Heinrich von Kleist and Modernity (Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture, 111) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1571135065 ISBN 13: 9781571135063

Publisher: Camden House, 2011

Synopsis

Modernity, according to some views, poses the problem of homo politicus -- the problem of how to act in a moral universe without a "master narrative," without a final foundation. From this angle, the oeuvre of Heinrich von Kleist -- novellas, dramas, and essays -- addresses problems emerging from a new universe of Kantian provenance, in many ways the same universe we inhabit today. This volume of new essays investigates Kleist's position in our ever-changing conception of modernity, employing aesthetic, narrative, philosophical, biographical, political, economic, anthropological, psychological, and cultural approaches and wrestling with the difficulties of historicizing Kleist's life and work. Central questions are: To what extent can the multitude of breaking points and turning points, endgames and pre-games, ruptures and departures that permeate Kleist's work and biography be conceptually bundled together and linked to the emerging paradigm of modernity? And to what extent does such an approach to Kleist not only advance understanding of this major German writer and his work, but also shed light on the nature of our present modernity? Contributors: Seán Allan, Peter Barton, Hilda Meldrum Brown, David Chisholm, Andreas Gailus, Bernhard Greiner, Jeffrey L. High, Anette Horn, Peter Horn, Wolf Kittler, Jonathan W. Marshall, Christian Moser, Dorothea von Mücke, Nancy Nobile, David Pan, Ricarda Schmidt, Helmut J. Schneider. Bernd Fischer is Professor of German at the Ohio State University. Tim Mehigan is Professor of German in the Department of Languages and Cultures at the University of Otago, New Zealand.

About this title

About the Author:

Professor and Chair of German, Ohio State University.

Tim Mehigan is professor of German and head of the Department of German and Russian at the University of Melbourne.

Review:

This outstanding collection of essays . . . is an excellent indicator of the state of contemporary Kleist scholarship. Written by some of the foremost Kleist experts, the contributors display a wide methodological range . . . . (P)rovides readers novel insights into what constitutes Kleist's modernity and how his writings participate in modernity's emerging literary, philosophical, and scientific discourses. . . . No matter what methodological predisposition readers have, they will encounter fascinating new insights into the life and work of an author whose unique if enigmatic status is still growing two hundred years after his death. MONATSHEFTE Excellent insights into Kleist's contemporary relevance. . . . This lively, interesting collection offers great benefit to advanced scholars. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. CHOICE

About this edition

• Publisher: Camden House
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1571135065
• ISBN 13: 9781571135063
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 314
• Editor: Fischer Professor Bernd, Mehigan Tim