Literature
German literature is considered as a single corpus which comprises a number of different cultural aspects. Indeed, it includes works coming from Russia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Hungary. The experience of German literature knows no borders. From these works, which have so different cultural backgrounds, arises an interesting literary confrontation, which is exemplified at its best by the novels about the modern age and family histories by Angela Krauss, Robert Menasse, Norbert Gstrein, Melitta Breznik and Hans-Ulrich Treichel. Accordingly, it is easily understandable the greta acclaim which Herta Müller, a Rumanian-German writer, received and that the young Zsuzsa Bánk and Terézia Mora had success even with their debut novels "Der Schwimmer" (2001) and "Seltsame Materiere" (1999), both set in Hungary.German literature includes both texts written in German and text which have written within the geographical borders of Germany. Indeed, it also comprises texts written in German but in other countries-the former Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland, etc.
German Literature can be divided in at least ten fundamental periods.
Medieval Literature
The origins of German literature go back to the Carolingian period. It includes works both in Latin and Old High German. There was a vast tradition of works which were written in the old language. Unfortunately, the majority of them have been lost and the only surviving work is a short piece in verse. The most popular work was a short piece in verse called Hildebrandslied.Other important works are the short but splendid Ludwigslied, Ottfried von Weissenburg's Evangelienbuch (Gospel harmony) and the Heliand, an heroic epic about the life of Christ which was written in the northern dialect of Old Saxon. Around the mid-11th century, it was time for the Old High German period and we don´t have any details about its boundaries to Early Middle High German (second half of the 11th century), a literary period which is at best exemplified by the "Annoiled".
Some authors and works of the High Middle Ages include Heinrich Frauenlob, Rudolf von Ems, Reinmar der Alte, Herzog Ernst, Ulrich von Türheim, Konrad von Würzburg and Heinrich von Freiberg.
The Baroque
The Baroque period was one of the most fertile times in German literature. Many writers reflected the horrible experiences of the Thirty Years' War, in poetry and prose. Grimmelshausen's adventures of the young and naïve Simplicissimus, in the eponymous book, became the most famous novel of the Baroque period. Andreas Gryphius and Daniel Caspar von Lohenstein wrote German-language tragedies, or Trauerspiele, often on Classical themes and frequently quite violent. Erotic, religious and occasional poetry appeared in both German and Latin.Enlightenment
Enlightenment is the term which is used to describe the philosophical movement of the 18th century and sometimes its border are thought to go along up to the Age of Reason.More specifically, the term defines an intellectual movement which boosts the use of rationality to establish an authoritative knowledge, aesthetics and ethics. The leaders of the movement considered themselves as a brave, elite body of intellectuals who were contributing to the world's progress after the previous period, known as the Dark Ages, characterized by tyranny, superstition and irrationality.
This movement was the scenery from which the American and French revolutions, together with the rise of capitalism and the birth of socialism, developed. In this period, music was dominated by the high Baroque era and arts were in the Neo-Classical period.
Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang (literally: "storm and stress") was a Germany literary movement that developed during the latter half of the 18th century. The period is most commonly characterized as having lasted from 1767 - 1785. It takes its name from a play by F. M. von Klinger.The greatest figure of the movement was Goethe, who wrote its first major drama, Götz von Berlichingen (1773), and its most sensational and representative novel, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther, 1774). Other writers of importance were Klopstock, J. M. R. Lenz, and Friedrich Müller. The last major figure was Schiller, whose Die Räuber and other early plays were also a prelude to romanticism.