GRMN-317 Outsiders in German Literature: Seats available!

Witches, Heretics, and Criminals: German Literature’s Mirror of Social Exclusion

TR: 1:30PM-2:45PM

A society can perhaps best be understood through an examination of those who are excluded from it. This course will examine figures of deviancy in German literature, by way of texts that take up the notion of the outcast, misfit and outsider. Over the course of the semester we will read about witches, heretics, criminals and fanatics, in order to trace out the social, moral and philosophical implications of the tension between an individual deemed to not fit in with mainstream society. Readings will include Goethe, Grimms, Hauptmann, Dröste-Hülshoff, Kafka, Jelinek and Schlink.

Prerequisite: C- or better in German 202 or equivalent.