Ambiguous aggression in German realism and beyond flirtation, passive aggression, domestic violence
German realism and beyond$dflirtation, passive aggression, domestic violence
Barbara N. Nagel
- xi, 158 Seiten
- New directions in German studies vol. 29 .
- New directions in German studies vol. 29 .
Includes bibliographical references and index
"Our main words defining emotional states suggest that we have clarity about them: expressions like 'love', 'hatred', 'anxiety', or 'sorrow' seem clear enough. The reality, however, tends to be more complicated. We are often faced with gestures and utterances that are difficult to interpret and thus find ourselves wondering about the affective force of what has just been said: "Was that an insult?" "Flirtation?" "Aggression?" Ambiguous Aggression looks at three interlocking forms of social violence - flirtation, passive aggression, and domestic violence. In order to understand their circulation, it traces their literary-historical genealogy in German realism and modernism - in scenes from Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Adalbert Stifter, Theodor Storm, Theodor Fontane, Robert Walser, and Franz Kafka, covering a historical period from the middle of the 19th century to the early decades of the 20th century. Reading realist and modernist literature through 21st -century affect theory and vice versa, the analyses collected in this book show the deep literary history of our current cultural predicaments and predilections." --
9781501352713 hardback
9781501352713
2019013190
German fiction--History and criticism--19th century German fiction--History and criticism--20th century Ambiguity in literature Flirting in literature Aggressiveness in literature Family violence in literature Affect (Psychology) in literature Realism in literature Literature, Modern--Themes, motives
Class of Spring 2018 John P. Birkelund Fellow in the Humanities Fellow Written at the Academy