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The Diseased City - Images of the Body in Expressionist and Futurist Poetry

By: Rebecca Steltner

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The Diseased City - Images of the Body in Expressionist and Futurist Poetry

By: Rebecca Steltner

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject German Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: 70 (1), University of Cambridge (Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages), course: The City, 25 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Where the Futurist's City Symphony is a celebration of 'the Joy of Mechanical Force', the Expressionist's is dark and apocalyptic. Cities in this poetry are centres of disease and disgust. They are industrial to the extent that they are equated with factories as pars pro toto. Life in the country-side or in the city could not be more different or the rift between the rich and the poor greater. R.H. Thomas comments that between 1890 and 1912 production in Germany was already industrial, whereas society was still far from industrial. The reason being, that in Germany industrialisation set in much later than in the UK and was compressed into just three decades. It is a time when the cities were 'reborn' and the images of the city changed dramatically, some of which I want to argue still exist in our common imaginary today. There are several fields of images that contribute to the representation of the city, they are: apocalyptic visions of technology and the decaying body, disease and sexuality, but also the Ich-Zerfall (ego-decay) can be seen as being triggered by the experience of the city as Simmel elaborates and when the Expressionist poets write about nature, it only really exists in relation to that city whose red smoke always lurks in the background, its smoke can be tasted everywhere. The city is the main theme of all these poems not just the backdrop and they address city issues directly. However, much has been written about the representation of the city in connection with technology, factories and alienating working conditions, which lend themselves to a Marxist analysis. This is not what interests me here, instead I want to approach the city on a sideway, using sociological theory of the body as put forward

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3638766047

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Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2002 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: A, University of Kent, course: Philosophy in Literature, language: English, abstract: Milan Kundera’s novel "The Joke" abounds in existentialist vocabulary and themes. His main character’s narrative is loaded with such expressions as choiceandexistence, self-deceptionorfreedom,which are sometimes even set in Italics. These are not just words, that Ludvik uses in his narrative, they are also made themes in themselves as well as reoccurring motifs - for example that of the ‘destruction of façades’. These themes are important, from the very beginning as we have the basic condition of someone ‘crossing the border’, which is not altogether dissimilar to Roquentin’s predicament in Sartre’sLa Nausée. All situations, that Kundera’s characters find themselves in are existential, too, in such a way, that they require choices and a wholly new perspective on the past after the destruction of old value systems.It is therefore obvious that existentialist ideas must have influenced and inspired Kundera, and as Existentialism is in itself a philosophy that focuses greatly on perception and the possibility of self-knowledge, one could even propose to say, that its ideas are always also central to modern novel writing especially when we look at psychological novels and first-person narratives. However, (I would argue that)The Joke is by no means an existentialist novel, as its approach to ideas is by no means direct, but playful as well as critical. This is why it is impossible, to say, that for example, the novel reflects on the nature of self-deception, and its main character is in ‘bad faith’. Such an approach, does not do the novel justice, and at this point it may well be worth remembering, that its author, too, resists such an attempt: “My disgust for those who reduce a work to its ideas: my revulsion at being dragged into what they call ‘discussions of ideas.’ My despair at this era befogged with ideas and indifferent to works.” (Art of the Novel, p. 131). Now, let me first quickly define, what I understand by ‘existentialist novel’ before we can then look at a few actual passages and maybe reach the above verdict. Existentialists, like Sartre, have always used fiction to convey their ideas. According to Edith Kern, Simone de Beauvoir even thought of the novel as the most appropriate means of presenting existentialist thought: “The novel seemed to her [Simone de Beauvoir] particularly suited to the expression of existential insights which would seem contradictory if they were to be presented categorically and systematically.”

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3638605388

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Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - illusion versus reality

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - illusion versus reality

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2002 in the subject Didactics for the subject French - Literature, Works, grade: A, University of Canterbury (School of European Culture and Languages), course: Seminar, language: English, abstract: Gérard de Nerval’s Sylvie. Souvenirs du Valois, published in 1853, is an exploration of time and memory, dream and reality. The first person narrator is also the main character, who is indecisive and cannot commit himself to any of the three women in his life: Aurélie, Sylvie and Adrienne. The narrator of Sylvie is unreliable because his perspective is severely distorted. Sometimes his memory fails him and he does not understand his own motives and behaviour, which is both passive and impulsive at the same time. The story he tells us is about himself and only himself, because he has little understanding of the people around him. It is obvious that the narrator of Sylvie is indeed lost in illusions – this is partly symbolised by the colour descriptions and the fact that most of the novella is set at night and in ‘a dark forest’ – but does that really mean that he actually prefers the state of illusion or reverie to that of clear-headedness and rationality? In order to find an answer, first we have to look at the specific aspects that he is deluded about. This will certainly reveal the narrator’s character and we can then go on and with the help of such psychological concepts as the of the ego’s mechanisms of defence determine whether it is possible to say, that the narrator of Sylvie positively prefers illusion to reality. [...]

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3638203026

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9783638203029

Objective Narrative, Irony and Sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur Simple'

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Objective Narrative, Irony and Sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur Simple'

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2001 in the subject Romance Languages - French Literature, grade: 83 (entspricht 1+), University of Canterbury (School of European Culture and Languages), course: Seminar, 14 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Generally speaking, the statement is true: the reader does indeed feel sympathy towards Félicité and Flaubert's use of language certainly contributes to this. How is what needs to be examined. The judgement that 'Flaubert's tendency towards 'objective' narrative paradoxically increases the sympathy that the reader feels for Félicité' also poses many other questions such as what is meant by 'objective' narrative? How is it used in Un Coeur simple? What are the author's reasons for using such a narrative? And is so- called 'objective' narrative really objective or at all possible? By the way the view is worded, it seems that 'objective' narrative and the reader's sympathy for a fictional character are incompatible and that the increase in sympathy is thus paradoxical. At the moment this may indeed sound impossible but after having had a look at the other factors that come into this equation, which are e.g. the choice of subject matter, the use of style indirect libre and the role of irony - the reader's increased sympathy should come across as a logical result. I am aware that it is of course controversial to engage in academic argument over such impressions as 'irony' or 'tone', because such notions are highly subjective and a therefore a certain source of disagreement. Nevertheless, ironology does come up with some interesting approaches to Flaubert's style and especially his use of style indirect libre and the question whether it actually increases sympathy. I also believe that irony is employed as an important vehicle for sympathy in this story.

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363875782X

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On the Importance of Memories to Character and the Different Concepts of Adulthood in 'Brave New World'

By: Rebecca Steltner

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On the Importance of Memories to Character and the Different Concepts of Adulthood in 'Brave New World'

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2000 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: A, University of Kent, course: Truth in Fiction, language: English, abstract: Of all questions that Aldous Huxley’s 'Brave New World' (BNW) raises, I have chosen to analyse the role of memories and past within the society described. This will lead to the questions of what the qualities of adulthood really are, and why the character of Bernard Marx doesn’t feel like an adult. These themes are most present in chapter 6, but to present the whole topic, I will also quote from other chapters. First of all, I will need to quickly introduce to you the perception of character and individuality in BNW. One quote summarises it all: “‘Characters remain constant throughout a whole lifetime’”,(p.80, ll. 1,2). But how is this character achieved in the first place, if there’s no development? – Only through conditioning! The character is made! It’s artificial, yet we cannot deny that it’s there. Therefore the question should rather be: Can a character that doesn’t evolve be real? Aren’t development or simply change it’s most important aspects? We would immediately know, what to answer, but to the inhabitants of Brave New World, even the question must seem ridiculous, because they do not celebrate individuality. Even the Alphas only have a limited amount of free will and they do not differ much from each other, neither in appearance, nor in personality. This is because their aims are all alike. As the examples of Bernard and Helmholtz show (who are both considered exceptional individuals), individuality is a mere nuisance to those living in BNW. This may be due to the fact that character has no influence on life whatsoever career and social activities are imposed on them and there is no room for choice according to one’s likings. Also, to others, character doesn’t matter, only the ability to consume happiness is of importance. The individualist part of the human nature is completely denied as the following quote shows: “[...] for doing things in private. Which meant, in practice, not doing things at all.”, (p.116, ll.5f).

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363860537X

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9783638605373

Individuality and Self-perception in 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and 'The Immoralist' by Andre Gide. A Comparison

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Individuality and Self-perception in 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and 'The Immoralist' by Andre Gide. A Comparison

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2000 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: A, University of Kent, course: Ideas in the Arts - Truth in Fiction, language: English, abstract: Individuality and self-perception are the main themes of both 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and André Gide’s 'The Immoralist'. This is so on at least two levels. Both their stories are presented by an unreliable and probably even biased narrator, who is also the main character Michel in 'The Immoralist' and Esther in 'The Bell Jar'. This may be a remainder of the strong autobiographical character of these works. It is this similarity, which makes it very interesting to compare those novels with regard to the question of how individuality is portrayed and how the characters perceive themselves. Of course, there is not enough room here, to discuss, in what ways those novels reflect their authors and how authentic they are. As these are both works of fiction, we have to be very careful as not to just translate ‘Ester’ as Sylvia and ‘Michel’ as André. We can only say, that on the first level, we have these fictional characters, who have a certain outlook on life and how they fit into the world as they perceive it - and this will be our main concern - but on a ‘meta-level’ we have the authors’ ideas on how we perceive ourselves and what individuality is. I would argue that this is an eperience, which cannot be transgressed it is something personal, that we can never get rid of. So when, Sylvia Plath invents the figure Esther, her perception of herself and the world around her cannot be completely different from her creator’s perspective. But just as it cannot be wholly different it cannot be complete either. What is worked into such fictitious characters are just elements of ourselves and sometimes they can represent earlier stages in our development - earlier selves both of the character and probably also of their authors.

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3638605353

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9783638605359

Structuring Memory: Narrative Perspectives in German Autobiography

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Structuring Memory: Narrative Perspectives in German Autobiography

By: Rebecca Steltner

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject German Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: 65 (ca. 2+), University of Cambridge (Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages), course: German Autobiography, language: English, abstract: The Poetics of Memory and Fragment in Max Frisch’s Montauk and Peter Handke’s Wunschloses Unglück Nägele warns of the dangers of proclaiming a general trend towards autobiographical fiction in the 60s and 70s and de Man even doubts the existence and status of the genre. Therefore, I want to aim at a simple comparative perspective and just look at the comments Max Frisch and Peter Handke make on memory (and so inevitably also on the self and our perception of self) in Montauk (1975) and Wunschloses Unglück (1974). The extent to which these works really are autobiographical is irrelevant. It is not whether or not a text is autobiographical and what it tells us about the author’s life that is interesting. How one author fictionalises a personal event is also obviously impossible for criticism to analyse (and subconscious). What interests me is not how Montauk (M) and Wunschloses Unglück (WU) are two examples of the genre of autobiography but what they disclose about the processes of literary production in general and what this can reveal about our perception and reminiscence of experiences, and how it contributes to the ‘invention’ of the self. [...]

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3638518817

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9783638518819

Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

By: Rebecca Steltner

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3638605388

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Objective narrative, irony and sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur simple'

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Objective narrative, irony and sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur simple'

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2001 in the subject French Studies - Literature, grade: 83 (entspricht 1+), University of Canterbury (School of European Culture and Languages), course: Seminar, language: English, abstract: Generally speaking, the statement is true: the reader does indeed feel sympathy towards Félicité and Flaubert’s use of language certainly contributes to this. How is what needs to be examined. The judgement that ‘Flaubert’s tendency towards ‘objective’ narrative paradoxically increases the sympathy that the reader feels for Félicité’ also poses many other questions such as what is meant by ‘objective’ narrative? How is it used in Un Coeur simple? What are the author’s reasons for using such a narrative? And is so- called ‘objective’ narrative really objective or at all possible? By the way the view is worded, it seems that ‘objective’ narrative and the reader’s sympathy for a fictional character are incompatible and that the increase in sympathy is thus paradoxical. At the moment this may indeed sound impossible but after having had a look at the other factors that come into this equation, which are e.g. the choice of subject matter, the use of style indirect libre and the role of irony – the reader’s increased sympathy should come across as a logical result. I am aware that it is of course controversial to engage in academic argument over such impressions as ‘irony’ or ‘tone’, because such notions are highly subjective and a therefore a certain source of disagreement. Nevertheless, ironology does come up with some interesting approaches to Flaubert’s style and especially his use of style indirect libre and the question whether it actually increases sympathy. I also believe that irony is employed as an important vehicle for sympathy in this story.

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3638185788

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9783638185783

Two modern trials: Camus' "L’étranger" and Kafka's "Der Proceß" – a comparison

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Two modern trials: Camus' "L’étranger" and Kafka's "Der Proceß" – a comparison

By: Rebecca Steltner

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2003 in the subject Romance Studies - Comparative Studies, grade: 67 Punkte (2+) (B+), University of Canterbury (School of European Culture and Languages), language: English, abstract: To begin with I shall present an overview of some of the most common or most debated interpretations of the two novels and the issues they raise. I also question whether it is legitimate to compare Camus’ L’étranger, which is often read alongside his philosophical essay Le Mythe de Sisyph,e to Kafka’s Der Proceß, which might be expressive of a philosophy but whose author only ever expressed himself in literary writing. In the following the novels are then compared simultaneously and their similarities and differences examined from different angles, such as their treatment of their common theme of “law, guilt and trial” in part two, which I see partly under the aspect of the absurd. The idea of the absurd is also relevant when comparing the two main characters Josef K. and Meursault later on. For the further interpretation of both the characters, but especially to solve the riddles surrounding Meursault’s nature and the questions of reader’s sympathy, the narrative perspective is crucial and is examined in part four. Subsequently, the theme of philosophical ideas being expressed in literary form becomes important again as I look at the use of image and symbolism in L’étranger and Der Proceß as well as at the genres of the French récit and parable and the philosophical and literary implications of the choice of genre, symbolism or narrative perspective. Kafka’s Der Proceß and Camus’ L’étranger have one important thing in common and that is that both are extremely rich novels which can be read according to a large number of codes (or preconceptions). Camus himself has praised Der Proceß “It is the fate and perhaps the greatness of that work that it offers everything and confirms nothing”, (Sisyphus, p. 124). This is certainly a principle that Camus aspires to in his own fiction and successfully as Thody confirms: “L’étranger seems to be inexhaustible in the different ways in which it can be analysed”3. I hope to be able to do justice to these many angles and show how rich these two novels are. To summarise some of the many interpretations of Kafka’s Der Proceß let me begin with a political reading...

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3638191745

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Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - Illusion Versus Reality

By: Rebecca Steltner

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Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - Illusion Versus Reality

By: Rebecca Steltner

Essay from the year 2002 in the subject French - Literature, Works, grade: A, University of Canterbury (School of European Culture and Languages), course: Seminar, 15 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Gérard de Nerval's Sylvie. Souvenirs du Valois, published in 1853, is an exploration of time and memory, dream and reality. The first person narrator is also the main character, who is indecisive and cannot commit himself to any of the three women in his life: Aurélie, Sylvie and Adrienne. The narrator of Sylvie is unreliable because his perspective is severely distorted. Sometimes his memory fails him and he does not understand his own motives and behaviour, which is both passive and impulsive at the same time. The story he tells us is about himself and only himself, because he has little understanding of the people around him. It is obvious that the narrator of Sylvie is indeed lost in illusions - this is partly symbolised by the colour descriptions and the fact that most of the novella is set at night and in 'a dark forest' - but does that really mean that he actually prefers the state of illusion or reverie to that of clear-headedness and rationality? In order to find an answer, first we have to look at the specific aspects that he is deluded about. This will certainly reveal the narrator's character and we can then go on and with the help of such psychological concepts as the of the ego's mechanisms of defence determine whether it is possible to say, that the narrator of Sylvie positively prefers illusion to reality. [...]

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3640860020

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The diseased city – Images of the body in expressionist and futurist poetry

By: Rebecca Steltner

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The diseased city – Images of the body in expressionist and futurist poetry

By: Rebecca Steltner

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject German Studies - Comparative Literature, grade: 70 (1), University of Cambridge (Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages), course: The City, language: English, abstract: Where the Futurist’s City Symphony is a celebration of ‘the Joy of Mechanical Force’, the Expressionist’s is dark and apocalyptic. Cities in this poetry are centres of disease and disgust. They are industrial to the extent that they are equated with factories as pars pro toto. Life in the country-side or in the city could not be more different or the rift between the rich and the poor greater. R.H. Thomas comments that between 1890 and 1912 production in Germany was already industrial, whereas society was still far from industrial. The reason being, that in Germany industrialisation set in much later than in the UK and was compressed into just three decades. It is a time when the cities were ‘reborn’ and the images of the city changed dramatically, some of which I want to argue still exist in our common imaginary today. There are several fields of images that contribute to the representation of the city, they are: apocalyptic visions of technology and the decaying body, disease and sexuality, but also the Ich-Zerfall (ego-decay) can be seen as being triggered by the experience of the city as Simmel elaborates and when the Expressionist poets write about nature, it only really exists in relation to that city whose red smoke always lurks in the background, its smoke can be tasted everywhere. The city is the main theme of all these poems not just the backdrop and they address city issues directly. However, much has been written about the representation of the city in connection with technology, factories and alienating working conditions, which lend themselves to a Marxist analysis. This is not what interests me here, instead I want to approach the city on a sideway, using sociological theory of the body as put forward by Turner and Benthall and later explore the links between ‘body aesthetics’ and ‘machine aesthetics’ and see where they overlap.

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3638518825

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Book's by Rebecca Steltner

The Diseased City - Images of the Body in Expressionist and Futurist Poetry

The Diseased City - Images of the Body in Expressionist and Futurist Poetry

Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - illusion versus reality

Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - illusion versus reality

Objective Narrative, Irony and Sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur Simple'

Objective Narrative, Irony and Sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur Simple'

On the Importance of Memories to Character and the Different Concepts of Adulthood in 'Brave New World'

On the Importance of Memories to Character and the Different Concepts of Adulthood in 'Brave New World'

Individuality and Self-perception in 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and 'The Immoralist' by Andre Gide. A Comparison

Individuality and Self-perception in 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath and 'The Immoralist' by Andre Gide. A Comparison

Structuring Memory: Narrative Perspectives in German Autobiography

Structuring Memory: Narrative Perspectives in German Autobiography

Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

Milan Kundera – a modern existentialist? Or: Why "The Joke" is not an existential novel

Objective narrative, irony and sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur simple'

Objective narrative, irony and sympathy in Flaubert's 'Un Coeur simple'

Two modern trials: Camus' "L’étranger" and Kafka's "Der Proceß" – a comparison

Two modern trials: Camus' "L’étranger" and Kafka's "Der Proceß" – a comparison

Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - Illusion Versus Reality

Gérard de Nervals 'Sylvie' - Illusion Versus Reality

The diseased city – Images of the body in expressionist and futurist poetry

The diseased city – Images of the body in expressionist and futurist poetry

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