Complicity, Censorship and Criticism
eBook - PDF

Complicity, Censorship and Criticism

Negotiating Space in the GDR Literary Sphere

  1. 230 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Complicity, Censorship and Criticism

Negotiating Space in the GDR Literary Sphere

About this book

This study develops an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the cultural history of the German Democratic Republic, examining the interaction between intellectuals and Party functionaries from a literary and historical perspective. Divided into three case studies, the work focuses on writers positioned along a spectrum of conformity and dissent and who had quite different relationships to political power: Hermann Kant, Stefan Heym and Elfriede BrĂźning.
Drawing on and comparing unpublished archive material, autobiography and the literary output of the three named writers, this study brings to the fore the ambiguities and contradictions of intellectual life in the GDR. Tensions between the different sources point towards tensions inherent in the subject positions of writers, publishers, reviewers and cultural authorities. This granular approach to the study of GDR cultural history challenges top-down interpretations and builds into a theoretical understanding of GDR cultural life based on the concepts of ambiguity and ambivalence and the increasing fragmentation of ideology. Comparison with other spheres of GDR life points towards the significance of these concepts for the study of East German society as a whole.

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Yes, you can access Complicity, Censorship and Criticism by Sara Jones in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & German Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
De Gruyter
Year
2011
Print ISBN
9783110237955
eBook ISBN
9783110237962
Edition
1
Topic
Literature
Subtopic
German Literary Criticism
Index
Literature

Table of contents

  1. Foreword
  2. Contents
  3. Introduction
  4. Defining the GDR
  5. The Intellectuals
  6. Selection of Authors
  7. Selection of Sources
  8. Complicit Critic: Hermann Kant and the Writer as Functionary
  9. Working with the Stasi: Kant as Inoffizieller Mitarbeiter
  10. Censorship and Repression: The Publication of Das Impressum
  11. Criticism from Within: Kant and the Writers’ Union
  12. Literary Portrayals of “Intellect” and “Power”: Das Impressum
  13. Conclusion
  14. Hostile Partisan: Stefan Heym and the Search for Clarity
  15. Censorship and Repression: 5 Tage im Juni, Biermann and Collin
  16. Critical Voice: Alternative Public Forums, the Writer and the State in the Late GDR
  17. Literary Portrayals of “Intellect” and “Power”: Collin
  18. Conclusion
  19. Uncertain Comrade: Elfriede BrĂźning, Loyalty, Criticism and Power
  20. Conclusion: Ambiguity, Fragmentation and the End of the GDR
  21. Bibliography
  22. Index of Names