Writing Weimar
Critical Realism in German Literature, 1918-1933
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The years of the Weimar Republic saw complex cultural change in Germany as well as political turmoil. Writing Weimar draws on the large amount of research done on the period since the 1980s in order to show how literary writers developed critical perspectives on the social and political issues of the time, and how those perspectives were related to longer-term developments in German culture which run beyond the watershed events of 1918 and 1933. Individual chapters discuss the dominant trends in the poetry, the theatre, and the novel, as well as the literary representation of the city, of technology, and of the First World War. The book also sheds new light on one of the abiding mysteries of German culture in the 1920s: precisely what were the implications of the term Neue Sachlichkeit as it came to be applied to the cultural trends of the time?
The book succeeds in giving a sense of the breadth of literary production during the time, and the various literary concerns of writers come nicely to the fore ... There are some brilliant moments when Midgley manages to give a clear and concise explanation of such events that sparked and influenced well-known literary debates now often cited out of context. * Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies *
David Midgley is to be commended for presenting a new, thorough and accessible study of Weimar literature in English ... an important reference book. * Seminar: A Journal of Germanic Studies *
A major scholarly benefit of this work is its thoughtful and nuanced presentation of continuities and subtle breaks in aesthetic trends ... the scholarly community as well as the general public will benefit from Midgley's engaging, exhaustive and meticulously researched survey of the literary scene and the literary debates in the Weimar Republic. It will certainly impel us to reread some forgotten jewels of Weimar writing and force us to see them in a fresh perspective. * Colloquia Germanica *
Vivid and thoroughly researched ... Midgley's book is successful in convincing the reader of the remarkable multiplicity of writing styles and practices of the 1920s and early 1930s since it brings together, reviews, and analyzes an amazing variety of works and novels written by over 50 authors. * Colloquia Germanica *
Magisterial ... The closely examined texts, and the welcome amount of detailed analysis is what distinguishes this volume. * Modern Language Review *
Midgely's study cannot be recommended highly enough to scholars in the field of Weimar studies and Germanists generally. It has been written with tremendous care and attention to detail, is immaculately referenced, and I was unable to spot a single typographical error. It provides a much-needed overview of a complex era of literary production. * Bill Niven, Journal of European Studies *
ISBN: 9780198151791
Dimensions: 224mm x 146mm x 27mm
Weight: 677g
400 pages