The Forest in Medieval German Literature: Ecocritical Readings from a Historical Perspective
Cultural and literary historys are always somehow determined by natural history. The role of the forest in medieval German literature proves to be of supreme importance since the protagonists constantly find themselves in the dense realm of woods. Some of the woods challenge the characters existentially, while others provide shelter and protection to the protagonists. Pursuing an ecocritical reading, this monograph examines critical passages in some of the most important works in medieval German literature where protagonists operate in the forest and find themselves either in a conflictual situation or in a refuge. The natural environment of the fest, as presented by medieval German authors, offers new perspectives which will make the reading of this important corpus of premodern literature most relevant once again for the postmodern world. Both our current concerns with the forest as the green lungs of the entire environment and our past fascination with the forest in texts such as fairy tales connect us directly with the observations about the forest by medieval German poets. The special angle pursued in this study will allow us to reread some of the most important Middle High German narratives from a fresh perspective, shedding significant light on the hidden messages conveyed by the poets in their quest for meaning in human existence.
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The Forest in Medieval German Literature: Ecocritical Readings from a Historical Perspective
Cultural and literary historys are always somehow determined by natural history. The role of the forest in medieval German literature proves to be of supreme importance since the protagonists constantly find themselves in the dense realm of woods. Some of the woods challenge the characters existentially, while others provide shelter and protection to the protagonists. Pursuing an ecocritical reading, this monograph examines critical passages in some of the most important works in medieval German literature where protagonists operate in the forest and find themselves either in a conflictual situation or in a refuge. The natural environment of the fest, as presented by medieval German authors, offers new perspectives which will make the reading of this important corpus of premodern literature most relevant once again for the postmodern world. Both our current concerns with the forest as the green lungs of the entire environment and our past fascination with the forest in texts such as fairy tales connect us directly with the observations about the forest by medieval German poets. The special angle pursued in this study will allow us to reread some of the most important Middle High German narratives from a fresh perspective, shedding significant light on the hidden messages conveyed by the poets in their quest for meaning in human existence.
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The Forest in Medieval German Literature: Ecocritical Readings from a Historical Perspective
Cultural and literary historys are always somehow determined by natural history. The role of the forest in medieval German literature proves to be of supreme importance since the protagonists constantly find themselves in the dense realm of woods. Some of the woods challenge the characters existentially, while others provide shelter and protection to the protagonists. Pursuing an ecocritical reading, this monograph examines critical passages in some of the most important works in medieval German literature where protagonists operate in the forest and find themselves either in a conflictual situation or in a refuge. The natural environment of the fest, as presented by medieval German authors, offers new perspectives which will make the reading of this important corpus of premodern literature most relevant once again for the postmodern world. Both our current concerns with the forest as the green lungs of the entire environment and our past fascination with the forest in texts such as fairy tales connect us directly with the observations about the forest by medieval German poets. The special angle pursued in this study will allow us to reread some of the most important Middle High German narratives from a fresh perspective, shedding significant light on the hidden messages conveyed by the poets in their quest for meaning in human existence.
Albrecht Classen is University Distinguished Professor of German studies at the University of Arizona.
Table of Contents
AcknowledgementsIntroduction and Theoretical Reflections: The Forest as an Epistemological Challenge in the Middle AgesChapter One: Hartmann von Aue’s Concept of the Forest: The Arthurian Adventure in the Forest and the ConsequencesChapter Two:The Forest as Staging Ground for the Heroic Protagonist:Glory and Demise in the NibelungenliedChapter Three:The Forest in Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Works:The Passage from the Arthurian Court to the Grail Kingdom Through the ForestChapter Four:The Forest in Gottfried von Straßburg’s Tristanand in Alternative Tristan VersionsChapter Five:The Forest in Der Melerantz von Frankreich by The PleierChapter Six:The Forest as the Transitional and Transformative Space in Konrad von Würzburg’s Partonopier und MeliurChapter Seven:The Ambivalence of the Forest: Exile or Safe Haven? The Destiny of the Female Protagonist Refracted in the Forest:Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrücken’s Königin SibilleChapter Eight:Forest in Thüring von Ringoltingen’s Melusine:Dark Spaces, Mysterious Origins, Meaningful Connections: The Forest and the Establishment of DynastiesEpilogueBibliographyIndex