Humor and irony in nineteenth-century German women's writing : studies in prose fiction, 1840-1900 / Helen Chambers.

Author
Chambers, Helen, 1947- [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Rochester, N.Y. : Camden House, 2007.
Description
222 pages ; 24 cm

Availability

Available Online

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks PT167 .C53 2007 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Series
    • Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture [More in this series]
    • Studies in German literature, linguistics and culture
    Summary note
    Nineteenth-century German literature is seldom seen as rich in humor and irony, and women's writing from that period is perhaps even less likely to be seen as possessing those qualities. Yet since comedy is bound to societal norms, and humor and irony are recognized weapons of the weak against authority, what this innovative study reveals should not be surprising: women writers found much to laugh at in a bourgeois age when social constraints, particularly on women, were tight. Helen Chambers analyzes prose fiction by leading female writers of the day who prominently employ humor and irony. Arguing that humor and irony involve cognitive and rational processes, she highlights the inadequacy of binary theories of gender that classify the female as emotional and the male as rational. Chambers focuses on nine women writers: Annette von Droste-Hulshoff, Ida Hahn-Hahn, Ottilie Wildermuth, Helene Bohlau, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Ada Christen, Clara Viebig, Isolde Kurz, and Ricarda Huch. She uncovers a rich seam of unsuspected or forgotten variety, identifies fresh avenues of approach, and suggests a range of works that merit a place on university reading lists and attention in scholarly studies.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-213) and index.
    Contents
    • Annette von Droste-Hülshoff and Ida Hahn-Hahn: overcoming seriousness?
    • Ottilie Wildermuth and Helene Böhlau: harmless humor or subtle psychology?
    • Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach: satire, physical comedy, irony, and deeper meaning
    • Ada Christen and Clara Viebig: laughter and pain in the world of work
    • Isolde Kurz and Ricarda Huch: the humor of skeptical idealism.
    ISBN
    • 9781571133045 ((hardcover ; : alk. paper))
    • 1571133046 ((hardcover ; : alk. paper))
    LCCN
    2007000258
    OCLC
    77574090
    International Article Number
    • 9781571133045
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