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Module Content and Indicative TopicsÌý

In Austria the period between approximately 1890 and 1938 was not only one of enormous political upheavals (the collapse of the Habsburg Empire, the founding of the First Austrian Republic, and its subsequent annexation to Nazi Germany), it was also a time of intense cultural and intellectual ferment. Focusing on key works of the fin de siècle and of the interwar period, this module will explore some of the distinctive preoccupations of Viennese modernism – sexuality and the gendered self, aestheticism, and a critical awareness of the limitations of language – as well as examining literary responses to questions of national identity and cultural tradition.Ìý

It is proposed that the module will explore the following works:Ìý

• ´¡°ù³Ù³ó³Ü°ù S³¦³ó²Ô¾±³Ù³ú±ô±ð°ù, A²Ô²¹³Ù´Ç±ô (cycle of 7 one-act plays and the alternative final playlet Anatols Größenwahn)Ìý

• Selected psychological and philosophical writings of Ernst Mach, Otto Weininger and Rosa Mayreder (extracts to be provided on Moodle)Ìý

• Grete Meisel-Heß, Fanny RothÌý

• Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Der SchwierigeÌý

• Arthur Schnitzler, Fräulein ElseÌý

• Ödön von Horváth, Geschichten aus dem Wiener WaldÌý

• Joseph Roth, RadetzkymarschÌý

With the exception of Fanny Roth, all texts exist in published English translations. An unpublished translation of Fanny Roth, produced by the module tutor, will be provided.Ìý

Recommended English editions:Ìý

• Arthur Schnitzler, A²Ô²¹³Ù´Ç±ô, i²Ô The Round Dance and other Plays, trans. by Charles Osborne (Manchester: Carcanet New Press, 1982). An older translation by Grace Isabel Colbron is available on archive.org. (Please do NOT read the adaptation by Harley Granville-Barker or the text attributed to B. K. de Fabris).Ìý

• Hugo von Hofmannsthal, An Impossible Man, trans. by Alexander Stillmark (Cambridge: MHRA, 2016).Ìý

• Arthur Schnitzler, Fräulein Else, in Arthur Schnitzler, Selected Short Fiction, trans. by J. M. Q. Davies (London: Angel Books, 1999). An earlier translation by F.H. Lyon has had numerous reprints and is available via archive.org.Ìý

• Ödön von Horváth, Tales from the Vienna Woods, in Horváth, Plays, vol. 2, trans. by Christopher Hampton (London: Oberon Books, 2000). This translation is preferable to the version by David Harrower.Ìý

• Joseph Roth, The Radetzky March, trans. by Michael Hofmann (London: Granta Books, 2022) or trans. by Joachim Neugroschel (Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 2016).Ìý

°Â´¡¸é±·±õ±·³Ò: Fanny Roth contains a brief description of sexual violence; Fräulein Else contains allusions to potential sexual abuse and suicide.Ìý

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Teaching DeliveryÌý

The module is taught as a seminar. Participants will be asked to read each text in advance of the class, to participate actively in discussion and to give one oral presentation of 10-15 minutes, potentially in small groups.Ìý

By the end of the module, students should:Ìý

1. Be able to analyse critically a selection of literary and philosophical works that were produced by Austrian writers between 1890 and 1938.Ìý

2. Be familiar with key aspects of Austrian socio-political, intellectual and cultural history of the period 1890–1938 and be able to relate literary texts to those contexts.Ìý

3. Have further developed their powers of appreciation and be able to respond thoughtfully to both primary sources and scholarly materials.Ìý

4. Have further developed their presentation and essay-writing skills.Ìý

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Recommended ReadingÌý

In preparation for the module, please read the primary texts. These are available in German in multiple editions, including Reclam, and can be found online via Projekt Gutenberg-DE. Fanny Roth has been reprinted by Turmhut-Verlag (Edition GENDER), Stockheim (2010), ed. by Henriette Herwig an Annette Kliewer. An E-book version of Fanny Roth is freely available online.Ìý

For an introduction to the Austrian context, see the relevant chapters of Steven Beller, A Concise History of Austria (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).Ìý