Political change and human emancipation in the works of Heinrich von Kleist
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Political change and human emancipation in the works of Heinrich von Kleist
(Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture / edited by James Hardin)
Camden House, 2005
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Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Contents of Works
- Prussia and Germany in Kleist's day
- Kleist and the political world
- The nation, the state, and the subject
- Education and social change
- The theory and practice of war
- Administration and justice
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Challenges traditional views of Kleist by situating his work in relation to the political and philosophical debates of his age.
The German writer Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) was an unconventional and often controversial figure in his own day, and has remained so. His ideas on art, politics, and gender relations continue to challenge modern readers, andhis complex and radically open texts remain the object of vigorous scholarly debate. Kleist has often been portrayed as a "poet without a society," whose writing served as escape from the realities of his social environment. Thisnew study challenges such a view by situating Kleist in relation to the central political and philosophical debates of his momentous age. The study first establishes the German--and Prussian--context of Kleist's day, and then provides a short introduction to Kleist's life, here seen in particular relation to the political world. Developing his argument in relation to Kleist's literary work and essays in a series of close readings, Elystan Griffiths showshow Kleist's writings responded to four pressing political issues: the relationship of national culture and the state; education and social reform; the theory and practice of war; and administration and the delivery of justice. Griffiths sheds fresh light on Kleist's writing by placing emphasis on its intricacy and rich ambiguity, which are often simplified or overlooked in political studies of Kleist. Thus Griffiths furthers the critical understanding ofKleist's political thinking by uncovering crucial tensions between a pragmatic readiness for compromise and a utopian longing for freedom and truth.
Elystan Griffiths is a Research Fellow in the Department of German Studies at the University of Birmingham.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prussia and Germany in Kleist's Day
Kleist and the Political World
The Nation, the State, and the Subject
Education and Social Change
The Theory and Practice of War
Administration and Justice
Conclusion
Works Cited
Index
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