When reading texts long established in literary canons, whether national or "World Literature,”
the inherent conservativism of the selections often obscures their revolutionary socio-historical and aesthetic nature. In the context of their problematic content and reception, we will read texts from the late 18th century to the late 20th century. Authors include Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Theodor Fontane, Thomas Mann, Irmgard Keun, Günter Grass, and Patrick Süskind.