Focus Fall 1995.tif VOL. 2 No.2 FALL 1995 o c U S on I Sample COpy / Ansichtsexemplar lo c U S on LITERATUR Edited by Garry L Fourman Jeffery S. Hull J eHrey Dean Todd Published by the German Graduate Student Governance Association of the U niversity of Cincinnati Focus on Literatur is published semiannually (Spring & Fall) by the German Gradua te Snldent Goyernance Association of the University of Cincinnati. Editor Garry L. Fourman Assistant Editor Jeffery s. Hull Book Review Editor Jeffrey Dean Todd Copy Editors Christina L. Bonner Carolyn Ostermann SUBM ISSIONS Focus on Literati" welcomes article submissions from ID-25 pages on topics related to German literary studies. Submissions are accepted continuously, bur contributors must be srudents at the lime of submission. Manuscripts must be submitted in triplicate to the editor and should be prepared accord~ iog to the guidelines of the latest MLA Handbook. A self-addressed pOSt­ card should accompany the manuscript fo r acknowledgment of its receipt. BOOK REVIEWS Unsol icited book reviews of 2-5 pages will be consi dered for publication, yet Focus all Literalur prefers to work with an established pool of reviewers. Interested persons are encouraged to inform the Book Review Editor. SUBSCR IPTIONS Annual subscriptions are $15.00 for individuals and $22,00 for instirutions; individuals and insti tutions overseas add $5.00 for additional postage. CO NTACT ADDRESS Send subscription fees and aU other correspondence to Focus on Literatllr, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Cincin. Imi, Cincinnati, Oh io -15221·0372. Tel: (513) 556-2755 Fax: (513) 556-1991. COVER: "The Book Fool" from Sebastian Brant'S Ship of foole5, London, 1570, courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Deparrmem, University of Cincinnati Libraries. Cover design by Giana Morrell. Member c§) Counci l of Ed itors of Learned Journals ISSN 1076-5697 III AC KNO WLEDGMENTS T his second issue in volume tWO of Focus on Lileralllr represents the continu ing suPPOrt of many people , Depart,mem H ead Sara Fr iedrichsmeyer and t he ent ire faculty of Ge rma mc La~guages and Literatures have given mo re than thei r fai r share of ad.vlCe and su p­ pOrt. R ichard Schade deserves special thanks for ans,";enng o,ur ~an~ q~test i o ns, Dean J udith T rent along wi th the Unive rs~ty of Cl ncl~nan Graduate Student Governance Associat ion are espec~al1y appreciated for their ongo ing financ ial support. T he fo~mer ed uo rs J. Gregory R eddi ng, H erman J. D e Vries Jr., and D aV Id N, Coury have been extremely hel pful in the lransi~ i on process. . .. Managing a journal is difficult en~lIgh; It would be ImpOSSIble wit hou t the assistance o f the the fol lowlOg graduat~ stlld.en rs fr~m the University o f Cincinnat i, w ho helped read and edit art,ldes: Rlc~ard Askren, T anya H ampton, and M ichael Shaughenessy, 1 h~ orgaOlze rs of "Intersect io ns?!" from the U niversity o f Pen:,sylva~ l~, Ger hard Reich and Niel McDowell, also assisted in the fmal edltlOg process and have ou r sincere gratitude. from the editor Focus on Literatur Volume 2, N umber 2 Pall 1995 Contents from the organizers of "Intersections?!" ar ticles Theodor SlOrm: Writing Histo ry Against [he Grain ANN REIDY Helga Schuben'sJI/{/asfrallen: The Use of Narrative in Documentary Literature CYNTI-llA APPL Clio in the Midst of Patriarchy: Tony Buddenbrook VL VIII 125 139 and the Mediation of the Buddenbrook Family Past 149 NORM AN ROESSLER The German Ex ile \'(Iriler in New York City 19))-19 .. 5: a Case Study 155 GERHARD REICH Ludwig Tieck and the Renaissance: Questions of Canon on the Cusp of Realism 16) JENNIFER ClZlK MARSHALL Klopstock: National-patriotische Gedanken eines deutschen Poeten 17J STEFAN JUX book reviews Thomas Lehr. Die Erb6ru1lg Ludwig Harig. Der Uhru:erker 'V01l GJarlls Peter Weber. DeT Wettennacher H erbert Rosendorfer. Ein Liebhaber I/I/gerader lab/ell Wolfgang Koeppen. feh bin gem ill Venedlg 'U'arum . Selim Ozdogan. Es 1St so emsam 1m Sattel. se/( tlas Pford tollSl Bodo Kirchhoff. Gegen file Lall/riehlilug Der Ansager emeT SmpCeaSellltmmer gibt 1/Ichl allf Kersri n H ensel. Tanz am Kandt Brigiue Struzyk . ln volfen Zllgen. Riick·sichcen Tankred Dorst. Die Schatten/ime Herrad Schenk. Am E,ule contribu[ol'S announcemen ts 185 187 190 191 195 198 201 20-1 207 210 214 217 218 VI From the Editor Completing the second volume of publication, this fourth issue represents an experimental, cooperative effort between tWO graduate programs. It is a large-scale example of Focus on Lileratur's implicit function: [Q initiate dialogue among the people who are beginning and pursuing careers in Germamscik. The journal has provided a needed forum for graduate students lO share their research beyond their local institutions, introduced recent publications by contemporary Ger­ man authors, and presented first-hand interviews with several of them. For the first four issues, the editors received fony submissions, eigh­ teen of which have been published. Even the authors of those papers not published received extensive, professional feedback on their work. Our pool of reviewers and professional referees continues to grow. The journal has succeeded in establishing links of communication among graduate students in different programs throughout the United States, Canada, and Germany. Instead of the usual articles and interviews, in this issue we are publishing selected papers presented at Imeractions?!, a graduate Stu­ dent conference held last sp ring at the University of Pennsylvania. The editorial process has differed slightly from previous issues. The papers were initially selected by the organizers of the conference and forwarded to us. Then the FoclIs editorial committee reviewed the pape rs as referees. Impressed with the diversity and quality of the papers, we selected six which best matched the objectives of the jour­ nal and the interests of our readers. The organizers of the conference at the University of Pennsylvania have provided an introduction to the conference and the papers. As Focus begins its lhird volume, a number of changes are in the works. We have instituted a Home Page with information on upcom­ ing volumes, conferences, and issues of interest to all people involved in German Studies. On the Home Page, there will be information on current and previous articles, book reviews, and interviews published in Focus, as well as subscription information. Finally, the FoOts Home Page provides links to the internet of information related both to the teaching of German and research in German Studies. Currently, it can VII be reached at http://www.uc.eclu/-fourmag/focus.htm. On a final note, 1 am happy to announce that th~ e~itors of Foc~s and the German Graduate Student Governance ASSOciatiOn at the Um­ versity of Cincinnati are sponsoring a graduate student conference to be held at the University of CinCInnati on OctOber 11-12, 1996. We are calling for abstracts on the topic of "German Literature since 1970." The deadline fo r submissions is February 1, 1996. Papers presented at the conference will be considered for publication in iuture issues of FoClls. This period spann ing over 25 years includes t he dynamic post­ unification period in the Federal Repub,iic of Germany: Current CO~­ troversy surround ing Gi.inter Grass's Em breues Feld will be one topIC examined. The organizers of the conference concu r that a theme fo­ cusing on literature after 1970 would o~fer. both broad appeal and att ract diverse and interesting papers.We invite the graduate students among our readers to consider participating in this event. Garry L. Fourman VIII From the Organizers of Interactions?! The conference Imersecrions?!took place at the University of Penn­ sylva.nia on Saturday, l-vlarch 25, 1995. It was sponsored by the De­ partment of Germanic Languages and Literatures, enlisting the sup­ POrt of the Departments of History and Comparative Literature. Con­ centrating on the relalionship between literature and history in Ger­ man Studies, a topic chosen for its broadness and contemporaneity, the conference sought to examine and cri tically discuss an often vague and complex subject. Despite the difficulties encountered in conven­ ing Stich an event, the conference proved to be a success on a number of levels. First of all, the conference supplied a necessary forum for gradu­ ate students, with participants not only from various departments at the University of Pennsylvania (German, History, Comparative Lit­ erature) but also from across the nation: Columbia, Harvard, Penn State, Rutgers, SUNY/Stony Brook, University of Massachusetts/ Amherst, University of MinnesOla, Vassar, and Yale_ Our goal was to facilitate a discussion between various academic disciplines, inviting not only different insights from fields outside of German Studies, but also seeking points of connection between the disparate methodolo­ gies_ Withom a doubt, the interdisciplinary nature of the conference added a refreshing and provocative note to the proceedings. Secondly, Imersecrions?! was committed to moving beyond a fo r­ mat organized around individual sessions without an overarching theme. The conference, in Ihe sessions as well as the final panel discus­ sion, strove to address various topics and methodologies under one rub ric. This proved to be a daunting task, for underlying all the pre­ sentations were fundamental questions such as: "How does one define the concepts literature and history? Are the disciplines of literature and history seeking the same goals or entirely different ones? Can there be a fruitful collaboration between literature and history or will there always be an unbridgeable abyss?'" To be sure, this endeavor was the most ambit ious of the conference. The conference was divided into six sessions. Two sessions each addrtssed, respectively, "The Mediation of History" and "National IX Ident iry," while one session was devoted [.0 "R~lhink.in.g (H.i~~stor(' The conference concluded with a panel discussiOn, entitled ralkmg [he Literature and History Conundrum Blues. n The sessions devoted to "The Mediation of lIi story" examined, through historical and historiographical inve~ligation, d.le pr?,esses by which historical elements and ideas about history are dlSSe~mated. In addition to the papers included in this journal from Cynthia Appl, j ennife r Cizik Marshall, and Ann Reidy the following were also pre­ sented: Lauren M. Enzie (UMass/ Amherst), "Technology out of Con­ trol: Apocalyptic Expressionism and the jews m Paul Wegener'~ £?er Go/em wie er in die Weir kam"; j ohn Zilcosky (penn), "Modermzmg Monu~lents: Eliot, Nietz.sche, and the Problem of History"; Colin B. Schaub (Minnesota)' "Toward a Narrative ConstelLllion in Walter Benjamin's Der Enahler"; and Jonathan Skolnik (Columbia): ~f..llyth and H istory: Thomas Mann, Oskar Goldberg, and the H IStO rica l Nove\." The sessions which revolved around the topic "National Iden­ tity" analyzed the role of nationality as it related to literature and history. The essays from Srefanjux and Gerhard Reic~ wer: included in these sessions. Other conference papers not found m thiS volume: Michael Staebe (UMass/ Amherst), "Die Heimkehr-ein feier~i~h:.s Gefiihl, was?-Deulsche Geschichte(n) in der xhwarzwaldkliOlk ; Ingrid Schenk (penn), "T~t which ~est: German Cigarel~i! Co~s~lmp­ lion as a Mirror of National Identity m 1948 and 1990 ; Kmue A. Foell (Vassar) , "The New Mitlduferwm: Rethinking Recent German H isto ry"; and Shelley Kirilenko (penn), "Feuding Ami-Heroes:. The Ouel as Fossilized Social Ritual in the Dramas o f Anhur Schnitzler and Anton C hekhov." T he session which concentrated on the theme "Rethinki ng (I-Jis)story" sought to investiga t~ t.he historical. and hist.ori~graphical impulses found outside the tradltlonal masculme domlnauon of the area. Apart from Norman Roessler's"essay these pape~s were also pre­ sented: Glenn Sandberg (Rutgers), A Castrated Dionysus: Brach, Bachofen and Massenfuh rer Sexuality" and Aleksandra Bednarowska (SUNY/Stony Brook), "'Oi!r Eintritt der Frauen in die Geschichte in dem Trobadora Beamz-Roman von lrmtraud Morgner." Finally, the panel djscussion entitled "Talking the Literatu~e.and Histo ry Conundrum Blues" invited noted schola rs Dr. LIliane x Weissberg (penn: German & Comparative Literature) and Dr. Tho­ mas Childers (penn: History) as well as participants from the confer­ ence to examine once again the tOpic in light of the day's proceedings. This brought IO a close a fruitful and rewarding intellectual exchange. The organizers would like to thank the numerous people who made this first annual conference possible. \VIe cannot list you ail, but profound thanks are due to all those who helped us from the Depart­ menu of Germanic Languages and Litera(Ures, History, and Com­ parative Literature. Thanks also IO the moderators: N. Jeff Rogers, Susan Schwaneflugei, Julia Sneeringer, Daniel While, and Marion Hussong, the professors who gave their suppOrt and advice: Dr. Frank Trommler and Dr. Karl F. Otto, Jr. as well as the guest speakers: Dr. Lil iane Weissberg and Dr. Thomas Childers. Special thanks is extended to Dr. Horst Daemmrich, whose support and inspiration made this event possible. Finally, we would like to acknowledge our partner. ship with the journal FOCJH. Devoted to the same basic goals we share. they have graciously agreed to publish select papers from the confer­ ence. We salute Focus and their commitment to intellectual endeavor and professional development. Looking back we can only view the 1995 conference as a success and look forward to the 1996 conference. The 1996lmersections?!con_ ference. entitled Franco·German DlSCOJlrses: Literary Exchanges from the Middle Ages to the t'U!emiech Century, will take place March 22-23, 1996_ For more information com act Tim Lyons {(2I5) 898-7332 / tlyons@sas.upenn.edu } or consult the Department H ome Page (http:/ /ccal.sas.upenn.edu/ german). Norman Roessler N . ]effRogers N iel McDowell Theodor Storm: Writing History Against the Grain Ann Reidy (I n the mOSt astute pronouncement on Theoclo r Storm's thematization of history 10 date, David Jackson stoues: "1-{e wrOte hisrory against lhe official grain" (203). Storm's subversion of the norm, Jackson argues, lies in his refusal to acknowledge only the great, he· roic figures of rhe past as panicipams in history and (herefo~e w~rt.hy of inclusion in histOrical accounts. This commitment to remscnbmg the traditionally marginalized into historical discourse is evidenced in texlS centered around common folk interacting with lo.:al forces rather than an elite corps of intellectual, political, and anistic luminaries Qack­ son 203). Unfortunately, Jackson's primary concern is not Storm's treat­ ment of history and therefore his remarks on the [Opic are limited. The question of how Storm's historical fiction a~peals to a.nd problematizes dominant modes of historiography of hiS day re~atns largely unanswered. In examining Storm's Ch~omknovel!en, th~s pa­ per challenges the dism issa l of Storm as a senwnemal Helfnaldl~hter and offers new strategies for reading his tex ts as lite rary protestations against prevailing trends in nineteenth-century German histo riog.ra­ phy. In panicular, Storm addresses the presuppositions of "objective history," a discourse most closely associated with th~ name Leo~old von Ranke. While the objections to Rankean histonography VO iced by figu res such as Niet2.SChe, Dilthey, and Burckhardt are well·re· hearsed, Storm's role as an active participant in these critiques is unac­ knowledged . What follows represents an attempt to locate St~rm within this critical trajectory. I approach Storm's texts not as a direct and personal attack on Ranke, but rather as a stage in the rec~pti.o~ of the historical discourse popularized by him, with all the misprISion, simplification, and insight that the reception process invariably in­ volves. Focus on Literallfr Vol. 2, No.2 (1995)