Course Description
What is the “Age of Goethe”? Roughly, this descriptor applies to the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, corresponding to the decades in which Goethe and his contemporaries were producing literary and philosophical writings that would inform Western European literature and humanities for the next two centuries, indeed up to the present day. This course will introduce central literary, philosophical, and cultural themes of the late 18th century through the lens of German-speaking authors, particularly the two towering giants of the era: Johann Wolfang Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. There will be a special focus on the periods of Sturm und Drang (“Storm and Stress”) and Weimarer Klassik (“Weimar Classicism”), ending with the death of Friedrich Schiller in 1805. The course is not organized strictly chronologically, but rather is grouped around themes that were salient not only two hundred years ago, but also resonate for us today: What is the relationship of the individual to society? What is the role of religion and faith? What are the aesthetic and moral ideals we should strive for? How are women represented literarily and culturally?
In this course, students will expand and deepen their knowledge about the history of German literature and important social and cultural movements as well as key figures in the 18th century. Students will gain experience in analyzing and interpreting literary texts as well as how to decode the cultural, social, aesthetic, genre-specific, and biographical factors that form the context of a text. The readings and assignments in the course will also foster the development of comprehension, speaking, and writing skills in German.