Description
Book SynopsisThe first full-length study in English of Heinrich Mann's literary work and political activism. Heinrich Mann, once counted among the most important literary figures in Germany, is known to most English-speaking readers only as the brother of Thomas Mann, or in connection with Marlene Dietrich and the film "The Blue Angel,"which was based on one of his novels. Only a few of his novels and stories and virtually none of his hundreds of provocative essays are available in English. But he deserves special attention for the window his work provides ontothe intellectual, social, and political history of Germany, especially Germany's struggle with the question of democracy in the early twentieth century. In his essays and novels, Mann exposed Germany's resistance to democracy wellbefore the First World War, and especially during the Revolution of 1918/19 and the Weimar Republic he made the education of the German people to democratic values and a democratic form of government the center of his life and work. Professor Gunnemann's book is the first work in English that explores Heinrich Mann's work in detail. Special attention is given to the history of the reception of Mann's works in Germany, which is also a history of that nation's self-understanding. Karin Verena Gunnemann is professor of German at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta.
Trade ReviewGunnemann demonstrates that Mann understood the concept [that art could influence society] well and applied it in every way he possibly could. * CHOICE *
Few studies succeed as does this one in introducing Mann to a broad academic audience interested in but still perhaps largely unfamiliar with his stature as a writer. * GERMAN QUARTERLY *
Gunnemann's book traces Heinrich Mann's development as a writer and political activist throughout his career, providing one of the few English-language analyses of his collected writings.... A real strength of Gunnemann's study is its survey and analysis of Mann's essays, in addition to his fiction. * GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW *
The author succeeds convincingly in focusing attention squarely on the modernity of the political writer Heinrich Mann. * MONATSHEFTE *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Democracy: Toward a Definition Imperial Germany in Need of Reform Lessons for a New Republic Education through Literary Experiments Last Warnings -- Model and Consolation: Henri IV Conclusion Works Cited Notes Index
