Martin Krygier, ed.: Marxism and Communism: Posthumous Reflections on Politics, Society, and Law

Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1994. (Poznan Studies in the Philosophy of Science and Humanities, 36), 237 p

Christa and Gerhard Wolf: Ins Ungebundene gehet eine Sehnsucht. Gesprächsraum Romantik, Prosa und Essays

Berlin and Weimar: Aufbau, 1985

La narrativa de la unificación alemana. Presupuestos, temas y tendencias

La unificación alemana ha dado lugar a una época de intensos cambios, al abandono de antiguas utopías y al surgimiento de nuevos valores, que suponen un auténtico desafío para el escritor y la literatura. Los acontecimientos políticos en torno a ese proceso han incidido directamente en la literatura y en las discusiones literarias más recientes, lo que ha motivado la aparición de un nuevo panorama literario en los países de habla alemana. Tras la caída del muro de Berlín ha surgido una narrativa que hace un balance crítico y a veces nostálgico del pasado, pero también del presente, que evidencia las consecuencias sociales, políticas, económicas, culturales y humanas de la unificación alemana. Es objetivo de este estudio analizar los presupuestos, temas y tendencias de la extensa producción narrativa surgida en Alemania entre 1989 y la actualidad con motivo del proceso de unificación.German unification has given rise to a period of far-reaching change, to the setting aside of time-honoured ideals, and to the emergence of new values which constitute an out-and-out challenge to the writer as well as to Literature itself. The political events contained in this process have impinged directly upon Literature and influenced recent literary debate, all of which has stimulated the birth of a new literary scene in Germanspeaking countries. Following the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, a kind of narrative has arisen which not only takes stock of the past from a critical as well as, at times, a nostalgic standpoint, but also of the present, throwing into relief the consequences of German Unification in social, political, economic, cultural, and human terms. The aim of this work is to analyse the premises, topics and tendencies of the wide ranging production of narrative works which have materialized in Germany between 1989 and the present moment with regard to the process of unification

Howard Gaskill et al., eds.: Neue Ansichten. The Reception of Romanticism in the Literature of the GDR

Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1990. (GDR Monitor Special Series, 6), 236 p

Das Wissenschaftskollektiv in den Romanen "Respektloser Umgang" und "Im Schatten des Regenbogens" von Helga Königsdorf

The author Helga Königsdorf, a scientist herself, deals in several of her literary works with the situation of the scientist in the GDR. The aim of this thesis is to explore the image of the scientist within the two novels Respektloser Umgang and Im Schatten des Regenbogens. The first novel was published before reunification and has received much critical attention, while the second novel appeared after the collapse of the state and has not been as extensively examined. The investigation of this thesis focuses on the portrayal of the various scientists that appear in the two novels. This thesis is divided into three parts. The first part provides an introduction to the situation of the scientist before and after the ‘Wende’. The question arises whether or not there is a radical change in the portrayal of the scientists in the novels, and how this change is manifested. The second part deals with the historical context that underpins my analysis, in particular, with regard to the fate of scholars in the former GDR. It also contains a short discussion of Helga Königsdorf, both as a person and a scientist. Part three provides a close analysis of each of both novels. Aspects such as the sense of responsibility or the lack thereof in regard to science and relationships between colleagues, friends and family are examined. In order to show how the portrayal of the scientist develops, a comparison of the novels is undertaken. It becomes evident that radical changes occurred not only on the professional, but also on a personal level. This thesis provides a first comparison of two major works by Helga Königsdorf and gives insight into the changing literary portrayal of the scientist in the former GDR during the process of unification

Christa Wolf: Im Dialog. Aktuelle Texte

Frankfurt a.M.: Luchterhand, 1990. 175 p