LFU:online

Documentation of literary history is the basis for literary histories, biographies, monographical studies. This lecture and practical course aims to make you familiar with the basics of literary documentation work. Literary sources (such as correspondences, diaries, life documents or personal collections) have to be evaluated: What is the specific cultural and/or historical information? To ask this question, you learn to assess the genres of literary sources in a way we do in literary archives; furthermore you train yourself in the critical assessment of literary sources in a way it is done by scholarly editors.

The diary of Alfred Mikesch (1914-2010; volumes 1945-1955) is in the center of our interest. Mikesch was manager in a steel-factory, mayor and cultural politician for the Socialist Party SPÖ, organizer of cultural events like the “Kapfenberger Kulturtage” he co-founded in 1950, and writer. He lived in Kapfenberg, Styria. In his diaries, he describes his privat life, but mostly his day-to-day life in his job and his cultural commitments, and his encounters with eminent politicians, musicians, painters and writers like Otto Basil, Felix Braun, Christine Busta, Rudolf Felmayer, Johann Gunert, Josef Holaubek, Karl Renner, Karl Wawra, Hans Weigel etc. The issues include the complications in cultural and economical life in the occupation era; the discussion about Marxism and Christendom; the collaboration with persons with a National-socialist past; the cultural and economical reconstruction after WWII; the confrontation with in Austria new cultural trends such as Surrealism or Existentialism.

Practice of critical assessment of literary sources; development of research questions on the basis of archival materials; development of a scholarly correct as well as economic strategy in answer to that questions; performance of the tasks with regard to the steps mentioned above

active participation in the class; homeworks; paper at the end of the semester (when indicated: teamwork)

will be announced in the course and provided digitally or in the Brenner-Archives

positive assessment of the Pflichtmodule 7, 18 und 23 (Bachelor)

Für LA UF Deutsch und Diplomstudium Deutsche Philologie nur nach Maßgabe von freien Plätzen.

Für Deutsch Lehramt, 2. Studienabschnitt, vorzugsweise für den Fachbereich "Freie Wahlfächer" anrechenbar.

Für das Diplomstudium, 2. Studienabschnitt, aus dem Fachbereich "Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft": Literaturkritik, Literaturvermittlung und Medien II (Schwerpunkt) anrechenbar.