Course Content (Syllabus)
The course aims at investigating the life and work of the most significant German-speaking „engaged writers» of the 20th century: Brecht, Seghers, Böll, Grass, Enzensberger, Weiss, Jelinek etc. Through this examination a set of questions will be raised: can literature decisively contribute to social change? Is it possible that a ‘political’ text is at the same time aesthetically important? Is there a distinction between journalism, propaganda and fiction? Where are the limits of the “aesthetics of autonomy”?