The German Novelle

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: Professor John Walker
• Assessment: a 3500-word essay (100%)

In this module we address a key form in German literature which has no direct equivalent elsewhere in Europe: the Novelle. This short narrative form differs sharply from the short story, because it presupposes a tightly controlled thematic and narrative structure and usually has a central ethical message. It has aptly been described as 'a brief compass'.

You will gain an understanding of the best known writers of Novellen in German such as:

• Goethe
• Eichendorff
• de la Motte Fouque
• Stifter
• Keller
• Thomas Mann.

You will examine the changing significance of this form in the history of German, Austrian and Swiss literature. All of the texts studied are short, but rich in content, and can be easily read ahead of the sessions and studied in depth.

As they will be studied in narrative and linguistic detail, you should read these texts in German.