Synopses & Reviews
Review
"Stern is a brave traveller, and--on the subject of literature as distinct from the events of history--a magnanimous observer, more disposed to understand than to accuse." D.J. Enright, German Literature"This book has historical value, documenting a critical as well as loving reception of twentieth-century German literature by one who was deeply affected by the upheavals of this century caused by Germans. It engages the reader when Stern, though basically conservative, transcends so many shopworn conventions. The reader is enriched by it, even when he or she disagrees." Herbert Lehnert, Journal of English and Germanic Philology
Synopsis
This book, completed shortly before Peter Stern's death in 1991, studies works by twelve major writers of German modernism, including Thomas Mann, Musil, Brecht and Rilke, in relation to the history of the twentieth century. It explores the theme of the 'dear purchase', an ideal of moral strenuousness and sacrifice seen as characteristic of Germany after Nietzsche, and reveals the underlying flaw in this notion as a self-justifying value. This question preoccupied Peter Stern throughout his distinguished career, and is addresed here with his customary insight and elegance of style.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Nicholas Boyle; Editor's preface; Introduction; 1. The theme; 2. Reality; 3. Relativity; 4. The Great War; 5. The purchase of poetry; 6. Rendering account; 7. A deliverance of sorts; 8. Postscript: the divided self; Notes; Index.