German Studies 223GR - Topics in German Studies: '"If You Hit the Magic Word": German Romanticism in Aesthetics, Prose, and Poetry'

Romanticism is a literary and philosophical period that celebrates emotional self-awareness. This is in tune with the Age of Enlightenment. However, new and old key elements romanticists explore and admire include the return to nature, a fascination with the "golden period" of the Middle Ages, a freedom of rules, and a belief that imagination is superior to reason. Students will learn about and read texts of key (women) authors of German Romanticism such as Dorothea Schlegel and Caroline Schelling, analyze, Kunstmarchen (Ludwig Tieck), work through Aphorisms of the Athenaeum (Friedrich Schlegel), and analyze poetry (von Eichendorff, Heine, Halderlin, and Novalis).

Prereq: GRMST-201.