Modern German Literature covers the history of the literature of the German-speaking world from the invention of printing with movable types and the beginning of the Reformation to the present day. The change from manuscript culture to print and the intellectual break marked by the Reformation justify demarcating the cut-off point between modern and medieval literature around the year 1500.
In this sense Modern German Literature covers the entirety of literary development from the Early Modern period until the present day in the various German-speaking countries.
The discipline deals with the editorial, philological and poetological production of texts, the systematics of literary analysis, the understanding of historical contexts (social history and history of ideas) and comparative aspects in relation to other literary cultures.
Moreover, Modern German Literature also considers new challenges for teaching and research such as new media (visual and audio media; the study of communication) and the problem of the upcoming realignment of cultural studies.
Chairs:
Prof. Dr. Nicolas Detering, Prof. Dr. Yahya Elsaghe, Prof. Dr. Oliver Lubrich.
