32008 The Orient between Utopia, Phantasy and Classical Poetry: Lessing, Mendelssohn, Herder, Goethe
- Teacher: Christoph Schmidt
Peter Handke was born in 1942 and is an Austrian writer and translator. He has received numerous awards and he is one of the most famous contemporary German-speaking authors. In 2019 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. After the author dealt with a critique of language templates and patterns of consciousness in his first texts, he soon found a new topic in the alienation between subject and environment. His early works made him internationally known within a short period of time from the late 1960s.
In November 1971, Peter Handke's mother committed suicide after years of depression. He dealt with this traumatic experience in the story »Wunschloses Unglück« (1972), which was made into a film two years later. In the same year »Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied« (1972), which describes parts of his trip to the USA, was published. Three years later »Die Stunde der wahren Empfindung« (1975) appeared and it began at the same time as the journal entries »Das Gewicht der Welt. Ein Journal» (1977). In 1976 a hospital stay followed, triggered by panic attacks and cardiac arrhythmias. The following year the film adaptation of »Die linkshändige Frau« (1976) was released. These and other texts are read in the German original language and discussed in German in the course.
In November 1971, Peter Handke's mother committed suicide after years of depression. He dealt with this traumatic experience in the story »Wunschloses Unglück« (1972), which was made into a film two years later. In the same year »Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied« (1972), which describes parts of his trip to the USA, was published. Three years later »Die Stunde der wahren Empfindung« (1975) appeared and it began at the same time as the journal entries »Das Gewicht der Welt. Ein Journal» (1977). In 1976 a hospital stay followed, triggered by panic attacks and cardiac arrhythmias. The following year the film adaptation of »Die linkshändige Frau« (1976) was released. These and other texts are read in the German original language and discussed in German in the course.
- Teacher: Michael Fisch
- Teacher: Gabriele Borschmann
The book »Minima Moralia« with the subtitle »Reflections from the Damaged Life« is a philosophical work by Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno (1903-1969) written in American exile. The text contains one hundred and fifty-three aphorisms and short essays on the conditions of human existence (»conditio humana«) under both capitalist and fascist conditions. The entire text is based on notes that the author wrote down during the years of his exile in England since 1934 and in the USA since 1938. Most of the pieces were written between 1944 and 1947 in exile in California, after completing their work with Max Horkheimer on the »Dialectic of Enlightenment«.
In addition to the »Dialectic of the Enlightenment« (1944) and the »Negative Dialectic« (1966), the »Minima Moralia« (1951) is one of Adorno's main philosophical works. In his overall works, the font occupies a special position, since the short, numbered texts show no discernible theoretical connection with one another. Seventy years after its publication, this collection has been referred to as the last German »Volksbuch der Philosophie« and »Hausbuch der kritischen Intelligenz« in view of its popularity and its surprisingly great success from the start with a total of over one hundred thousand copies sold. This course commemorates both his 120th birthday and the first publication of the »Minima Moralia« in seven decades.
In addition to the »Dialectic of the Enlightenment« (1944) and the »Negative Dialectic« (1966), the »Minima Moralia« (1951) is one of Adorno's main philosophical works. In his overall works, the font occupies a special position, since the short, numbered texts show no discernible theoretical connection with one another. Seventy years after its publication, this collection has been referred to as the last German »Volksbuch der Philosophie« and »Hausbuch der kritischen Intelligenz« in view of its popularity and its surprisingly great success from the start with a total of over one hundred thousand copies sold. This course commemorates both his 120th birthday and the first publication of the »Minima Moralia« in seven decades.
- Teacher: Michael Fisch