135821 SE Economy in Literature (2024S)

The social system of economics has always been one of the most extensive subject areas in world literature, at least insofar as texts reflect their respective societies, but also because the rich-poor divide is frequently thematised. In this seminar, however, the focus will be more specifically on texts of various genres in which the economy and the banking system take centre stage. Since the turn of the millennium, the dominance of the economic has continued to intensify, even in the university as an academic environment. We therefore no longer analyse from a distance how writers react to economic crises or (hyper)capitalism in a more or less qualified manner, but find ourselves in our own roles in the midst of the processes that are re-enacted or simulated by novels, plays and films. The quest for wealth in the form of precious stones and metals is as old as mankind and is therefore a constant motif in fairy tales. The character theory ensured that the vice of avarice manifested itself in many famous literary figures. But in a narrower sense, it is only since the end of the Middle Ages that merchants, pawnbrokers and bankers have been types of literature that reflect upheavals in the economic system. The urban (upper) middle classes are at the centre of a process of differentiation that has produced numerous functions, from the small tradesman or craftsman to the large industrialist and securities broker, all of which became the template for manifold textual realisations: We therefore expect to read extracts from, among others: Victor Hugo: Les misérables; Gustav Freytag: Soll und Haben; Emile Zola: L'Argent; Charles Dickens: Dombey and Son. - Anyone who has followed the German-language theatre scene will hardly have failed to notice how young authors everywhere are presenting plays whose protagonists are both participants in and victims of the processes of globalisation and deregulation. These include Rolf Hochhut: "McKinsey kommt", Lutz Hübner: "Bankenstück", Volker Kühn: "Bankers' Opera", Falk Richter: "Electronic City", Kathrin Röggla: "Wir schlafen nicht" and many more. But even in the 1920s - and not just since Black Friday in 1929 - the economy had once shaped the subject matter of theatre. Just think of Walter Mehring's "Der Kaufmann von Berlin", Alfons Paquet's "Fahnen", Georg Kaiser's "Von morgens bis mitternachts", Carl Sternheim's "1913" and, of course, Brecht's "Heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe". If the reflection of both epochs is revealing enough, the reference to Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" suffices to prove the omnipresence of the criticism of capitalism in 20th century theatre. It is obvious that economics and its excesses are also a theme in film, poetry, song and pop music. There are many more very relevant texts than we will have time to deal with in depth. However, the division into short keynote speeches will create a differentiated picture of the subject area; there will also be plenty of choice for the subsequent assignments.