An examination of discursive strategies used to construct "woman" in German literature, aesthetic theory, and social theory of the 18th and 19th centuries. The course will begin with an overview of Enlightenment and post-Enlightenment gender theory in a broad European context (Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, de Gouges, von Hippel). We then will analyze constructions of "woman" in German literature and theory, focusing on the emergence of (and resistance to) modern gender theory. Readings include selections from Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, LaRoche, Schlegel, Guenderrode, Kleist, Droste-Huelshoff, and Dohm. Emphasis on the development of critical reading and writing skills. The course will be taught in English; all readings will be available in English translation.

Martha Helfer is Associate Professor of German and Chair of the German Department. She has published extensively on German Romantic theory.

Language of instruction: English

Readings: available in English