On December 10, 1835 the Federal Diet of the German Confederation banned the publication and distribution of any works written by a group identified as "das junge Deutschland." The Diet explicitly named Karl Gutzkow, Heinrich Laube, Theodor Mundt, Ludolf Wienbarg, and Heinrich Heine as members of this group. Since 1835 the term "Young Germany" has been widely accepted among historians and literary analysts alike. However, there has been virtually no agreement regarding the purposes of the group, its importance, or even its membership. In recent years, historical studies have gradually come to accept that the notion of a unified group called "Young Germany" is a myth, but no study has attempted to identify the key issues which divided the so-called Young Germans. This study examines the content of the 'Young German' works in the years prior to the Federal ban in order to determine the nature of the disagreements which divided Gutzkow, Laube, Mundt and Wienbarg. By utilizing the voluminous monographic and journalistic works produced by the socalled Young Germans, this study establishes their positions on many of the key issues of the Vormarz era, in particular, the emancipation of women, religious emancipation and Saint- Simonianism, and political emancipation. Based upon these positions, this study argues that there was little consensus among the core 'members.' Each man believed that he was contributing to the creation of a new type of literature which would end the Romantic separation of literature from the real world and usher in a more utilitarian form of writing. The author would no longer serve only the muses of literature, he would also serve more practical causes. Beyond this shared conviction, however, there were few issues upon which Gutzkow, Laube, Mundt and Wienbarg agreed. Moreover, even on the basic assumption that writers and their works must serve practical causes there was considerable conflict regarding the implementation of this ideal. On the larger socio-political issues of the day there was virtually no agreement. Some of the 'Young Germans' expressed fairly traditional opinions on these topics, others were remarkably modern. Seldom if ever, however, did they speak with one voice.

D.Litt. et Phil. / The demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the unification of the two Germanies less than a year later led to a search for a new national identity - a process in which German history was reconsidered. This initiated a number of debates about how the German past, especially the atrocities that had been committed during the fascist era, should be remembered. There was a strong tendency to downplay guilt and to consider this chapter of German history closed. Eventually, however, the opposite tendency gained prominence in public discourse. Particularly around 1995, the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II, and in subsequent years German society appears to be more interested in history than before. This thesis examines the role that novels and short stories, which were published in Germany during the nineties, played in the process of re-evaluating the German past. Taking into account that the telling of stories is a crucial element of remembrance, authors of fictional works that deal with the past, in whatever way, contribute to the collective memory of a nation. The seven chapters of this thesis examine different aspects of redefining the past. Attacks on authors like Christa Wolf and Giinter Grass and other intellectuals, especially by the conservative media, demonstrated that traditional perspectives were reconsidered. The ensuing debate, and how authors responded in their works, is examined in the first two chapters. The third chapter traces the effects that unification had particularly for those who had lived in the GDR and who were now struggling to reposition themselves in the historic process. The novels analysed reveal that unification affected West Germans to a much lesser extent. The following three chapters deal with the huge impact that a guilt-ridden past had and still has on the lives of Germans. A number of novels show that family life was severely affected by the historical burden which older generations were carrying, and that the silence which surrounded this burden was an irritating factor for younger generations. Authors of all ages try to come to terms with this issue in various ways, especially in autobiographical works. One dominant insight arises from most of the texts: the German language is often regarded as contaminated, and German daily life - in both the GDR and the FRG - was strongly influenced by the lack of communication between the generations. In this context those works that deal with the relationship between Jews and others are of particular interest. The final chapter discusses works published in 1997 and 1998

On December 10, 1835 the Federal Diet of the German Confederation banned the publication and distribution of any works written by a group identified as "das junge Deutschland." The Diet explicitly named Karl Gutzkow, Heinrich Laube, Theodor Mundt, Ludolf Wienbarg, and Heinrich Heine as members of this group. Since 1835 the term "Young Germany" has been widely accepted among historians and literary analysts alike. However, there has been virtually no agreement regarding the purposes of the group, its importance, or even its membership. In recent years, historical studies have gradually come to accept that the notion of a unified group called "Young Germany" is a myth, but no study has attempted to identify the key issues which divided the so-called Young Germans. This study examines the content of the 'Young German' works in the years prior to the Federal ban in order to determine the nature of the disagreements which divided Gutzkow, Laube, Mundt and Wienbarg. By utilizing the voluminous monographic and journalistic works produced by the socalled Young Germans, this study establishes their positions on many of the key issues of the Vormarz era, in particular, the emancipation of women, religious emancipation and Saint- Simonianism, and political emancipation. Based upon these positions, this study argues that there was little consensus among the core 'members.' Each man believed that he was contributing to the creation of a new type of literature which would end the Romantic separation of literature from the real world and usher in a more utilitarian form of writing. The author would no longer serve only the muses of literature, he would also serve more practical causes. Beyond this shared conviction, however, there were few issues upon which Gutzkow, Laube, Mundt and Wienbarg agreed. Moreover, even on the basic assumption that writers and their works must serve practical causes there was considerable conflict regarding the implementation of this ideal. On the larger socio-political issues of the day there was virtually no agreement. Some of the 'Young Germans' expressed fairly traditional opinions on these topics, others were remarkably modern. Seldom if ever, however, did they speak with one voice. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

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In modern times German authors have made ample use of the Job-theme. The study examines the transformations that the story of Job has undergone in German narrative and dramatic works from Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's Der neue Hiob (1878) to Fritz Zorn's Mars (1977). The most striking feature of these works lies in their diverse characterization of the Job-figure. As a mythical figure he remains synonymous with the sufferer, but he may be characterized as patient or impatient, humble or arrogant, innocent or guilty, rich or poor, courageous or cowardly; he may be a Jew or a Christian, a Nazi or an anti-Nazi, a believer or an agnostic. The authors have retained most of the characters included in the Old Testament story. The Job-figure usually has a wife (who doubts and despises God), a number of children (who die in an impending disaster), and several friends (who accuse him of wrong-doing). Concerning the plot, most writers have excluded any prologue in heaven. The suffering of the Job-figure (usually brought on by the loss of loved ones, by physical pain and by mental agony) is always central to the story. More often than not, however, the modern Job-figure exhibits a form of impatience and impiety once misfortune has struck. A theophany (literal confrontation with God) does not occur, but a divine agent may be provided in the form of a dream or a vision, or indirectly by nature. An epilogue (the restoration of Job's health, possessions and children) is usually omitted, but some authors imply a renewal of Job, so as to suggest a purpose for and a hope after his arduous trials. / Arts, Faculty of / Central Eastern Northern European Studies, Department of / Graduate