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Culture in the Weimar Republic (Level 6)

Overview

  • Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
  • Coordinator: Anna Richards
  • Assessment: a 3500-word essay

Module description

This module will give you an overview of developments in German culture during the period of the Weimar Republic (eg Expressionism, New Objectivity), and allows you to study five works (literary texts and films) in detail, so you can explore in depth some of the specific cultural concerns of the period.

In particular, you will be encouraged to develop an understanding of the relationship between cultural artifacts and the historical context in which they are produced.

All of the texts that you will study are available in both German and in English translation. In the case of films, they will be in German with English subtitles.

Indicative module content

  • Ernst Toller, Hinkemann (Hinkemann) (1923)
  • Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora’s Box) (1928/29)
  • Vicki Baum, Menschen im Hotel (Grand Hotel) (1929)
  • Slatan Dudow, Kuhle Wampe (1932) (The film will be screened in class)
  • Hans Fallada, Kleiner Mann, was nun? (What Now, Little Man?) (1932)

Recommended reading

  • Vicki Baum, Menschen im Hotel (Grand Hotel) (1929)
    • German version: Kiepenheuer & Witsch ISBN 3462031767
    • English version: out-of-print, but various editions are available second-hand on Amazon. Alternatively AR has some to lend.
  • Slatan Dudow, Kuhle Wampe (1932) (This film will be screened in class, but can also be viewed online, e.g. on YouTube.)
  • Hans Fallada, Kleiner Mann, was nun? (What Now, Little Man?) (1932)
    • German version: Rowohl Tb. ISBN 349923291X, also on Kindle.
    • English version: various, including Melville House, 2009. Also available on Kindle.
  • Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora’s Box) (1928/29) (You can see this film online, e.g. at http://www.veoh.com/watch/v209343059YhsncNh, or AR has some copies to lend.)
  • Ernst Toller, Hinkemann (Hinkemann) (1923)
    • German version: Reclam ISBN 3150079500
    • English version: In Toller, Seven Plays (Kindle), or handout available from AR.