German literature
Faust's linguistic tradition
German literature encompasses works written in the German language, spanning from medieval epics like the Nibelungenlied through Goethe and Schiller's classical period to modernists like Kafka and Mann.
The tradition is known for philosophical depth and contributions to Romanticism, expressionism, and existential thought.
She studied German literature at university.
German poet-dramatist, 1749-1832
- KafkaCzech-Jewish literary surname
- HesseGerman federal state
- GrimmFolklorist brothers' surname
- FaustLegendary deal-with-devil maker
Thomas Mann · Hoffmann · Rilke · Steppenwolf · Siddhartha · Metamorphosis · Gutenberg Bible · Bildungsroman
New and unusual
- novellaShort fictional book
- BildungsromanNovel of formative years
- proseUnversified language
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
narrator · plot · characters · setting · motif · theme · unreliable narrator · stream of consciousness
Song's text
- verseMetered poetic passage
- GoetheGerman poet-dramatist, 1749-1832
- LoreleiRhine rock or maiden
- sonnetFourteen-line metered poem
Rilke · ballad · ode · elegy · meter · rhyme · stanza · imagery
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- nihilismRejection of objective meaning
- phenomenologyStudy of subjective experience
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- NietzscheGerman philosopher of will
Schopenhauer · Heidegger · Adorno · Benjamin · critical theory · Kantianism · aesthetics · ethics
Inherited cultural narratives
- fairy talesTraditional magical children's stories
- sublimeAwe-inspiring greatness
- nature poetryPoems about landscapes, wildlife
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
Disastrous or sorrowful event
- Threepenny OperaWeimar-era satirical stage work
- epic theaterDidactic, distancing stagecraft
- stagecraftTheater production expertise
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
German Enlightenment thinker
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- reasonBasis or justification
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
- humanismPhilosophy prioritizing earthly reason
Goethe
German poet-dramatist, 1749-1832
Thomas Mann · Hoffmann · Rilke · Faust · Steppenwolf · Siddhartha · Metamorphosis · Gutenberg Bible · Bildungsroman · canon
novel
New and unusual
- novellaShort fictional book
- BildungsromanNovel of formative years
- proseUnversified language
storytelling · narrator · plot · characters · setting · motif · theme · unreliable narrator · stream of consciousness · realism
lyric
Song's text
Rilke · sonnet · ballad · ode · elegy · meter · rhyme · stanza · imagery · free verse
existentialism
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- nihilismRejection of objective meaning
- phenomenologyStudy of subjective experience
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
Nietzsche · Schopenhauer · Heidegger · Adorno · Benjamin · critical theory · Kantianism · aesthetics · ethics · metaphysics
folklore
Inherited cultural narratives
- fairy talesTraditional magical children's stories
- sublimeAwe-inspiring greatness
- nature poetryPoems about landscapes, wildlife
mythology · medievalism · emotion · individualism · supernatural
tragedy
Disastrous or sorrowful event
- Threepenny OperaWeimar-era satirical stage work
- epic theaterDidactic, distancing stagecraft
- stagecraftTheater production expertise
Kant
German Enlightenment thinker
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- reasonBasis or justification
- toleranceWillingness to accept difference
humanism · progress · cosmopolitanism · emancipation · natural rights
- GermanAustria, Switzerland, Berlin, Vienna, Munich
- GermanyBerlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt
- world literatureFrench novels, Russian novels, Japanese fiction, translated works, British novels
- Literary ClassicsFaust, Divine Comedy, Inferno, Paradiso, epic poetry
- German Diasporaimmigrant communities, immigration waves, cultural centers, immigration records, dual heritage
- book genresfiction, novels, nonfiction, mystery, thriller
German literatureFrench literature
Written works from France
English literature · British literature · American literature · Japanese literature · Latin American literature
German literatureFrench literature
Written works from France
British literature · American literature · Japanese literature · oral literature · folk literature
literature, literary, literate, Germany, illiterate, German, literatures, Germanic, literalness