Ateneo - UPO

German Symbolism: Stefan George, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Rainer Maria Rilke

Students are required to read the following texts: S. George, Algabal; R. M. Rilke, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge; H. von Hofmannsthal, Everyman. The play of the rich man's death; F. Jesi, Rilke; P. Szondi, Rilke's Duino Elegies.

Ability to:
- briefly illustrate the plot of the listed works, identifying their distinctive features and main themes
- analyze the texts read and discussed during the lessons
- critically re-elaborate the notions learned both during the course and through the autonomous reading of the texts.

The course will be held in Italian. It should be noted, however, that short passages from the works listed above will be read in German, then literally translated and analyzed by the lecturer in Italian. In addition, a brief analysis of some texts will also be provided in German.

Frontal lessons, critical reading, translation and commentary of texts, use of multimedia materials.

Further information will be provided at the beginning of the course and published on DIR. All students must therefore register for the course on DIR. It is also advisable to periodically check the lecturer’s page on Upobook. Any non-attending students are requested to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the course and the lecturer will provide information on the texts necessary for the integration of the program. All students are invited to read the texts before class.

The test consists of an oral exam mainly in Italian and will focus on the following points:
- verification of the knowledge of the intellectual biography and of the works of the three authors discussed during the course as well as of the cultural and literary context - 50% of the weight of the exam mark.
- verification of the ability to analyze the works that have been read and analyzed during the corse, demonstrating the ability to formulate critical judgments and establish intertextual parallelisms - 25% of the weight of the exam mark.
- verification of the ability to translate from the original and briefly comment in German some of the passages read and analyzed in class - 25% of the weight of the exam mark. The overall assessment will take into account the ability to have an overview of the subject matter, the level of direct knowledge of the texts included in the program, the ability to apply the notions acquired to the hermeneutics of the text and, finally, the linguistic mastery (in Italian and German) in the exposition of the contents.

The course aims to provide cultural data and hermeneutical tools useful in order to critically approach the works of three of the most famous and important authors of modern German literature: Stefan George, Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Rainer Maria Rilke. The lessons will be divided into four macro-sections: a brief interdisciplinary introduction to the birth and development of the symbolist movement in European literature and arts; a first section dedicated to the fascinating and controversial figure of Stefan George, whose early works will be analyzed with particular attention (from "Hymns" to "Algabal"); a second section dedicated to the poet and playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal, whose theatrical production and fruitful collaboration with Richard Strauss will be explored; finally, a third and last section dedicated to the great writer and poet Rainer Maria Rilke, whose most important works will be analyzed in the light of critical essays by Furio Jesi and Peter Szondi: “The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge”, “Duino Elegies” and “Sonnets to Orpheus ”.

Knowledge of the intellectual biography and of the main works of the most representative authors of the symbolist movement in the German-speaking area. Ability to place the aforementioned authors in the appropriate historical and cultural context. Ability to critically analyze the texts, illustrating their distinctive symbolist features. Ability to present content with clarity and adequate terminology.