| Humor and Irony in Nineteenth-Century German Women's Writing: Studies in Prose Fiction, 1840-1900 Contributor(s): Chambers, Helen (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 1571133046 ISBN-13: 9781571133045 Publisher: Camden House (NY) OUR PRICE: $99.75 Product Type: Hardcover Published: June 2007 Annotation: Nineteenth-century German literature is seldom seen as rich in humor and irony, and women's writing from that period is perhaps even less likely to be seen as possessing those qualities. Yet since comedy is bound to societal norms, and humor and irony are recognized weapons of the weak against authority, what this innovative study reveals should not be surprising: women writers found much to laugh at in a bourgeois age when social constraints, particularly on women, were tight. Helen Chambers analyzes prose fiction by leading female writers of the day who prominently employ humor and irony. Arguing that humor and irony involve cognitive and rational processes, she highlights the inadequacy of binary theories of gender that classify the female as emotional and the male as rational. Chambers focuses on nine women writers: Annette von Droste-Hlshoff, Ida Hahn-Hahn, Ottilie Wildermuth, Helene Bhlau, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Ada Christen, Clara Viebig, Isolde Kurz, and Ricarda Huch. She uncovers a rich seam of unsuspected or forgotten variety, identifies fresh avenues of approach, and suggests a range of works that merit a place on university reading lists and attention in scholarly studies. Helen Chambers is Professor of German at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Humor - Literary Criticism | Women Authors - Literary Criticism | European - German |
| Dewey: 813.540 |
| LCCN: 2007000258 |
| Series: Studies in German Literature, Linguistics, and Culture |
| Physical Information: 0.86" H x 6.45" W x 9.3" (1.04 lbs) 232 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Sex & Gender - Feminine - Cultural Region - Germany |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Nineteenth-century German literature is seldom seen as rich in humor and irony, and women's writing from that period is perhaps even less likely to be seen as possessing those qualities. Yet since comedy is bound to societal norms, and humor and irony are recognized weapons of the weak against authority, what this innovative study reveals should not be surprising: women writers found much to laugh at in a bourgeois age when social constraints, particularlyon women, were tight. Helen Chambers analyzes prose fiction by leading female writers of the day who prominently employ humor and irony. Arguing that humor and irony involve cognitive and rational processes, she highlights the inadequacy of binary theories of gender that classify the female as emotional and the male as rational. Chambers focuses on nine women writers: Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, Ida Hahn-Hahn, Ottilie Wildermuth, Helene Böhlau, Marie vonEbner-Eschenbach, Ada Christen, Clara Viebig, Isolde Kurz, and Ricarda Huch. She uncovers a rich seam of unsuspected or forgotten variety, identifies fresh avenues of approach, and suggests a range of works that merit a place onuniversity reading lists and attention in scholarly studies. Helen Chambers is Professor of German at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK. |
Contributor Bio(s): Chambers, Helen: - Helen Chambers is a professor in the Department of German at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. |