GER 216. German
Civilization
An Online
German Culture Course from the Reformation to the Present Day
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Lesson 2 |
From Luther's Reformation to The Thirty
Years' War Assignments for Lesson 2 |
Where do you want to go next? Ø
Quiz
1 for Lesson 2 Ø
Quiz
2 for Lesson 2 Ø
Discuss this Lesson on the Discussion
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Introduction
to Goethe's Dramatic Poem FAUST
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
(1749-1832)
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born on August 28, 1749
into a patrician family in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. His education there
embraced many subject areas and foreign languages. He studied law at Leipzig
and later in Strassburg, where under J.G. Herder's influence he discovered the
beauty of Gothic architecture, folk poetry, Homer and Shakespeare. Later, he
took up his legal carrier in Frankfurt and Wetzlar, and later in Weimar, which
he transformed into the cultural capital of Germany during the first half of
the 19th century. During that time, German culture reached a golden age with
the genius of Goethe at its center, interpreter of the universe and the
individual, torn between reason and passion, knowledge and belief. In Weimar,
he completed many of his plays and dramas, including "Iphigenie" and "Faust."
Limiting his administrative career to the arts and sciences, and the creation
of a national theater, he also spent time on scientific research involving
optics and the "Theory of Colors." But a new friendship with the
German poet, dramatist and historian Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) rekindled
his literary output, such as the completion of "Faust I," the
incomparable drama about the quintessence of western man. They cooperated in
their respective journals, produced Germany's finest ballads, and challenged
each other to ever-greater literary heights. The monumental "Faust
II" did not appear until the year of Goethe's death in 1832.
Goethe's poetry, his dramas, novels, essays, art
criticism and autobiographical volumes have found the admiration of
generations. Among the translators of Goethe into English we find names such as
Thomas and Jane Carlyle, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, Percy
Shelley, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf
Whittier, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. By 1912, there existed 2,660 musical
compositions for works by Goethe. Franz Schubert excelled with his Goethe
Lieder, so did Robert Schumann, Mendelssohn, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss and
many others. Beethoven composed the opera "Egmont," Charles Gounod
the popular "Margaretha," Hector Berlioz the dramatic legend "La
Damnation de Faust," Franz Liszt wrote four "Mephisto Waltzes,"
(see sound icon below!), and Paul Dukas an orchestral scherzo, "The
Sorcerer's Apprentice."
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"Noble
let man be / Helpful and good." "Who
so with fervent will strives on / At last can find redemption." "What
your forebears have bequeathed upon you / Earn it anew to make it truly your
own." |
Source: Adapted from Eberhard Reichmann
Max Kade German-American Center
Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Indianapolis
http://www-lib.iupui.edu/kade/
FAUST. A TRAGEDY
Dr. Johann Faust (or Faustus) was a 16th century
German doctor, who traveled widely, performed legendary, magical feats, and
died under somewhat mysterious circumstances.
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According
to legend Dr. Faust had sold his soul to the devil (personified by the
figure of Mephistopheles in the back) in exchange for youth,
knowledge, and magical power. Innumerable folk tales and invented stories
were attached to Faust's name. The first printed version is the Volksbuch
(1587) of Johann Spiess, which, in English translation, was the basis of
Christopher Marlowe's play Dr. Faustus (c.1588). Many versions
followed, ranging from popular buffoonery to highly developed art forms.
Spiess and Marlowe represent Faust as a scoundrel justly punished with
eternal damnation, but Lessing instead saw in him the symbol of man's heroic
striving for knowledge and power and therefore as worthy of praise and
salvation. This view of Faust as seeker was continued by Goethe in his
great dramatic poem. Goethe enlarged upon the old legend, adding the element
of love and giving the story a more philosophical treatment. |
Goethe first came to grips with the theme in 1774 (in
what is called the Urfaust). The first part of Faust appeared in
1808; it is more suitable for the theater than the more profound and
philosophic second part (1833). The many subsequent Faust novels and dramas,
among them those of Klinger, Chamisso, Grabbe, and Lenau, could not rival the
power and fame of Goethe's work. A recent variant of the Faust legend is Thomas
Mann's novel Doktor Faustus (1947).
Source: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright
© 2000, Columbia University Press.
Franz Liszt (1811-1866) Mephisto
Waltz
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Film Review: FAUST by F.W. Murnau, 1926
A video is
available at the "Teaching and Learning Center" at UNCG and at many
city libraries.
FAUST Film [1926]. Produced in Germany. Directed by F.W. Murnau.
Running Time: 116 minutes
Faust, Gosta Ekmann (1890-1938); Mephisto,
Emil Jannings (1886-1950); Gretchen, Camilla Horn (1903-1996);
Mutter, Freida Richard (1873-1946); Valentin, Wilhelm (William)
Dieterle (1893-1972); Martha, Yvette Guilber (18651944); Herzog, Eric
Barcleq; Herzogin, Hanna Ralph (18851978); Erzengel, Werner
Fuetterer.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's (1749-1832) Faust
legend was filmed at least fifteen times during the silent era (1902, 1904,
1907, 1909, three times in 1910; 1911, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1926, and 1927). The
legend was filmed under the title Faust and Marguerite in 1900, 1904,
and 1911. It appeared as Faust and Mephistopheles in 1898.
Faust and the Lily was filmed in 1913. Faust in Hell was filmed in
1903. Murnau's 1926 silent version, which is an adaptation of Faust Part I,
remains the definitive motion picture version of the legendary tale.
It opens with a wager between Satan and an angel.
Satan bets that he can wrest the soul of Faust, a righteous and elderly man.
The angel states that if Satan can win Faust over, he can have complete control
of the earth. Satan immediately gets to work, by cursing the world with the
bubonic plague. Faust, an alchemist searching for a cure, becomes frustrated
that his prayers to God have not been fulfilled. As a last resort, he summons
the aid of Satan in the form of Mephisto. They make a one-day pact which allows
Faust to cure victims of the plague. Just before the pact runs out, Satan
offers Faust a deal he can't refuse - eternal youth in exchange for an eternal
pact.
Along the path of eternal youth, Faust becomes
infatuated with a young virgin named Gretchen. Although Satan insists that she
is too pure and innocent, Faust insists on an affair with her. Under the curse
of Satan, Faust and Gretchen engage in adultery, and Gretchen becomes pregnant.
Shunned by the community, she is forced onto the streets with her baby. The
baby becomes ill, and despite Gretchen's pleas for help, she is abandoned. The
baby freezes to death, and Gretchen is charged with child murder, and burned at
the stake. Faust's love for Gretchen results in his renunciation of eternal
youth and his nemesis Satan, and he turns old again, joining Gretchen at the
stake. Is this love enough to save his soul and the earth from the devil?
This film accomplishes what simply could not be
staged in the operatic versions of the Faust legend. It contains the massive
mob scenes during the plague panic, as well as stunning camera work -
especially during the sequences in which Faust and Mephisto travel over the
earth. The special effects during which Faust initially summons the devil are
truly astounding.
In addition to F.W. Murnau's magnificent direction
and fabulous cinematography, this movie features an outstanding cast. Emil
Jannings is truly unforgettable as Mephisto. When he first appears before Faust
and nods his head, he looks so evil that it sends chills up one's spine. The
makeup work on Jannings is astonishingly effective, and it is hard to recognize
him at first. Camilla Horn's impressive debut as Gretchen resulted in her being
signed to play the female lead in two John Barrymore films in the United States
-- The Tempest (1927) and Eternal Love (1929). A relatively
young William Dieterle plays the role of Valentin. Dieterle gained
prominence as a director of such classics as The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1939), The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936), and The Life of Emile Zola
(1937). The director, Murnau, was also lured by the Fox Film Company
to direct films in the United States and, as a result, Faust was the last film
that he directed in Germany before emigrating.
F.W. Murnau's Faust
is truly masterful cinematic expression on the highest level, as well as his
greatest achievement. Without hesitation, it can be ranked among the greatest
of silent masterpieces -- in the same league as Intolerance (1916), Greed
(1924), Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1927), and Napoleon
(1927).
Source: Reviewed by Robert K. Klepper.
Click here to view more photos from Faust.
Copyright © 1997 by Robert K. Klepper. All rights
reserved.
Introduction
to Luther and the Reformation
Martin Luther 1483-1546
Very few historical figures are as
controversial as Martin Luther. His supporters call him a Protestant
hero, a freedom fighter, a wise and insightful church leader. His
detractors call him a heretic, an apostate, a profane ecclesiastical terrorist.
Still others call him a necessary evil or the unwitting catalyst that set
aflame a volatile social and ecclesiastical situation.
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Luther, himself, often called himself a simple monk or a
simple Christian. He marveled that a straightforward stand of conscience
had turned him into one of the most-talked-about people of his time. Yet
that simple Christian and that simple stand of conscience started an
ecclesiastical shock wave that changed the course of German as well as Western
history.
The links below
will take you to a detailed, four-part timeline that traces the events in the
life of Martin Luther. It is one of the most detailed timeline of its
kind on the Web. Links within each timeline will take you to all of
Luther's writing available online and to miscellaneous background information
on the places and people in Luther's life.
Source:
©1999 by Susan Lynn Peterson
http://pweb.netcom.com/~supeters/luther.htm
For
more information about Martin Luther and Reformation history
take a look at the Reformation page, edited by Susan Lynn
Peterson.
Martin Luther's Life
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"Unless I am
convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of
the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience
is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to
go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen." |
Martin Luther's life can be divided into four major
phases: Luther's Early Years (1483 - 1516). The first phase of
Luther's life which encompasses his childhood, university studies and his time
as an Augustinian monk is
characterized by his search for religious understanding. Luther was living as
a university professor in Wittenberg at this time. Luther the Reformer (1517 - 1525). When he finally reached
the understanding he was searching for, he realizes that there are many
problems in the world and the church. He rebels against the abuses of the church and his
actions spark strong reactions. Luther the Church Leader (1526 - 1537). Luther hides at the
Wartburg on the orders of his Elector,
Frederick the Wise. The Reformation has caught on with some of the most
powerful people and is unstoppable. Luther is able to return to Wittenberg to
fight his adversaries
and put his ideas into
practice. Luther's Later Years (1538 - 1546). During the last years of
his life, Luther is no less active, but resignation and an inclination
towards sudden outbursts of rage
can be seen in the works and speeches of the aging reformer. |
Martin Luther's Time and Legacy
Ø Martin
Luther was born into a time of tension
and conflict, now recognized as the transitional period between the Middle
Ages and the Modern Ages. He helped mould many of the revolutionary changes
which took place during this lifetime. As an Augustinian monk he denounced the
practice of Papal Indulgences and though it was not his intention, his protests
started a chain reaction throughout Europe.
Ø The
Reformation was unstoppable, and continued even after Luther's death.
Ø Luther's
influence went beyond the religious sphere, for example, his translation of the Bible
contributed greatly to the development of a uniform written German language.
Ø Although he
was an innovator in many areas, he sometimes held onto old prejudices,
including misogyny and anti-Semitism against Jews.
Ø
Luther, the reformer, was a highly controversial figure
during his time, and during the
centuries thereafter until the present day.
Introduction
to the Thirty Years' War 1618-1648
The Thirty
Years' War ranges among the epoch-making confrontations in the history of
Germany and Europe. This conflict, which involved the whole of central Europe,
propelled the process of state formation far beyond medieval loyalties and
boundaries. It marked the beginning of a new period in early modern history.
The war's duration, its intensity and the deep social changes caused by its
destruction left a painful mark in the collective memory of the population.
Maybe this explains the popular interest in the Thirty Years' War even to this
day.
The war was especially long and cruel in the north of
Germany (Brandenburg and in parts of Mecklenburg and Pomerania). Right in the
center of Prussia, Swedish (Protestant) and Imperial and Saxonian troops
(Catholic) clashed in a bloody battle on October 4, 1636. This Protestant
victory opened the way for the Swedish army into central Germany and secured
the denominational status quo in the Prussian provinces. The Protestant
victory, however, also caused the continuation of civil and religious warfare,
which dragged on until a peace of exhaustion was negotiated in Münster and
Osnabrück in 1648, which finally brought an end to the 30-year slaughter.
CAUSES OF THE WAR
In 17th century Europe, concepts of
"Christendom" and "country" were still shaped by notions of
unified kingdoms with single rulers who occupied the positions of monarchs. It
was, however, often a matter of dispute who these rulers should be. The most
promising candidates for the universal monarchy in central Europe were the Habsburgs,
who held the emperorship of the Reich as well as the Spanish kingship, and also
controlled the resources of the New World and the colonies. The French king
Ludovicus XIII (bottom right below) and, not surprisingly, the Swedish king
Gustavus Adolphus (bottom left below) were the main competitors of the Habsburg
Kaiser Ferdinand II (center). The Protestant inspired Bohemian revolt in Prague
against Habsburg rule, and the formation of the renegade Dutch Republic on the
Atlantic shore jeopardized the hegemony of the "Holy Roman Empire of
German Nation", which unleashed the economic, political, religious, and
constitutional clashes known as the Thirty Years' War.
EVERYDAY LIFE AND THE WAR
The German notion of the 17th century and the Thirty
Years' War is shaped by images courtly splendor as well as deep religiosity and
apprehension of death, formed by the apocalyptic scourges of the epoch: war,
plague and famine. Prophesies, astrology and magical rites were popular among
city dwellers and peasants alike. Remote from battles and war atrocities,
every-day life in cities, small towns and on the countryside went on as usual
during the early years of the war. Some cities, like Hamburg and Amsterdam,
profited from the booming trade in armaments and army supplies, and from the
evolving money markets, which formed an important stimulus for the continuation
of the war. Cities like Liège, an armament center, or Oldenburg, famous for its
horse husbandry, were not at all disturbed by the warring factions. However, as
the war dragged on, the population suffered increasingly from ravaging armies
in search of food and provisions. Rural populations, dislodged by advancing
armies, often fled to cities or remote forests or emigrated to other provinces
in search for better living conditions. This resulted in large-scale migration
movements and steep decreases in population due to war casualties, famine, and
disease impacted entire regions long after the war.
THE MILITARY SOCIETY
The armies of the Thirty Years' War consisted of up
to 40,000 mercenaries. Princes, however, had considerable financial and
organizational problems recruiting and providing for their troops. Frequently,
independent war recruiters were commissioned to hire soldiers and raise
regiments. Profit interests prevailed and living conditions for common soldiers
worsened. The result was an increasing pauperization. Often, the soldiers' only
chance for survival involved foraging by use of force among the peasant
population. Poor living conditions and the lack of medical care led to more
soldiers dying from exhaustion and epidemics than from injuries sustained on
the battleground.
In the Thirty
Years' War, armed confrontations often involved battles in the open field and,
even more frequently, sieges of fortified cities to gain advantageous strategic
positions. In siege warfare the artillery made sure that the city walls were
damaged and the deafening roar of guns demoralized the population. Low-ranking
soldiers had little chances of surviving more than a few battles or sieges.
Musket bullets or blade weapons caused the worst injuries. Such wounds were
difficult to heal. During a siege the soldiers suffered hunger no less than the
inhabitants of the beleaguered city.
PEACE IN 1648
The war, which began with a local rebellion of
Bohemian estates against the Habsburg monarchy, soon gained a European
dimension. Its vast scale, its utter ruthlessness, and it social devastation
made achieving peace extraordinarily difficult. In 1648, Catholics and
Protestants entered the peace agreement of Münster and Osnabrück. The treaties which
ended the state of war between Spain and the United Netherlands (January 1648)
and between the Emperor (and the Reich) and the Swedish and French Crowns
(October 1648) reflected the new boundaries brought about by the war in the
Reich and all over Europe. These treaties successfully transferred the
conflicts into legal arenas.
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The Peace of Westphalia,
fundamentally influenced the subsequent history of Europe. In addition to
establishing Switzerland and the Dutch Republic (the Netherlands) as
independent states, the treaty gravely weakened the "Holy Roman Empire of
German Nation" and the Habsburgs. It ensured the emergence of France as
the chief power on the Continent, and disastrously retarded the political
unification of Germany for centuries to come.
LITERATURE ABOUT THE WAR
The Thirty
Years' War was by far the most severe social catastrophe of the early modern
period. Whereas later wars - such as the War of the Spanish Succession or the
Seven Years' War - took heavy tolls, memories of the Thirty Years' War became
synonymous with all the horrors of civil warfare and armed combat. The human
suffering associated with the Thirty Years' War has caused many writers,
artists, and historians to commemorate this tragic conflict. Hans Jakob
Christoph von Grimmelshausen created the pattern for a great number of renowned
works treating this subject through his famous novel Simplicissimus. Other
writers include Friedrich Schiller, Ricarda Huch, August Strindberg, and
BERTOLT BRECHT.
Sources: "Thirty Years' War," Microsoft® Encarta®
Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Director Dr. W. Dost, Museum of the Thirty Years' War,
http://www.uni-potsdam.de/u/geschichte/mdk/indexe.htm
Introduction
to Bertolt Brecht's Play MOTHER COURAGE
Play by Bertolt Brecht, written in German as Mutter
Courage und ihre Kinder: Eine Chronik aus dem Dreissigjahrigen Krieg,
produced in 1941 and published in 1949. Composed of 12 scenes, Mother
Courage and Her Children is a chronicle play of the Thirty Years' War
(1618-1648) and is based on the picaresque novel Simplicissimus (1669)
by Hans Jakob Grimmelshausen. In 1949 Brecht staged Mother Courage, with
music by Paul Dessau, in the Soviet sector of Berlin. The plot revolves around
a woman who depends on war for her personal survival and who is nicknamed
Mother Courage for her coolness in safeguarding her merchandise under enemy
fire. One by one her three children die, yet she continues her profiteering.
Assignments
for Lesson 2
(1)
Read the second half (from the scene "A
Street" to the end of Part I) of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragedy Faust, Part I. Candace Ward
(Editor), Anna Swanwick (Translator) / Paperback 138 pages. ISBN:
0486280462.
An online text version is available at
http://www.kenyon.edu/depts/iphs/faust/faustidx.html
An online Study Guide to
Goethe's FAUST is available at
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/hum_303/faust.html
(2) Discuss this Lesson
on the Discussion Board
Preview:
Reading Assignment for Lesson 3
Read Mother
Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht. 154 pages (February 1994) Arcade
Publishing; ISBN: 1559702346. This book retails for $8.76.
Where do you want to go
next?
Ø
Quiz 1
for Lesson 2 [civilization]
Ø
Quiz 2
for Lesson 2 [Faust]
Ø
Discuss this Lesson on the Discussion
Board
A.
Lixl.
August 2001