Heinrich Mann: Mirror and Antagonist of his time

Alexander v. Fenner, Anke Marwinski

• Publisher: Diplomica Verlag
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN: 9783836665032
• eBook ISBN: 9783836615037
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

The following scientific work about Heinrich Mann is the translation of my examination "Heinrich Mann: Die Entwicklung im Frühwerk vom "sozialkritischen" zum "politischen" Roman", published 2007 in Germany and entitled: "Heinrich Mann: Mirror and antagonist of his time". This work describes his early literary his early literary life and shows his attitude towards most of the changes in the society during the turn of the century. At the same time it demonstrates his change to a democrat and the way how he engrosses his thoughts to become a political author. At the beginning of his rise to a literary example for a small group of youngf writers he was a member and observer of the special period called "Fin de siècle". Starting as a journalist he learned from french examples like Balzac, Bourget and Zola and he wasreally impressed by the French spirit and styles of literature in the middle of the 19th century. Certainly he has been influenced by contemporary literature and authors from Germany. But nevertheless he was more focused on the French spirit of this period. Heinrich Mann, born 1871, brother of the established Thoms Mann was not an important writer. In my opion and in comparison to his brother he was the one who was underestimated in his time. Besides his personal development in his work shows why he was just the opposite to Thomas Mann - more brilliant than well-known for the enexperienced reader of German literature. The reason for it may be his attitude to prefer peace more than the other side of the German national mood to overwhelm other nations by hostile tendencies before the First World War. His special authorial abilities can be realised in how he describes the political attitudes in his own ironical and sarcastic style. In this article the literary work of Heinrich Mann caricatures the German Empire which is presented by means of my comparisons of the three novels "Im Schlaraffenland", (1900), "Professor Unrat" (1905) and "Die Kleine Stadt" (1909). In Europe the turn of the late 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century was referred to this extraordinary term: Fin de siècle. It demonstrates a mix of emotional, sensitive and methaphorical motives named Aestheticism as one part of this literary period. At the same time Heinrich Mann was one of those who used these issues and denied them in further literary work while he became more and more political which is reflected in his further life and novels.

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• Heinrich Mann:Mirror and Antagonist of his time