German 179. Austrian History in Literature

Instructor

Frank Johnson

Date/Time

T 12:45 - 2:45 pm

This course uses Austrian literature to think through some of the most pressing questions of modern European (and, specifically, Austrian) history.  We will read some of the greatest novels and novellas in modern German-speaking literature as learn about the Habsburg monarchy, turn-of-the-century Vienna, the First and Second World Wars, the expulsion of Austrian Jewry, and postwar mythmaking.  Important themes include: women’s role in society and in the family; the rise of nationalism as a social and political force and the viability of multinational empires; sex and sexuality; justice, mercy, and retribution; what Austria is and what it means to be Austrian; anti-Semitism, Zionism, and European Jewry; cultural, political, and violent forms of social protest; the transformative power of war.  Open to undergraduate and graduate students, with the permission of the instructor.

This course is equivalent to HIST 1919. Credit may be earned for History 1919 or German 179, but not both.