A history of histories of German literature : 1835-1914 / Michael S. Batts.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Batts, Michael S.

Language:

English

German

Subjects (All):

German literature--History and criticism--Theory, etc.

German literature.

German literature--History and criticism.

Criticism--Germany--History.

Criticism.

Criticism--History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 301 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Histories of German literature

Histories of German literature.

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1993.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Batts analyses the kinds of predisposition, or bias, displayed by the authors of these works, and accounts for the persistence of certain biases over a long period of time. Histories of German literature published in other western European countries, Britain, and North America are also evaluated to determine to what extent, if any, a particular (i.e., non-German) attitude towards German literature is characteristic of a given country. The recognition of personal, religious, national, and other biases is important since the stereotypical image of the people of a given country is strongly influenced by the manner in which their literature is portrayed. Batts concludes that the history of German literature as it developed in the nineteenth century has doubly distorted history. The selection of works for inclusion in the histories on subjective grounds of "quality" conceals the fact that other, "inferior," works may in their time have had a far greater impact. As well, the authors of the histories fail to discuss those works from the past that are still being read.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

From Gervinus to the Middle of the Nineteenth Century

From the Middle of the Nineteenth Century to Scherer (1883)

The End of the Nineteenth Century and the Beginning of the Twentieth Century

Titles, Periodization, and the Literary Canon

The Most Successful Histories of German Literature and Translations into Other Languages

Foreign Histories of German Literature: French

Foreign Histories of German Literature: English Language Areas (UK, USA)

Foreign Histories of German Literature: Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland

An Overview

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 218-287) and index.

ISBN:

0-7735-6444-6

OCLC:

929121312