Course information

Faced with existential crises of politics, culture, and religion, 20th-century German authors have tried to reimagine literature as a path through a pathless time. Many of the great works of literature of this time -- by authors including Stefan Zweig, Rainer Maria Rilke, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Thomas Mann, Berthold Brecht, Hermann Hesse, Paul Celan etc. -- grapple with fundamental questions which theology cannot ignore. This module gives students the chance to engage in-depth with one author a year (Thomas Mann in 2022/23, Rainer Maria Rilke in 2024/25, Paul Celan in 2025/26). Its unique, immersive format gives students time to read relevant texts and scholarship over a period of time, and to discuss them with focus and intensity.