This book is the first systematic attempt in English to examine the literary consequences of German reunification. In its emphasis on problems of national identity, it is one of the first books in any language to treat contemporary Germany as a cultural and national unity. In exploring the ways in which authors of the 1990s have sought to cope with history and national identity, the book addresses questions about the role of the nation and a national literature in the context of economic and political globalization.

This original book investigates the role played by literature in Sigmund Freud's creation and development of psychoanalysis. Graham Frankland analyzes the whole range of Freud's own texts from a literary-critical perspective, providing a comprehensive reappraisal of his life's work. His study reveals how Freud was deeply rooted in European literary tradition, examining in detail the rhetoric and imagery of his writing, the influence of literary criticism on his approach to analyzing patients and his creation of psychoanalytical "novels," quasi-literary fictions fraught with profoundly...

Stephanie Bird presents a detailed analysis of the twin themes of female and national identity within the works of three major twentieth-century German-language women writers. Bird stresses the importance of understanding ambiguity, tension and contradiction in the fictional narratives of Ingeborg Bachmann, Anne Duden and Emine Ozdamar. She studies the three writers closely and draws on feminist theory and psychoanalysis to clarify the complex nature of individual identity. This book will be of interest to literary and women's studies scholars as well as Germanists.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is the most representative figure of the German Enlightenment. His defense of Spinoza, who had traditionally been condemned as an atheist, provoked a major controversy in philosophy, and his publication of Reimarus' radical assault on Christianity led to fundamental changes in Protestant theology. This volume presents the most comprehensive collection in English of Lessing's philosophical and theological writings, several of which are translated for the first time.

The theory of classicism through the ideas and literature of Winckelmann, Schiller, Hamann and Goethe.

This is the most comprehensive account to date of the history of literary criticism in Britain and Europe between 1660 and 1800. Unlike previous histories, it is not just a chronological survey, but a multi-disciplinary study of how the understanding of literature in the modern era was shaped by developments in intellectual, cultural and social history. It provides an authoritative historical overview in all areas of literary studies. Extensive bibliographies supply detailed guidance for further research.