Module description
There is a large quantity of medieval writing on death, from ‘practical’ ars moriendi texts to more ‘literary’ explorations such as Johannes von Tepl’s dialogue between death and a ploughman, Der Ackermann. It is not surprising, given the high mortality rates and extreme concern for human salvation, that death was a privileged topic in medieval writing, but it is more surprising that many of the specific concerns and literary strategies present in medieval texts are also found in contemporary works. By focusing on both medieval and modern works of literature, students will be encouraged to work both synchronically and diachronically; they will investigate each text within its specific historical context and search for change and development, but also be encouraged to identify common ground. To facilitate this and to enable a creative response, texts will be taught in pairs – one modern, one medieval – with similar themes and a common theoretical framework. In some cases, the modern text is directly influenced by the medieval response to death; in others, the connection is striking if not deliberate. All the modern texts studied have been published since 1990; by studying these works in conjunction with medieval texts, students will not only develop a new outlook on the Middle Ages, but also investigate how contemporary culture engages with the traditions of death and dying.
Areas covered will include: personification of death; visual representation of death; grief, bereavement and consolation; performance of death; the afterlife; narrating death; the art of dying; death and gender.
The texts studied will include well-known texts by significant authors, as well as a few lesser-studied examples. Core texts from the fields of critical and cultural theory will also be central to the module.
Assessment details
4000 word essay (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
- to introduce students to a range of texts from the medieval and contemporary periods that all deal, in various different ways, with death/the afterlife.
- to reflect critically on literary responses to death.
- to familiarise students with theoretical texts related to the theme of the module.
- to develop techniques of comparative analysis, both in seminar discussions and in written work.
- to give students a good reading knowledge of Middle High German.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- demonstrate a high level of familiarity with, and understanding of, a range of modern and medieval responses to death in German literature
- demonstrate a high level of understanding of selected theoretical writings on death and the afterlife
- demonstrate a good reading knowledge of Middle High Geman
- analyse the complex literary strategies used by writers of different periods to deal with the subject of death
- analyse literary responses to death both historically and transhistorically
- demonstrate sophisticated skills in comparative reading techniques
- demonstrate clear skills in applying literary and critical theory in order to develop and sustain their close readings of individual texts or groups of texts
- present their views in a sophisticated and independent manner through class presentations and in written form by planning, researching and writing a substantial piece of written coursework.
Teaching pattern
1 x 2-hour seminar per week
Suggested reading list
Core primary reading:
- Johannes von Tepl, Der Ackermann, ed. Christian Kiening (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2006).
- Judith Hermann, Alice (Frankfurt a. M.: Fischer, 2011).
- Das Nibelungenlied, ed. by Ursula Schulze (Stuttgart: Reclam, 2011).
- Felicitas Hoppe, Die Nibelungen: Ein deutscher Stummfilm (Frankfurt a. M.: Fischer, 2021).
- Extracts from Heinrich von Melk, Von des todes gehugde. Mahnrede über den Tod, ed. and trans. by Thomas Bein (Stuttgart: Reclam, 1994).
- Durs Grünbein, Den Teuren Toten (Frankfurt a. M.: Suhrkamp, 1994).
- Extracts from Alber’s Tnugdalus, in Visio Tnugdali, lateinisch und altdeutsch, ed. by Albrecht Wagner (Erlangen, 1882) [a translation will also be provided].
- Christa Wolf, Leibhaftig (Frankfurt a. M.: Suhrkamp, 2009).
- Extracts from Der tanzende Tod: Mittelalterliche Totentänze (Frankfurt a. M.: Insel, 1983).
- Extracts from Neue Totentänze. Holzstiche von Karl-Georg Hirsch. Mit Gedichten von Volker Braun und anderen (Frankfurt a. M.: Insel, 2002).
Please note that students will be expected to obtain their own copies of the texts by Johannes von Tepl, Judith Hermann, Felicitas Hoppe and Christa Wolf. They may also wish to obtain their own copy of Das Nibelungenlied. All other primary texts will be provided, either as digital or paper copies.