Assesses the relevance of the works of Fontane, perhaps the foremost
German novelist between Goethe and Mann, for the twenty-first century.
Theodor Fontane remains a canonical figure in German literature, the
most important representative of poetic realism, and likely the best
German-language novelist between Goethe and Mann, yet scholarly
attention to his works oftenlags behind his stature, at least in the
English-speaking academy. This volume, coinciding with Fontane's 200th
birthday in 2019, assesses the relevance of his works for us today and
also draws attention to the most current English-language research.
Much has changed in the last two decades in critical theory, and the
volume highlights how new methodological approaches and new archival
research can update our understanding of Fontane's works. Although his
novels are famously rooted in the details of quotidian life in
nineteenth-century Germany, they also reflect larger historical
transformations that resonate with our world today (e.g., financial
crisis, class conflict, changing gender roles, and migration) and so
speak to contemporary critical interests. The volume's contributors draw
on literary and cultural studies approaches including gender and
sexuality studies, emotion studies, transnationalismand globalization,
media and visual studies, rhetorical criticism, paratextual criticism,
and digital humanities. Their contributions survey a wide range of
Fontane's literary production in order to speak to both German and
non-German audiences in the twenty-first century.
Contributors: James N. Bade, Russell A. Berman, Katharina Adeline
Engler-Coldren, Todd Kontje, John B. Lyon, Ervin Malakaj, Nicolas von
Passavant, Lynne Tatlock, Christian Thomas, Brian Tucker, Michael J.
White, Holly A. Yanacek.
John B. Lyon is Professor of German at the University of Pittsburgh.
Brian Tucker is Associate Professor of German at Wabash College.
