2. Professors
  3. ZANUCCHI Mario
  4. Teaching

GERMAN LITERATURE IV

Mario ZANUCCHI GERMAN LITERATURE IV

TU24100009
DEPARTMENT OF HUMANISTIC STUDIES
EQF7
MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES
2025/2026



YEAR OF COURSE 1
YEAR OF DIDACTIC SYSTEM 2025
SPRING SEMESTER
CFUHOURSACTIVITY
945LESSONS
MARIO ZANUCCHI T Curriculum
Objectives
THE COURSE WILL OFFER AN IN-DEPTH REFLECTION ON WORKS AND TOPICS THAT MAY CONCERN A FEW DIFFERENT AREAS OF GERMAN-LANGUAGE LITERARY HISTORY, WITH PARTICULAR ATTENTION PAID TO RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.
THE COURSE AIMS TO PROVIDE:
- QUALIFIED PHILOLOGICAL, CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL-LITERARY EXPERTISE THROUGH THE STUDY OF LITERARY TEXTS IN GERMAN;
- ADVANCED METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR THE LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF GERMAN LITERARY TEXTS AND REFLECTION ON CERTAIN ASPECTS OF LITERARY AND CULTURAL THEORIES;
- IN-DEPTH FAMILIARITY WITH DIFFERENT LITERARY LANGUAGES AND THEIR SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS;
- GREATER AWARENESS OF THE CULTURAL REALITIES OF GERMAN-SPEAKING COUNTRIES.
STUDENTS
- WILL LEARN ADVANCED DISCIPLINARY METHODOLOGIES FOR THE STUDY OF GERMAN LITERATURE FROM BOTH A SYNCHRONIC AND DIACHRONIC PERSPECTIVE;
- WILL UNDERSTAND THE LITERARY AND CULTURAL THEORIES OF GERMAN STUDIES RESEARCH.
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO:
- UNDERSTAND LITERARY TEXTS IN GERMAN IN THE SPECIFICITY OF THEIR LANGUAGE;
- APPLY LITERARY METHODS AND THEORIES IN THE ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TEXTS;
- EVALUATE THE CONTRIBUTION OF LITERARY TEXTS TO SPECIFIC PHASES OF LITERARY AND CULTURAL HISTORY.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- RECOGNISE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS, ANALYSE AND DESCRIBE THEIR STRUCTURE;
- IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE METHODOLOGIES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF LITERARY TEXTS;
- FORMULATE HYPOTHESES, RECOGNISE LOGICAL CONNECTIONS, ARGUE, COMPARE AND EVALUATE LITERARY TEXTS;
- CRITICALLY DESCRIBE HISTORICAL EVENTS AND LITERARY WORKS, IDENTIFYING THEIR COMPLEX INTERACTIONS.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- REPRESENT AND COMMUNICATE, THROUGH TEXTS OR VIRTUAL TOOLS, THE RESULTS OF THEIR OWN RESEARCH OR WORK;
- FORMULATE A CRITICAL COMMENTARY BASED ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS.
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- INDEPENDENTLY USE TRADITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC TOOLS AND COMPUTER RESOURCES FOR ANALYSIS AND ARCHIVING;
- MANAGE ISSUES RELATED TO THE RECEPTION AND DISSEMINATION OF LITERARY WORKS IN GERMAN;
- INDEPENDENTLY CARRY OUT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES, UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET COMPLEX TEXTS, WHETHER JOURNALISTIC OR LITERARY;
- INDEPENDENTLY APPLY CRITICAL CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES APPROPRIATE TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS.
Prerequisites
GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF GERMAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. STUDENTS MUST HAVE PASSED THE EXAMS IN GERMAN LANGUAGE I, II, III AND GERMAN LITERATURE I, II, III OR, ALTERNATIVELY, MUST POSSESS THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF CREDITS REQUIRED BY THE REGULATIONS OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMME IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES.
Contents
THE COURSE WILL FOCUS ON THE PRESENCE OF ANCIENT MYTH IN GERMAN-LANGUAGE LITERATURE.

A MYTH ALMOST ALWAYS ORIGINATES AS AN "ORAL NARRATIVE," WHICH IS ONLY WRITTEN DOWN AT A LATER STAGE, AND THUS LACKS A TRULY AUTHENTIC VERSION. HOWEVER, FOLLOWING MARTIN VÖHLER AND BERND SEIDENSTICKER (MYTHENKORREKTUREN. ZU EINER PARADOXALEN FORM DER MYTHENREZEPTION. BERLIN 2005), IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY A NARRATIVE CORE THAT MAKES THE MYTHICAL NARRATION UNMISTAKABLE AND WHOSE MODIFICATION GIVES RISE TO A 'CORRECTION,' A 'MYTHENKORREKTUR.'

THE COURSE AIMS TO EXPLORE THE RECEPTION OF SOME CENTRAL MYTHICAL FIGURES THAT HAVE EXERTED A PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON GERMAN-LANGUAGE LITERATURE, INCLUDING DIONYSUS, PROMETHEUS, ORPHEUS, PENTHESILEA, IPHIGENIA, AND MEDEA. THE RECEPTION AND 'CORRECTION' OF THESE MYTHICAL NARRATIVES FROM THE 18TH TO THE 21ST CENTURY WILL BE RECONSTRUCTED BY ANALYZING POETIC, DRAMATIC, AND NARRATIVE WORKS BY JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE, FRIEDRICH SCHILLER, FRIEDRICH HÖLDERLIN, HEINRICH VON KLEIST, FRANZ GRILLPARZER, FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, RAINER MARIA RILKE, GEORG HEYM, YVAN GOLL, CHRISTOPH HEIN, AND OTHERS.
Teaching Methods
FACE-TO-FACE LECTURES. PARTICIPATION IN THE FACE-TO-FACE TEACHING HOURS IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. IF THE STUDENT IS UNABLE TO ATTEND AT LEAST 70% OF THE LECTURES, IT IS ADVISABLE TO ARRANGE WITH THE LECTURER A PROGRAM FOR NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS.

THE COURSE WILL BE HELD IN GERMAN.
Verification of learning
THE COURSE EVALUATION WILL TAKE PLACE THROUGH A FINAL ORAL EXAM IN GERMAN.

THE ORAL EXAM WILL INCLUDE SEVERAL QUESTIONS RELATING RESPECTIVELY TO: THE RELEVANT HISTORICAL-CULTURAL CONTEXTS, THE STYLISTIC-STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND THE LITERARY AND CULTURAL VALUES OF THE LITERARY TEXTS INDICATED IN THE SYLLABUS. TO PASS THE EXAM, CANDIDATES MUST DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOPICS AND TEXTS COVERED IN THE COURSE AND INDICATED IN THE SYLLABUS BY PROVIDING PERTINENT AND ARTICULATED ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ASKED. THEY MUST SHOW SUFFICIENT COMMAND OF LANGUAGE, INDEPENDENCE OF JUDGEMENT, AND THE ABILITY TO APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED.
Texts
TEXTS:

DIGITAL ANTHOLOGY "ANTHOLOGIE ZUM NACHLEBEN DES MYTHOS IN DER DEUTSCHEN LITERATUR" (ANTHOLOGY ON THE AFTERLIFE OF MYTH IN GERMAN LITERATURE) PROVIDED BY THE LECTURER.

EURIPIDES: DIE BAKCHEN. TRAGEDY. TRANSL., NOTES, AND AFTERWORD: WERNER, OSKAR. RECLAM ISBN 978-3-15-000940-6 UB 940

EURIPIDES: IPHIGENIE BEI DEN TAURERN. GREEK/GERMAN. TRANSL. AND ED.: DRÄGER, PAUL. RECLAM ISBN 978-3-15-019264-1 UB 19264

JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE: IPHIGENIE AUF TAURIS. A PLAY. NOTES: ANGST, JOACHIM; HACKERT, FRITZ. RECLAM ISBN: 978-3-15-000083-0

EURIPIDES: MEDEA. GR./GER. ED. AND TRANSL.: ELLER, KARL HEINZ. RECLAM ISBN: 978-3-15-007978-2

FRANZ GRILLPARZER: DAS GOLDNE VLIESS. DRAMATIC POEM IN THREE PARTS (DER GASTFREUND. DIE ARGONAUTEN. MEDEA). ED.: BACHMAIER, HELMUT. RECLAM ISBN: 978-3-15-004392-9

HEINRICH VON KLEIST: PENTHESILEA. A TRAGEDY. STUDY EDITION. ED. BY ULRICH PORT. RECLAM ISBN: 978-3-15-018968-9.

EURIPIDES: ELEKTRA. RECLAM. ISBN: 978-3-15-018354-0

HUGO VON HOFMANNSTHAL: ELEKTRA. RECLAM. ISBN: 978-3-15-018113-3
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