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Drama in German --- Austrian writers --- 1900-1945 --- Texts

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Austria was not the only European country whose old order disintegrated in the early twentieth century, giving way to the crisis of modernity, nor the only country whose literature bears the marks of this crisis. But modernity's onset was experienced differently in Austria: in the words of Karl Kraus, it served as 'laboratory for the fall of world civilization.' This book examines the crisis as reflected in fiction written by Robert Musil, Joseph Roth, and Ingeborg Bachmann between 1920 and 1970. After examining the elusive concept of modernity, Malcolm Spencer looks at the responses of the three authors to the central themes of modernity: fragmentation, nationalism, the end of empire, and ambivalence. Chapters on Musil examine his understanding of the 'ancien régime' in Austria and his analysis of the ideological stage of modernity. Spencer then considers Roth's more negative reaction, showing the post-imperial novel 'Radetzkymarsch' to be a nostalgic response to the collapse of Habsburg Austria and the rise of fascism. The final chapter looks again at the end of empire, not in the work of writers who lived through it, but through that of one who experienced it as a historical and cultural legacy: Ingeborg Bachmann. Malcolm Spencer is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Birmingham.

Austrian literature --- History and criticism. --- Musil, Robert, --- Roth, Joseph, --- Bachmann, Ingeborg, --- Ambivalence. --- Austrian Writers. --- Bachmann. --- Crisis of Modernity. --- End of Empire. --- Fragmentation. --- Gendered Notion. --- Musil. --- Nationalism. --- Political and Social Concerns. --- Roth.

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New essays examine 20th-c. Austrian literature in relation to history, politics, and popular culture. 20th-century Austrian literature boasts many outstanding writers: Schnitzler, Musil, Rilke, Kraus, Celan, Canetti, Bernhard, Jelinek. These and others feature in broader accounts of German literature, but it is desirable to see how the Austrian literary scene -- and Austrian society itself -- shaped their writing. This volume thus surveys Austrian writers of drama, prose fiction, and lyric poetry; relates them to the distinctive history of modern Austria,a democratic republic that was overtaken by civil war and authoritarian rule, absorbed into Nazi Germany, and re-established as a neutral state; and examines their response to controversial events such as the collusion with Nazism, the Waldheim affair, and the rise of Haider and the extreme right. In addition to confronting controversy in the relations between literature, history, and politics, the volume examines popular culture in line with current trends. Contributors: Judith Beniston, Janet Stewart, Andrew Barker, Murray Hall, Anthony Bushell, Dagmar Lorenz, Juliane Vogel, Jonathan Long, Joseph McVeigh, Allyson Fiddler. Katrin Kohl is Lecturer in German and a Fellow of Jesus College, and Ritchie Robertson is Taylor Professor of German Language and Literature and a Fellow of The Queen's College, both at the University of Oxford.

Austrian literature --- Politics and literature --- Popular culture --- Publishers and publishing --- History and criticism. --- History --- Book publishing --- Books --- Book industries and trade --- Booksellers and bookselling --- Culture, Popular --- Mass culture --- Pop culture --- Popular arts --- Communication --- Intellectual life --- Mass society --- Recreation --- Culture --- Literature --- Literature and politics --- Publishing --- Political aspects --- 20th-century Austrian literature. --- Austrian writers. --- Waldheim affair. --- authoritarian rule. --- civil war. --- collusion with Nazism. --- drama. --- extreme right. --- lyric poetry. --- modern Austria. --- popular culture. --- prose fiction. --- rise of Haider.