In this work the views of the Austrian-Jewish authors Joseph Roth and Stefan Zweig are examined to establish how the historical tradition to which they belong contributed to determining their world view. The study also focuses on the responses of the authors to the conditions under which they lived between 1918 and 1938. Furthermore, the influence of their Jewish background is discussed. The methodology adopted is to investigate the journalistic and literary work of the authors, together with their letters and diaries, in light of the historical background and contemporary situation. The respective biographies of the protagonists are also taken into account. The work is divided into three main parts. In the first part Austria's historical background is presented in order to examine the context in which the Austrian identity of Joseph Roth and Stefan Zweig developed. The second and third parts are concerned with the writings and views of the two authors. While the thesis seeks to demonstrate the extent to which both authors are indebted to the historical circumstances which led to the formation of their identity, it also examines how after 1918, in the wake of the formation of a new Austria, that identity was challenged and refined. Between 1918 and 1938, through eye-witness accounts and writings, we see the crystallization of their ideas. Negative responses to the new political and social order develop and conditions are compared unfavourably with those of "old Europe". Moreover, it is demonstrated that their views on important socio-political and cultural issues, including their views on Jewishness, are buttressed by the evidence of other contemporary Austrian authors. All authors under consideration place emphasis on the present situation and on tomorrow's world, not simply on the stasis of the world of yesteryear. While the old world order plays a role in the writings, it is critically interrogated and made relevant to the modern era.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:553882 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Kalina-McMahon, Susanne |
| Publisher | University of Ulster |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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