GER 404

Writing the I: Gender, Narration, and the German Literary Tradition

LA
Fall 2019
Thu
1:30 – 4:20 pm

“I fear God if I keep silent, I fear uncomprehending people if I write,” wrote Mechthild of Magdeburg (d. 1282) on assuming the role of author, anticipating the words of Sigrid Weigel: “The language of women is […] not simply a given, nor something to be construed, but rather a movement pursuing a constantly shifting perspective” (1987). Seminar examines the female “I” in a range of German texts. Questions to be considered: What roles have been available? How has gender enabled/constrained humans identifying as women from becoming writers? What challenges the reader of a female voice when the author identifies as a man?

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