| Commodities of Desire: The Prostitute in Modern German Literature Contributor(s): Schönfeld, Christiane (Editor), Lareau, Alan (Contribution by), Richards, Anna (Contribution by) |
|
 |
ISBN: 1571131981 ISBN-13: 9781571131980 Publisher: Camden House (NY) OUR PRICE: $109.25 Product Type: Hardcover Published: February 2001 Annotation: Unlike her counterpart in French literature, and despite her importance in drama, poetry, and prose, the figure of the prostitute in modern German literature has been a largely neglected phenomenon. Commodities of Desire addresses this omission: it is the first collection of essays to exclusively investigate this colorful and multi-faceted figure in its many forms and mutations. The book pursues this goal by analyzing a number of key texts -- from the Wilhelmine Empire to the Weimar Republic -- and by providing the social, legal, and cultural contexts necessary for their interpretation. While the 'sex-worker' has been a presence in literature for centuries, the prostitute was never more popular in German literature than between the late 1880s and the early 1930s. It was then -- during a time when prostitution had become one of the most pressing social problems of urban Germany -- that the streetwalker became a symbol of the destructive and fertile forces of the metropolis, an allegorization of the political and social crisis, and a vehicle for biting social criticism. This book focuses on prostitutes as literary figures and prostitution as a topic in works by well-known and lesser-known writers. It thus clarifies the iconography of the prostitute and aids the reader in understanding her significance in the development of modern German literature.Christiane Schnfeld teaches German at the University of Galway, Ireland. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | European - German - Literary Criticism | Gothic & Romance |
| Dewey: 830.935 |
| LCCN: 00064199 |
| Series: Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture |
| Physical Information: 0.75" H x 6" W x 9" (1.25 lbs) 280 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Chronological Period - 20th Century - Cultural Region - Central Europe - Cultural Region - Germany |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Unlike her counterpart in French literature, and despite her importance in drama, poetry, and prose, the figure of the prostitute in modern German literature has been a largely neglected phenomenon. Commodities of Desire addresses this omission: it is the first collection of essays to exclusively investigate this colorful and multi-faceted figure in its many forms and mutations. The book pursues this goal by analyzing a number of key texts -- from the Wilhelmine Empire to the Weimar Republic -- and by providing the social, legal, and cultural contexts necessary for their interpretation. While the 'sex-worker' has been a presence in literature for centuries, the prostitute was never more popular in German literature than between the late 1880s and the early 1930s. It was then -- during a time when prostitution had become one of the most pressing social problems of urban Germany -- that the streetwalker became a symbol of the destructive and fertile forces of the metropolis, an allegorization of the political and social crisis, and a vehicle for biting social criticism. This book focuses on prostitutes as literary figures and prostitution as a topic in works by well-known and lesser-known writers. It thus clarifies the iconography of the prostitute and aids the reader in understanding her significance in the development of modern German literature. Christiane Schönfeld teaches German at the University of Galway, Ireland. |