Fall 2018  |  GER 3490 Section 001: Topics in German Literature -- German Fools and Tricksters (33637)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Class Attributes:
Topics Course
Meets With:
GER 5410 Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/04/2018 - 12/12/2018
Tue, Thu 02:30PM - 03:45PM
UMTC, East Bank
Folwell Hall 6
Enrollment Status:
Open (6 of 20 seats filled)
Course Catalog Description:
Intensive exploration of specific authors, literary genres, or literary topics not covered in period courses.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?singerr+GER3490+Fall2018
Class Description:
A strange thing happens each year in February in parts of Germany and German Switzerland: Respectable citizens dress up as fools and take to the streets, throwing confetti and teasing bystanders. This custom exemplifies an exceptional fascination with fools in German culture that goes back to the Middle Ages and connects high and popular culture. Characteristic is the tension between the "foolish fool" who fools himself, and the "trickster fool" who fools others. The foolish fool is exemplified by the first German books in print that became international bestsellers, namely Sebastian Brant's moralizing "Ship of Fools" (1494), the trickster by Herman Bote's anarchic Till Eulenspiegel (1515). Starting with these books, we will analyze extracts from prominent literary works, including Grimmelshausen's baroque novel Simplicius Simplicissimus (1668), Goethe's Faust drama (presenting the devil as trickster who ultimately gets fooled), and Günter Grass' novel The Tin Drum (1959). We will give special consideration to connections between these works and visual culture, especially illustrations and film adaptations. Another aspect will be the work of performance artists and satirists in the fool-tradition, such as Martin Sonneborn, who is the leader of the satirical party DIE PARTEI and a member of the European parliament where he plays the fool in a very diligent German way. Last but not least, we will learn about "Kasperl(e)," a hand puppet that is still part of most Germans' childhood, and its theatrical ancestry that goes back to the 17th century. Our guiding question will be whether these fools rather confirm, or subvert, social norms.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33637/1189
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
30 March 2018

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