Focus Spring 1998.tif


o e ll s on 



h c u s on 

LITERATUR 

Editors 
Michael Rice 
Barbel Such 

Technical Manager 
Tom Stewart 

Published by the German Graduate Srudenl Governance 
Association of [he University of Cincinnati 



Focuso,lLiJmwI:ar is published semiannually (Spring & Fall) by the Gennan 
Graduate Srudem Governance Association of the Universiry of Cincinnati 

Michael Rice 
BookJlcricwEdJIDr 
Barbel Such 
T<dmlcaI Manager 
Tom Stewart 

Copy_ 
Tim Straubel , Maja Gracanin, 

David Prickett, Angelina Mrsic, 
Yvonne Bahlmann, Jennifer Creech, 

Ju!ia Rued, Christopher Tebbe 
Subscriptions and Mailings 

Michael Rice 
SUBMISSIONS 

FocusonLlleralurwelcomes article submissions from 10-25 pages on topics 
related to German literary studies. Submissions are accepted continuously, 
but contributors must be students at me time of submission . Manuscripts 
must be submilled 10 uipJioue to the editor and should be prepared acam:!· 
ing to the guidelines of the latest MLA Handbook. A self-addressed postcard 
should accompany the manuscript for acknowledgment of its receipt. 

BOOK REVIEWS 
Unsolicited book reviews of 2·5 pages will be considered for publication, yet 
Focus onLiler(.dur prefers to work with an establbhed pool of reviewers. 
lnlerested persons are encouraged to Inform me Book Reviev.' Editor. 

SUBSCKlPTIONS 
Annual subscriptions are S15 .00 for individuals and S22 .00 for InstirutiOn5j 
individuals and 1JlStitutions overseas add 55.00 for additional postage. 

CONTACT ADDRESS 
Send subscription fees and all oilier correspondence to Focu.sonLiteralur, 
Departmem of GermaniC Languages and literatures, UruversllY of CinCin· 
nati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221...()372. Tel: (513) 556-2755 Fax: (513) 556- 1991. 

COVER: "The Book Fool~ from Sebastian Bram's Sbip of Foo/es, London, 
1570, courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Department , University of 
CinCinnati libra ries. Cover design by Giana Morrell. 

We reserve the right [0 make any necessary editing changes without the 
express 'wnnen consem of the authors. 

Member 

e 
Council of Editors of Learned Journals 

ISSN 1076-5697 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The first installment of the f ifth volume of Focus OIl.LlJermur was 
made possible only Wilh the continued comnUllTlent of Dr. J ud~th 
Trent AssOCiate Vice President for Research and Advallced Studies 
and tl1e o fficers of the University of Cinci.tmati Gra ciuate Student 
Governance Association . Wle are deeply indebted to them for their 

support. 
Our sincere thanks go to Department Head Sara Friedrichs~ 

meyer, our Faculty Advisor P rofessor Richard Schade, and othe~ fac~ 
uhy members of me Department of Germanic Languages and litera~ 
rures w ho have been very suppon.ive of this publication We are also 
grateful for me voluntary work offered by the graduate studentS of 

the German department. 
Special thanks to all members of our board of reviewers and 

advisors. Articles for this issue were refereed by the follOWing profes~ 
sors: Sara fr ied richsmeyer (U of Cinc innati) :.IIld Erhard 
Friedrichmeyer (U of Cincinnati). We would also like 10 thank Sara 
Friedrichcneyer (U of Cincinnali), Jerry Glenn (U of Cincinnati), 
ruchard Schade (U of Cincinnati), and Katharina Gerstenberger (U of 
Cincinnati) for meir help in technical mauers 



Foclls onLileratur 
Volume 5, umber 1 

Spring 1998 

Contents 

fromtbeedltor 

German-Jewish Creative Identiry in the Age of Lessing 
and Beyond: Bertold Auerbach's DicbterulldKatf/marm 
HELEN FERSTENBERG 

vi 

""fbe Wenher-pistol killed me!D 13 
Understanding Ulrich Plenzdorfs Novel Die neuelllefdell 
des iungen IV, as a Cull Book 
SUSAN E. HUNNICUTI 

Technologies of Death in Thomas l\Iann's 
7heAfagicAfounlOin 

JULIAN NELSON 

booklUk:W5 

Hans Graf von def Goltz. Ullwegsames Geltinde 
Peter R. Wieninger. DieSpurderKat.zen 

45 
47 

fntudcws 

Ich schreibe Bucher, die ich auch seiber gerne 

lesen wUrde 
I NTERVIEW MIT OEM AUTOR 

THOMAS BRUS$IG 

VieUeichr entspricht die kJeine Form des Gedichts 
am ehesten meinem literarisd,en TemperameOi 
INTERVIEW MIT DEI"I AUTOR 

HANS GEORG BULLA 

3'lfYJIiI. t" 'Is 

51 

61 

70 



vj 

From the Editor 

With this issue, Focus onLileral'Ur enters its fifth year of publication, 
and we me staff are very excited to be able to continue to provide a 
forum for graduate srudents to publish and exchange Lheir scholar­
ship and ideas. We encourage any graduate srudent who would like to 
share their academic endeavors in the field of German literary studies 
to send us their manuscripts for possible publication. 

Plans for our Third Annual Graduate Student Conference 
are well underway. We have invited Dr. Wolf Wucherpfennig, au­
thor of Gescbichle de,. deutschell Lflerolur. Von Alifal1gen bis zur 
GegemuCiltas this year's keynOle speaker. The response [0 me caU for 
papers indeed has been outstanding. We have received abstracts deal­
ing with many of the tOpics listed in the call. Although no decisions 
about the papers have yet been made, the conference promises to be 
an enlightening and entenaining event. It will take place on October 
9-10, 1998 here at the Universlry of Cincinnati. If anyone is inter­
ested in anending, we can supply information concerning lodging, 
directions, etc. See the advenisement in the Announcement section 
at the end of the journal for further infonnation. 

As in the last issue of Focus onLUerahlr, we are proud to 
publish rwo articles as proceedings papers from our Second Annual 
Graduate Student Conference. In the first article, originally presented 
at the conference, Helen Fersrenberg discusses the German-Jewish 
Creative Identity in the Age o f Lessing by concem1"ating on Bertold 
Auerbach's Dichler und Kat!plltlllll. In her analysjs Ferstenberg shows 
!.hat Auerbach rejected the label ~Jewish writer," while retaining a 
separate Jewish religiOUS identiry. In the second article, also a pro­
ceedings paper from the conference, Susan Hunnicun analyzes Ulrich 
Plenzdorfs novel Die n(!uen feiden des jtmgen IV. HuruUOJu puts forth 
that Plenzdorfs novel can be viewed as a cult book. Hunnicun looks 
(0 John Collins' book ?be Cull ExfJefiencefor the theoretical basis of 
her argument. In the third and ftnal article Julian Nelson investigates 
me role of technologies of death in ~Iann's 7be.iJfagic Afounloin. Nelson 
discusses the various representations of death in 7heAfagicAloumain 
and how technology is "instrumental in Hans Cas(orp's 'aesthetic 

vii 

education.'" 
Allhough our book review section is comparatively smaller 

from past editions, we are pleased to present to the reader rwo books 
that are objects of discussion in Gennany. We include here a novel by 
Hans Graf von der Goltz and Peter R. Wieninger. 

The flOal section includes an iOlerview with author Thomas 
Brussig who came (0 the Universiry of Cincinnati this April to read 
from his novel, Heldell wie u'li: We were very pleased 1O have the 
opportuniry to inrerview Ilerr Brussig after having published a re­
view of HeIden wie wli·in the last issue of Focus onLHeralur. The 
second interview with Hans Georg Bulla was conducted by Volker 
Langeheine from Michigan Stale University at the beginning of 1998 
in I-iannover. 

In conclusion, I would like to express my thanks to the De­
partment of Gennanic Languages and Literarures for giving me the 
opportunity to experience the world of publishing firsthand. I have 
enjoyed my year being the editor of FocusonLlteratur, meeting gradu­
ate srudenLS from different universities, authors and editors, and other 
interesting people. I hope Barbel Such, who will be taking over the 
position of editor-in-chief, will find her year as rewarding as I have. 

Michael Rice