A Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel
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A Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel Narratives Professor Anne Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel Narratives Course Outline with Presentation and Essay Topics Please note: Primary texts marked with * are essential course reading. The other primary texts are optional but I would recommend that you read at least 5 of the 6 texts. Week 1: Introduction: Travel Writing in the 20 and 21 century: The Search for Otherness *Essential reading: Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Eine kleine Theorie des Tourismus (hand-out) Presentation topics: 1. Which factors, according to Enzensberger, hinder an encounter with otherness in tourism? 2. Analyse the tourist’s relationship to nature. Why is it no longer possible to entertain a Romantic relationship with nature? Recommended secondary reading: Fuchs, Anne, “Reiseliteratur”. In: Dieter Lamping et al. (ed.), Handbuch der literarischen Gattungen (Stuttgart: Kröner Verlag, 2009), pp. 121-129. Hulmes, Peter and Tim Youngs (2002), ‘Introduction’. In: Peter Hulmes and Tim Youngs (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing (Cambridge: Cambridge UP: 1-16. Urry, John (1992), The Tourist Gaze. Societies. London: Sage: 1-16. Leisure and Travel in Contemporary Week 2: Daniel Kehlmann: Die Vermessung der Welt *Essential reading: Daniel Kehlmann: Die Vermessung der Welt 1. Compare and contrast Humboldt’s journey through South America with his later journey through Russia. 2. Compare and contrast Humboldt’s and Gauss’ respective understanding of science. 3. Discuss the notions of travel in this narrative. Recommended secondary reading: Geier, Manfred: Alexander Humboldt – eine biographische Skizze. In: Nickel, Gunther (ed) (2008), Daniel Kehlmanns “Die Vermessung der Welt” – Materialien, Dokumente, Interpretationen. Frankfurt a. M.: RoRoRo: 62-77. 1 A Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel Narratives Mania, Hubert (2008), Carl Friedrich Gauß – eine Annäherung. In: Nickel, Gunther (ed) (2008), Daniel Kehlmanns “Die Vermessung der Welt” – Materialien, Dokumente, Interpretationen. Frankfurt a. M.: RoRoRo: 47-61. Marx, Friedhelm, Die Vermessung der Welt als historicsher Roman. In: Nickel, Gunther (ed) (2008), Daniel Kehlmanns “Die Vermessung der Welt” – Materialien, Dokumente, Interpretationen. Frankfurt a. M.: RoRoRo: 169-185. Preusser, Heinz-Peter (2008), Zur Typologie der Zivilisationskritik. Was aus Daniel Kehlmanns Roman Die Vermessung der Welt einen Besteller werden ließ. In: Text + Kritik 177: 73-85. Schaumann, Caroline (2009), Who Measures the World? Alexander von Humboldt's Chimborazo Climb in the Literary Imagination. The German Quarterly 82/4: 447-468. Week 3 and 4: W. G. Sebald Die Ringe des Saturn: archaeological travel through Suffolk *Essential Reading: W. G. Sebald: Die Ringe des Saturn Presentation topics: 1. Discuss the function of the extensive description of Rembrandt’s Anatomy Lesson for the narrative as a whole 2. Paying particular attention to Thomas Browne, discuss the function of intertextuality in this narrative 3. Paying special attention to the narratives about Joseph Conrad, Roger Casement and Edward Fitzgerald, discuss the function of biography in this narrative . 4. Paying particular attention to the narrator’s engagement with Chinese history and the motif of silk, discuss the critique of colonialism in this narrative Recommended secondary reading: Fuchs, Anne: ‘The Labyrinth of Truth’: Thomas Browne. In: A. Fuchs, Die Schmerzensspuren der Geschichte. Zur Poetik der Erinnerung in der Prosa W. G. Sebalds. Cologne, Vienna: 99-108. Fuchs, Anne (2007), ‘Ein Hauptkapitel der Geschichte der Unterwerfung’: Representations of Nature in W. G. Sebald’s Die Ringe des Saturn’, in: Anne Fuchs and J.J. Long (eds), W. G. Sebald and the Writing of History. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann: 121-138. Cosgrove, Mary (2007), Sebald for our Time: The Politics of Melancholy and the Critique of Capitalism. In: Anne Fuchs and J. J. Long (eds), W. g. Sebald and the writing of History. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann: 91-110. 2 A Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel Narratives Hoorn, Tanja van, “Der ‘Engel der Geschichte’ erzählt W.G. Sebalds Die Ringe des Saturn in Stefan Börnchen and Georg Mein (eds.), Weltliche Wallfahrten: Auf der Spur des Realen (Paderborn: Fink, 2010), 221-34. Long, J. J., “W.G. Sebald the Anti-Tourist,” in Marcus Zisselsberger (ed.), The Undiscover’d Country: W.G. Sebald and the Poetics of Travel (Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2010), 63-91 Week 5: Wolfgang Büscher, Berlin-Moskau: Eine Reise zu Fuß *Essential reading: Wolfgang Büscher, Berlin-Moskau: Eine Reise zu Fuß Presentation topics: 1. Discuss the motivation for and function of the Fußreise in this narrative. 2. Discuss the encounter with otherness in this narrative. Recommended secondary reading: Kaschuba, Wolfgang, “Die Fußreise: Von der Arbeitswanderung zur bürgerlichen Bildungsbewegung”. In: Hermann Bausinger, Klaus Beyrer and Gottfried Korff (eds.), Reisekultur: Von der Pilgerfahrt zum modernen Tourismus (Munich: Beck, 1991), 165-73. Amann, Wilhelm (2010), ‘Solvitur ambulando: Pilgerräume bei Werner Herzog, “Vom Gehen im Eis” und Wolfgang Büscher “Berlin - Moskau”’. In: Stefan Börnchen and Georg Mein (eds.), Weltliche Wallfahrten: Auf der Spur des Realen Paderborn: Fink: 259-70. Week 7 and 8: Jens Sparschuh’s Eins zu eins – space/time travel *Essential reading: Jens Sparschuh’s Eins zu eins – Presentation topics 1. Discuss the competing notions of tourism in this narrative. 2. Considering the title of this novel, discuss the function of maps in this narrative. 3. Discuss the function of the Wends’s history in this narrative. Recommended reading: Cosgrove, Denis (2008), Geography and Vision: Seeing, Imagining and Representing the World. New York: I. B. Tauris. Boa, Elizabeth (2011), “Labyrinths, Mazes, and Mosaics: Fictions by Christa Wolf, Ingo Schulze, Antje Rávic Strubel, and Jens Sparschuh”. In: Anne Fuchs, Kathleen James-Chakraborty and Linda Shortt (eds), Debating German Cultural Identity since 1989: Rochester: Camden House: 131-156. 3 A Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel Narratives Wood, Denis (1992), The Power of Maps. New York: Guildford. Week 8: Ilja Trojanow Eistau: travel and the environment Optional reading: Ilja Trojanow, EisTau: Presentation topics: 1. Discuss the motif of glacial ice in this narrative. 2. To what extent is this an environmental novel? Recommended reading: Goodbody, Axel (2007), Nature, Technology and Cultural Change in 20th century German Literature. The Challenge of Eco-Criticism. Basingstoke: Palgrave/ Macmillan. Goodbody, Axel (ed.) (2002), The Culture of German Environmentalism. Anxieties, Visions, Realities. New York: Berghahn, 2002. Week 9: Angelika Overath Flughafenfische Optional reading: Angelika Overath, Flughafenfische Presentation topics 1. Drawing on Augé’s notion of the non-place, discuss the function of the fish tank and the airport setting in this narrative. 2. To what extent is Overath’s a post-travel narrative? Recommended Reading: ‘Die Frage ist, ob Fernweh nicht immer auch Heimweh ist’. Angelika Overath im Gespräch mit Schau ins Blau. http://www.schauinsblau.de/3fremdheit/literarisches/autoren-im-gespraech/die-frage-ist-ob-fernweh-nichtimmer-auch-heimweh-ist/ Marc Augé, Non-Places. Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London: Verso, 1995 Week 10: course summary: the notion of otherness in contemporary Travel writing. Essay Topics: Write an essay (approx 5000 words) on one of the following topics. 1. Compare and contrast the notions of orientation and mapping in two of the following narratives: Jens Sparschuh, Eins zu eins, Wolfgang Büscher, Berlin- 4 A Fuchs: The Self and the Other in Contemporary German Travel Narratives Moskau. Eine Reise zu Fuß , W.G. Sebald, Die Ringe des Saturn or Daniel Kehlmann’s Die Vermessung der Welt. 2. Drawing on Enzensberger’s Kleine Theorie des Tourismus, discuss representations of tourism and the search for an encounter with the other in two narratives of your choice. 3. Discuss travel as eco-criticism in W.G. Sebald, Die Ringe des Saturn and in Ilja Trojanow’s, EisTau. 4. Discuss the encouter with otherness and the notion of slow travel in two of the following narratives: Wolfgang Büscher, Berlin-Moskau. Eine Reise zu Fuß , W.G. Sebald, Die Ringe des Saturn, Angelika Overath, Flughafenfische. 5
