The unification of the two Germanies in 1990 created a new interest in East
Germany and an availability of information about the former communist country. The
altered political context has fostered a re-evaluation of "things eastern," since much of
what had previously been rejected or undervalued as the product of a communist-socialist
regime has now proven to have its own merit. In this spirit, I have pursued a thesis which
begins to re-examine East German literature - specifically through a study of Ulrich
Plenzdorfs Die neuen Leiden des jungen W.
Plenzdorfs novel provides an ideal basis for a discussion of the major issues
surrounding writing, author-state relations, and the relationship between politics and
culture in East Germany. Although Ulrich Plenzdorfis a well known East German
author, his fame is based more on the controversy surrounding the use and imitation of
Goethe in Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. than on his own literary accomplishments.
However, the strengths of the novel can only be explored and appreciated through a
broader perspective. Using theories of intertextuality, I have investigated strong
connections between Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. and Robinson Crusoe and
Catcher in the Rye and identified more significant relationships than those of mimicry
between Plenzdorfs novel and Goethe's Werther. Of particular interest is the way in which this pairing reveals and contrasts with the dominant East German view ofthe
German cultural heritage. The comparison between Die neue Leiden and Salinger's
Catcher in the Rye reveals the implications ofthis relationship between East German and
American literature. The overt connection which Plenzdorf creates between his book and
this American classic is both an expression and contradiction ofthe dominant East
German view of the United States.
The work of intertextual theorists provides a framework for the examination of the
literary interrelationships, as well as for the identication and analysis of linguistic,
cultural, and political intertexts. But while Die neuen Leiden des jungen W. is a
compilation ofrecycled material, it is also a unique piece of literature. Not only does
Plenzdorf borrow from a number ofother sources, but he makes the inevitability and
necessity of this adoption a theme of his work. Just as the central figure Wibeau searches
for his own identity, moving through imitations ofRobinson Crusoe, Holden Caulfield,
and Werther, so too Plenzdorf is searching for his own voice in the chorus ofthe masters
ofthe past such as Defoe, Salinger, and Goethe. In this quest for self-development and
self-realization, Plenzdorf and Wibeau confront traditions, assumptions, and present
practices, stimulating questions, discussion, and creating the original work Die neuen
Leiden des jungen W. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/15737 |
| Date | 09 1900 |
| Creators | Heinmaa, Andrea Maureen |
| Contributors | Wilson, Dr. Jean, German |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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