German Language and Literature Commons^™

Rilke Und ValéRy: Eine Wahlverwandtschaft, Anne Marie Roehr

Dissertations and Theses

The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke was proficient in languages, and his favorite one was French. He had lived in Paris and had many friends in French literary circles. He exchanged letters with some of them before he even met them personally; such was the case with the French poet and writer Paul Valéry. However, before the two poets met, a “meeting of the minds” had taken place in the year 1921.

In the spring of 1921, after a lengthy period of silence, Rilke came across a copy of the Nouvelle Revue Française, a famous literary review, where Valèry had …

Demian: Ein Weg Zu "Amor Fati", Wayne D. Nuss

Dissertations and Theses

Demian has the characteristics of a Bildungsroman and an allegory, and may be put into either classification. However, rather than squeeze the work into some literary mould and end up with an "ugly duckling," one can look upon Demian as the 40-year-old Hesse's world view presented in literary form, which in fact is the development of a life-formula, "amor fati." Demian then becomes a "beautiful swan."

The thesis is constructed in three main sections, looking at Demian from different perspectives: Demian as a Bildungsroman: Demian as an allegory; Demian as a life-formula.

The work contains the qualifications of a …

Die Prostituierte In Frank Wedekinds Dramen, Philip A. Mellen

Dissertations and Theses

The prostitute and the concept of prostitution played a meaningful role in both Frank Wedekind's life and his dramatic efforts. From his early youth to the writing of his drama Schloss Wetterstein (1910), Wedekind remained deeply interested in the personal, social and philosophical problems generated by the existence of the prostitute and what he imagined her sensually based philosophy of life to be. Four of Wedekind's dramas were dealt with, which seem to be representative of his struggle to vindicate his own corresponding philosophy of sensuality.

The first drama, Elins Erweckung (Elin's Awakening-1887), is important as his first drama dealing …