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Language in the Goethezeit

Module description

Are you interested in the history of the German language? Then my module about the language in the Goethezeit might be something for you. From 1750 to the early 19^th century the German language underwent perhaps the greatest changes after Luther’s translation of the bible, and the language now spoken in Germany emerged first in the literary and philosophical works of this period. We will read selected passages from some of these influential works and analyse the language used and its evolution.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module examines the evolution of German language in selected sources from 1750 to 1810. It thereby provides an insight into the development of bourgeois ways of living and thinking in the second half of the 18^th century and early 19^th century. The module introduces you to some of the major German authors of the time and their contributions to the use of language. The main aims of the module are:

• To build on your knowledge of prose writing, studied at Level 1, by introducing you to texts drawn from some of the major movements of the 18^th and early 19^th century century (in particular the Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, the French Revolution, German Classicism)
• To give you a sense of how fictional language develop over time and according to cultural context
• To examine the rise of bourgeois thinking and early modes of internal criticism and self-reflection

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a sound general understanding of selected parts from major German texts, including reference to their place in the historical, literary and cultural context of their time
• 2. Demonstrate an understanding of the way in which the set texts reflect changing attitudes to individual and society and linguistic means of expressing this
• 3. Identify a variety of linguistic strategies and discuss their purpose and effectiveness

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Analyse selected texts in German, relating them to significant elements in their cultural, historical and language context
• 5. With some guidance from the course tutor, evaluate and apply a range of critical approaches to the material covered
• 6. Show an awareness of how authors use existing sources as the basis for language developments
• 7. Mount a detailed argument in the appropriate register of English/German, mustering a range of textual or other evidence in its support
• 8. Distinguish and use, in written and oral contexts, a range of (literary-) critical terms
• 9. Access, and use critically, printed and, where appropriate, electronic learning resources identified as useful by the course tutor, and, to a limited extent, discover other useful materials independently

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 10. Undertake defined learning activities with a measure of autonomy, asking for guidance where necessary
• 11. Adopt a critical approach to the selection and organisation of material in order to produce, to a deadline, a written or oral argument
• 12. Using course material provided, research, plan and write an essay on a chosen aspect of the subject, to a specific length and deadline

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Sprache der Aufklärung - "Moralische Erzählungen" (moral tales from the 1750s and 1760s)
• Jugends prache des Sturm-und-Drang – Introduction into selected passages from Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774)
• Sprache der Revolution – Introduction into selected travel letters from Campe's Briefe aus Paris (1790)
• Sprache der Kritik – Introduction into selected passages from Kant’s Zum ewigen Frieden (1795)
• Sprache der Klassik – Introduction into selected scenes from Schiller’s Maria Stuart (1801)
• Essay revision

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Moralische Erzählung(en) (ELE)
• Selected letters from W. Goethe, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (ELE or Reclam UB)
• Selected travel letters from J. H. Campe, Briefe aus Paris (ELE)
• Selected passages from I. Kant: Zum ewigen Frieden (ELE or Reclam UB)
• Selected scenes from F. Schiller, Maria Stuart (ELE or Reclam UB)
• Eric A. Blackall, The Emergence of German as a Literary Language, 2^nd ed. 1978
• Gert Vonhoff, Erzählgeschichte , 2007
• Ch. Young and Th. Gloning, A History of the German Language through Texts , 2002

A full bibliography of secondary and additional reading will be provided by the course tutor.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=4810

Key words search

Gellert, Goethe, Campe, Kant, Schiller, Enlightenment, Storm and Stress, French Revolution 1789, Classicism, evolution of language, individualism, society