors

Peter Fenves
847/467-2966
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge 3329
Office Hours: Mon, 12 - 1:30 PM and by appointment

Meeting Info

Kresge 3354 German Seminar Rm.: Mon 2:00PM - 5:00PM

Overview of class

The aim of this seminar is for all of its participants to gain a better conception of what Walter Benjamin was seeking to accomplish in the habilitation-thesis he prepared for the University of Frankfurt in the mid-1920s, later published under the title Ursprung des deutschen Trauerspiels (Origin of the German Mourning Play). The seminar is broken into two parts. In the first, we begin by discussing the brief essays Benjamin identifies on the book's dedication page as its preconception, and we proceed to examine various habilitation-themes with which Benjamin experimented before deciding to concentrate on the theme of the German Trauerspiel. In the second part of the seminar, we will work through the three sections of the book, starting with a brief examination of its "Cognition-Critical Preface," to which we return in the final weeks, when we also read the preliminary draft of the Preface along with the outlines Benjamin prepared for a conclusion he never completed. In the early weeks of the quarter every participant is expected to identify a tragedy or Trauerspiel that will be the basis of an in-class presentation during the second part of the seminar. The tragedy or Trauerspiel does not have to be one that Benjamin discusses; it's best if it is one that derives from the participant's planned field of expertise.

Registration Requirements

None. Reading knowledge of German desirable but not required.

Learning Objectives

• Become familiar with the outlines of Benjamin's early thought
• Acquire familiarity with various ways of treating the relation between philosophy and literature in early twentieth-century German thought and literature
• Gain knowledge of certain elements in theory of the symbol as well as corresponding elements in the theory of allegory.

Teaching Method

seminar

Evaluation Method

Class participation
Paper, final
Presentations

Class Materials (Required)

• Walter Benjamin, Origin of the German Trauerspiel, trans. Howard Eiland (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2019); ISBN 9780674744240
• Walter Benjamin, Ursprung des deutschen Trauerspiels, available online (it's in public domain)
• Translations of other Benjamin texts (in my translation) will be distributed via Canvas

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: REASON: Pre-registration is not allowed for this class. Please try again during regular registration.