E-Book Overview
The first volume of the Camden House History of German Literature sets the scene for the development of writing in German by taking a very broad view of aspects of the early Germanic past, drawing on a wide range of disciplines including archaeology, anthropology, and philology, before moving into the area of literary history proper. The first part considers the whole concept of Germanic antiquity and the way in which it has been approached, examines classical writings about Germanic origins and the earliest Germanic tribes, and then looks at the two great influences on the early Germanic world. The first of these was the confrontation with the Roman Empire (including a consideration of the impact of the famous and now definitely located defeat of the legions by Hermann); the second was the displacement of Germanic religion by Christianity. The gods and religious practices of pre-Christian German are examined under this heading. A chapter on orality -- the earliest stage of all literature -- provides a bridge to the earliest Germanic writings. The second part of the book is devoted to written Germanic -- rather than German -- materials. Thus a series of chapters looksfirst at the Runic inscriptions, then at Gothic, the first Germanic language to find its way onto parchment through the achievement of the Visigoth bishop Ulfilas and his Bible translation. After this, the topic turns finally to what we now understand as literature, with general surveys of the three great areas of early Germanic literature: Old Norse, Old English, and Old High and Low German (the presentation of Old High German literature is developed in detail, of course, in the second volume of this literary history). A final chapter is devoted to the Old Saxon Heliand, important as a cultural and literary document, but all too often neglected in studies of German literature, although it was very much part of the literature of Germany in its time.
E-Book Content
The Camden House History of German Literature Volume 1
Early Germanic Literature and Culture
The Camden House History of German Literature Volume 1
The Camden House History of German Literature Edited by James Hardin Vol. 1: Early Germanic Literature and Culture Edited by Brian Murdoch and Malcolm Read, University of Stirling, UK Vol. 2: German Literature of the Early Middle Ages Edited by Brian Murdoch, University of Stirling, UK Vol. 3: German Literature of the High Middle Ages Edited by Will Hasty, University of Florida Vol. 4: Early Modern German Literature Edited by Max Reinhart, University of Georgia Vol. 5: Literature of the German Enlightenment and Sentimentality Edited by Barbara Becker-Cantarino, Ohio State University Vol. 6: Literature of the Sturm und Drang Edited by David Hill, University of Birmingham, UK Vol. 7: The Literature of Weimar Classicism Edited by Simon Richter, University of Pennsylvania Vol. 8: The Literature of German Romanticism Edited by Dennis Mahoney, University of Vermont Vol. 9: German Literature of the Nineteenth Century, 1830–1899 Edited by Clayton Koelb and Eric Downing, University of North Carolina Vol. 10: German Literature of the Twentieth Century: From Aestheticism to Postmodernism Ingo R. Stoehr, Kilgore College, Texas
Early Germanic Literature and Culture
Edited by
Brian Murdoch and
Malcolm Read
CAMDEN HOUSE
Copyright © 2004 by the Editors and Contributors All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation, no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system, published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast, transmitted, recorded, or reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. First published 2004 by Camden House Camden House is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer Inc. 668 Mt. Hope Ave., Rochester, NY 14620,