Poetry and Songs: A German Language Legacy

Catalog description

What does the 2011 founded German rock band AnnenMayKantereit have in common with the idiosyncratic 19th-Century poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke? Beginning with this question, the course traces the long tradition of German language poetry and song from the epic medieval Nibelungenlied to the lyrics of 21-century German pop songs. Situated firmly in the context of literary analysis and literary history this course introduces students to recognizing and analyzing genre conventions of German lyrical legacies. Spanning examples from German Romanticism, Expressionism, Dada, Exile, GDR, and contemporary German poetry and song the course familiarizes students with the legacy of German language poetry and song lyrics including examples from Switzerland and Austria. Course taught in German.