German Studies Association

Review
Author(s): Wulf Koepke
Review by: Wulf Koepke
Source: German Studies Review, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Feb., 1986), pp. 182-183
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of the German Studies
Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1429151
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 182 GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW

Apparat, der die vorliegende Sammlung so iiberaus nitzlich macht. Bei einem
Gegenstand wie der Romantheorie, die einen kritischen Ansatz voraussetzt, ist es
natiirlich, daB sie selbst Kritik herausfordert. Sie gilt jedoch kaum dem ersten Teil
(1880-1910) und seiner durchaus notwendigen Hervorhebung des franzosischen
Einflusses vor allem durch Zola, noch weniger den weitgehend relevanten Texten
von bzw. iiber Fontane, Spielhagen, Bahr und Engels, auch Rilke, den Brudern
Mann und Freud. Eine gewisse Befremdung, weil an ahnliche Praktiken in der DDR
erinnernd, ist allenfalls zu registrieren angesichts des Unterkapitels "Die
Sozialdemokratie und die Moderne", das unter anderem Ausschnitte von einem
SPD-Parteitag des Jahres 1896 bringt.
Im zweiten Teil (1910-1945) sind vor allem Stimmen zu Gattungsproblemen
zusammengestellt: T. Mann iiber den Entwicklungsroman, Lukacz iiber den
geschichtsphilosophischen Roman, Edschmid (und andere) iiber den Gesellschafts-
roman, Wassermann uiber den Kolportageroman, Broch uiber den polyhistorischen
Roman. Die Liste lieBe sich erganzen durch theoretische Befunde iiber Zeit- und
Tatsachenromane, proletarische und sozialistische, groBstadtische und landliche,
obwohl vergleichsweise wenig oder gar nichts zu finden ist iiber v6lkische bzw.
nationalsozialistische Romane. Die Exilproblematik wird integriert, nicht separat
behandelt. Der dritte, mit dem Aufsatz "Vorschlage zur Priifung eines Romans"
(1973) von Uwe Johnson endende Teil hatte erganzt werden miussen. Nicht nur
fehlen dort anderthalb Jahrzehnte Romantheorie seit der munteren Fortent-
wicklung der toterklarten biirgerlichen Literatur und ihrer Romane, es fehlen auch
- abgesehen von einigen vorlaufigen Beobachtungen Enzensbergers in "Der kurze
Sommer der Anarchie" (1972) - die Romane der Generation von 1968, die Frauen-
und Vaterromane der siebziger Jahre und die Romane der neuen Innerlichkeit und
des einfachen Lebens. Zwar kann der einzelne Romancier den Gang der Geschichte
bis zu einem gewissen Grade vorausahnen, der Theoretiker jedoch mul sich bis zu
seiner Darstellung gedulden. Erst dann gilt der Satz Limmerts in seinem
Vorbericht zu dieser fur Literaturwissenschaftler wie Historiker gleichermalen
empfehlenswerten Dokumentation: "Denn auch die Geschichte der Romantheorie
ist ein Organ unserer allgemeinen Geschichte".

LOUIS F. HELBIG, Indiana University

Viktor Zmegac, ed. Geschichte der deutschen Literatur vom 18. Jahrhundert bis zur
Gegenwart, Bd. III: 1918-1980. Konigstein, Ts.: Athenaum, 1984. Pp. 876. DM 78,-.
Paper (2 vols.) DM 29,80 each.

This is the concluding volume of a three-volume history of German literature

from 1700 to 1980, written by a team of scholars under the editorship of Viktor
Zmegac. As the dates indicate, it describes developments in literature from the end
of World War I to the present, generally stopping around 1980. It is a very useful
volume for anyone who needs information about the interconnection of social and
literary developments, about the literary scene, about the impact of politics and of
the media, and who looks for information on better known authors and their works.
It is generally a reliable reference book; factual errors are few - no book can be free
of them - and even printing errors have been kept to a minimum, a remarkable feat
in the computer age. The book holds what it promises. It is based upon the premise to
present literature in its connections with political and social history. Thus the
twentieth century has been divided into periods of political history: 1918-1933,1933-

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 BOOK REVIEWS 183

1945, and 1945 to the present. During the period after 1933, exile literature and
literature written within Germany are treated separately. The period after 1945 is
presented in separate sections on the Federal Republic (and Switzerland), the
German Democratic Republic, and Austria. This is more or less standard practice,
but it has obvious disadvantages: the very short periods of the Weimar Republic and
the Nazi era cut through the lines of the cultural developments. A synchronism of
cultural and political periods cannot be assumed. For the period after 1945, while
more justice is given to the longer term literary developments, the unity of
literature written in the German language is somewhat neglected in the face of its
diversity. Mutual relations between the writers of the different German-speaking
countries are still a major factor, and as problematic as the concept of a "German
culture" may be, in spite of different social and political developments, much
crossing of political lines is evident, and quite a few common features and concerns
are present.
It is the fate of any history of literature that it has to find a middle ground
between a reference book, including as many names and dates as possible, and an
introduction into the major developments and achievements. True to its premise of
social relevance, this volume, while by no means afraid to evaluate and rank literary
achievements, is more, interested in the general picture than in specific
interpretations. It tends to see literature as the mirror of the immediate social
reality, and groups it under labels of historical events and/or ideological trends. This
yields interesting results in a good number of areas, but it gives less justice to the
interplay of form (style) and content than the foreword promises. Still, the emphasis
on the impact of the new media and on the significance of economic, social, and
political conditions, including a good account of publishing houses, journals, theater
conditions, and, generally, the conditions for the reception of literature can serve as
a valuable introduction and reference, especially for those, who are less familiar
with the facts and developments of cultural history in Germany. The approach is
also valuable insofar as it prohibits any isolated interpretations and value j udgments
on particular authors without determining the historical context in which their
works were written.
It is the prerogative of the reviewer to prefer some parts to others; this reviewer
likes the part on the Weimar period and on GDR literature more than the rest. It is of
course tempting to divide literature into the three traditional genres, poetry, drama,
and narrative prose; but, as the content of this volume demonstrates most
convincingly, this is at best a crutch and should be used with caution, given the many
new forms of literature in the twentieth century. It is also helpful that the traditional
concept of the "work" of literature is questioned in various places, and that the
alternative concepts are mentioned without prejudice. Indeed, both the idea of the
"work" and the strict separation of high-brow and low-brow literature, Dichtung
and Trivialliteratur, are no more as valid as they used to be. The present volume
offers enough material to reflect on these and other issues.
The style of this volume is generally concise, clear, jargon-free, although
sometimes rather dry. The reader will find it easy enough to understand, but it is not
a "popular" book, it is one for serious users. In view of that fact, the bibliography (pp.
826-848) could have been expanded. The indices are helpful.
In conclusion, a welcome tool for our work; like any other book, it has its
strengths and weaknesses, due to its premises and general approach. Its strengths
make it a most useful reference work for an introduction into the social history of
German literature since 1918.

WULF KOEPKE, Texas A & M University

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