Focus Spring 1999.tif VOL.6 NO.1 SPRING 1999 o c U S on I Sample Copy I Ansichtsexemplar I 10 C U S on LITERATUR Editors Barbel Such Timothy St raubel Technical Manager Michael Shaughnessy Published by the German Graduate Student Governance Association of the University of Cincinnati L Focus on Lileratltr is publish~d semiannually (Spring & Fall) by the G~rman Graduat~ Student Governanc~ Association of th~ University of Cincinnati. Editor Barbel Such Book Review Editor Timorhy Straub~ l Technical Manag~r Michael Shaughnessy Copy Editors Susanne Lenne David Prickett~Barnes Michael Rice David Stroeh Subscriptions and Mailings Barbel Such SUBMISSIONS Foot, on Literatllr welcomes article submissions from 10-25 pages on topics related to German literary studies. Submissions are accepted continuously, but contributors must be students at the time of submission. Manuscripts must be submitted in triplicate to the editor and should be prepared accord· ing to the guidelines of the latest MLA Handbook. A self·addressed postcard should accompany the manuscript for acknowledgment of its receipt. BOOK REVlEWS Unsolicited book reviews of 2·5 pages will be considered for publication, yet Focus on Literatur prefers to work with an established pool of reviewers. In­ terested persons are encouraged to inform the Book Review Editor. SUBSCRIPT IONS Annual subscriptions are SI5.00 for individuals and S22.00 for institutions; individuals and institutions overs~as add $5.00 for additional postage. CONTACT ADDRESS Send subscription f~es and correspondence to Focus on Literawr, PO Box 210371, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Oh io 45221-0372. Tel: (S13) 556-2755 Fax: (513) 556--1991 Email: focusonlit@hotmail.com. COVER: ~The Book Fool- from Sebastian Brant's Ship of Foo/es, London, 1570, courtesy of the Archives and Rare Books Department, University of Cincinnati Libraries. Cover design by Giana Morrell. We reserve the right to make any necessary editing changes without the ex­ press written consent of the authors. Member § Council of Editors of Learned Journals lSSN 1076-5697 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS T he first installment of t he sixth volume of Focus on Literatll1" was made possible only with the continued commitment of Dr. Judith Trent, Associate Vice President for Research and Advanced Studies. We are deeply indebted to Dr. Trent for her support. Our sincere thanks go to Department Head Professor Sara Friedrichsmeyer, ou r Faculty Advisor Professor Richard Schade, and other faculty members of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatu res who have been very suppo rtive of th is publication. We are also grateful for the voluntary work offered by the graduate Stu­ dents of the German department. Special th anks to all members of our board of reviewers and adv isors. A rti cles for th is issue were refe reed by Professor Sara Friedrichsmeyer (U of C incinnati) and Britta Kallin (U of Cincin­ nati). front the editor articles Focus on Literatur Volume 6, Number 1 Spring 1999 Contents Minds. Bodies, and Memories: The Mind/Body Split in Christa Wolf's Kassandra CHRISTINA FREI Portrait of tbe Artist as a Dead Communist Classic: The Imag.e of Benoit Brecht in the German Media Coverage of his tOOth Birthday and its Connection to Recent Shift in the German Brecht Reception STEFAN HOPPNER-STONE "Gut sci gewesen, was die Entfaltung alles Lebendigen geforden habe: " Feminist Mythmaking and Christa Wolf's Medea BRlTTA KALLIN book rev iews Jiirg Beeler. Das Alphabet der Wolken Thomas Brasch. Mtidchenmorder Bmnke Hanns Cibulka. Tagebuch einer spiilen Liebe Hans Magnus Enzensberge.r. Voltaire! Ne./Je Eine Falschung in Du:Jerors Manier y, 17 39 57 59 62 66 Gabriele Keiser. M6rdergmbe Renate Mohrmann. TiJla Duriellx lind Pall! Cassirer: Biihnengluck und Liebeslod Claudia Rosenkranz. Keiner verliifll den Raltm Gerham RDlh. D..- Plan Rafik Schami. Milad. Von einem, der at6Zog, um emundzwanzlg Tage sau Zll werden Done von Westemhagen. Und also iieb Ich mem Verderbell in terviews -Die andere From:- Professorin fur Theater-und FiImwisse.nschaft INTERVIEW MIT RENATE MOHRMANN contr ibutors announcements 69 72 74 76 78 80 83 99 100 VI From t he Editor With this issue, Focus on Liceraru r enters its sixth year of publication. Foem is one of only two journals published by German graduate stu­ dents in the U.S. We, the German Graduate Student Governance As­ sociation of the University of Cincinnati, are proud and delighted that we have been able to establish a successful forum for graduate students of German in the United States and the German-speaking countries. We are pleased that many of our contributors have made our journal an integral part of their academic lives and work with us on a regular basis. Moreover, we are very happy to say that Focus can now be found in the shelves of many university libraries around the U.S. and in Aus­ tria, Germany, and Switzerland . We are certain th at the increasing accessibility of Focus will help the journal grow further and expand the intellectual dialog among graduate students on both cominents. As always, we would like to encourage all the graduate students among our readers to make use of the platform we provide to share their work and ideas. We welcome all submissions of original scholarship as well as any interest in joining our pool of book reviewers. For further in­ formation, please refer to the announcement section at the end of this Issue. In this issue, we present three papers offering critical approaches to contemporary German literature and itS reception . In the first ar­ ticle, Christina Frei examines the protagonist's mind/body split in C hrista Wolf's Kassandra. Frei argues that, although Kassandra is at times able ro perceive herself as wh ole, the mind/ body split ultimately leads her intO her acceptance to die at the hands of the Greeks. In the following paper, Stefan Hoppner-Stone analyzes the German media coverage of Berrolt Brecht's lOOth birthday and relates his findings to recent shifts in the German Brecht reception. In the last article by Britta Kallin, the author explores the topic of femist myth making in Christa Wolf's Medea. Stimmen . This issue's book review section includes a variety of genres, such as mystery novels by Thomas Brasch and Gabriele Keiser, Hans Magnus Enzensberger's latest drama, a historical novel by Don:e von Westernhagen, and a Paar.Biographie set in the world of theater by Vll Renate Mohrmann. The section also includes reviews of novels by Jiirg Beele r, Hanns Cibulka, Claudia Rosenkranz, Gerhard Roth, and Rafik Schami. In our last section, we present an intervIew with Renate Mohrmann, professor of theater and film studies at the University of Cologne and author of numerous works on Gennan Liter.uure and the history of theater. The interview was conducted by Britta Kallin last February during Mohrmann's stay as a visiting professor at rhe University of Cincinnati . With the publication of this issue, I give over the editorship to Tanya Hampton. Working for Focus has given me the opportunity to experience the world of publishlng and international German schol­ arship firsthand. I value aB the conta~ts I made with fellow graduate students, professors, authors, publishers, editors, and readers of Focus. I thank everyone for their continuous suppOrt. 1 can only suess the importance of a journal such as ours that is dedicated to dialog among future scholars of German outSide one's own university. Barbe! Such