Great Books by German Women in the Age of Emotion, 1770-1820

This study argues for the inclusion of six late-eighteenth-century German-language novels by and about women in a revised canon. The novels depict women's ordinary yet interesting lives and contain prose particularly expressive of emotion. They include Sophie von La Roche's Die Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim, Friederike Unger's Julchen Grünthal, Sophie Mereau's Blütenalter der Empfindung, Caroline Wolzogen's Agnes von Lilien, Karoline Fischer's Die Honigmonathe, and Caroline Pichler's Frauenwürde. The study concludes that the influence of these works was in no way trivial, either in portraying women's lives and emotions or in the history of German literature.

Format: Hardback
Length: 310 pages
Publication date: 15 April 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Literature written by women in German during the Age of Goethe was largely considered unworthy Trivialliteratur. However, a new study argues for the inclusion of six canon-worthy German novels written by women in the period, known as the Age of Emotion. These novels depict women's ordinary yet interesting lives and contain prose particularly expressive of emotion.

Sophie von La Roche's Die Geschichte des Fräuleins von Sternheim draws on the tradition of the epistolary novel while finding new ways to depict empathetic emotions. Friederike Unger's Julchen Grünthal brings to the Frauenroman or women's novel the use of irony to portray a heroine's emotions during her coming of age. Sophie Mereau's Blütenalter der Empfindung imagines women's affinity for the philosophical sublime, while Caroline Wolzogen depicts female desire in her Agnes von Lilien: both add lyricism to their prose, capturing sensual emotions.

Karoline Fischer's Die Honigmonathe explores the agony that extreme emotions cause, not only for women but for men. Caroline Pichler's Frauenwürde expands the focus from a young heroine to multiple mature characters.

This study concludes that the influence of these six works was in no way trivial, either in portraying women's lives and emotions or in the history of German literature. The novels offer a critical interpretation of the period and its literary significance, highlighting the importance of including works by women in the canon.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781640140974