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Lecturer(s)
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Solomon Kristýna, doc. Mgr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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Foundations of German Medieval Studies - Medieval Studies as Cultural Studies The subject of German Medieval Studies comprises German-language poetic and pragmatic texts from the Middle Ages and the early modern period, spanning from the beginnings in the 8th century to the 16th century. Rather than being autonomous, these texts are intricately interwoven with the context of their surrounding culture. In this sense, they confront the contemporary reader with the alterity of a historical culture and with "contrastive knowledge," while the roots of modern civilization simultaneously lie within this very culture. For German Medieval Studies, this implies the task of examining the historical-cultural conditions under which medieval texts emerged, as well as describing how these texts themselves generate meaning, "sense," and thereby culture. For the latter aspect, recent literary and cultural theories provide the methodological tools, enabling the application of current and innovative questions to older texts, thereby demonstrating both their modernity and alterity (otherness). This lecture course combines an exemplary presentation of recent cultural studies concepts (New Philology, performativity, historical anthropology, gender theories, discourse analysis, etc.) with a general introduction to the subjects, methodologies, and problems encountered in dealing with medieval texts (textual transmission, concepts of authorship, morality/literacy, semantics, rhetoric and topics, social concepts). The core of the course consists of various model analyses of a song by Walther von der Vogelweide (L 74,20: 'Nemt, frouwe, disen kranz').
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Lecture, Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
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Learning outcomes
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Foundations of German Medieval Studies - Medieval Studies as Cultural Studies The subject of German Medieval Studies comprises German-language poetic and pragmatic texts from the Middle Ages and the early modern period, spanning from the beginnings in the 8th century to the 16th century. Rather than being autonomous, these texts are intricately interwoven with the context of their surrounding culture. In this sense, they confront the contemporary reader with the alterity of a historical culture and with "contrastive knowledge," while the roots of modern civilization simultaneously lie within this very culture. For German Medieval Studies, this implies the task of examining the historical-cultural conditions under which medieval texts emerged, as well as describing how these texts themselves generate meaning, "sense," and thereby culture. For the latter aspect, recent literary and cultural theories provide the methodological tools, enabling the application of current and innovative questions to older texts, thereby demonstrating both their modernity and alterity (otherness).
The graduate possesses a comprehensive overview of the specific features of German poetic and pragmatic literature from the 8th to the 16th century, demonstrating a clear understanding of medieval authorship, textual transmission, and the dynamics between oral and written culture. The graduate understands key concepts of modern literary and cultural studies, such as New Philology, performativity, and alterity, and can independently apply these methodological approaches to the critical analysis and interpretation of older German texts within their historical context. Based on model analyses of courtly lyrik, the graduate is able to identify rhetorical figures, topoi, and semantic shifts within the source texts.
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Prerequisites
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This course is intended for students in German studies programs as well as other interested students at Palacký University. Knowledge of German at approximately the B1-B2 level is required.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Mark, Written exam, Student performance
The series of lectures will be completed with a written exam.
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Recommended literature
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BENNEWITZ, Ingrid (ed.). (2014). Walther von der Vogelweide und die Literaturtheorie: Neun Modellanalysen von 'Nemt, frouwe, disen kranz'.. Stuttgart.
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ČERMÁK, Jan, Pavel SOUKUP a kol. (ed.). (2021). Úvod do medievistiky. Praha.
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Germanistik als Kulturwissenschaft. EinHg. von Claudia Bethien und Hans Rudolf Velten. (2002). Germanistik als Kulturwissenschaft. Eine Einführung in neue Theoriekonzepte. Reinbek bei Hamburg.
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