Why 19th century German literature is worth reading
598160
This is it - ironic, creative, perceptive. Couched in the autobiography of a tom cat, ETA Hoffmann writes a brilliant parody of 19th century bourgeois ideals. But you can read it just for the hilarious adventures, too.
1521557
The Nibelungenlied is a half-forgotten epic in the English-speaking world.  Before picking up Raffel's edition, my library had several dusty old Songs of the Niebelungen, volumes dating back to Victorian times and probably unopened since Edwardian times, silently testifying to the last "discovery" of the work.  Marred by association with Wagnerian excesses and ignored in favor of more riveting contemporary versions of the Anglo-Saxon and Middle English classics, the Nibelungenlied has been barely read by my generation.

This will change.  Raffel has crafted an elegant work.  Most of the time, his poetry rolls like the best prose while maintaining a subtle internal structure that gives us a good glimpse of the beauty of the old Germanic alliterative verse.  The pace is not as fast as Sir Gawain and the story not as packed as Beowulf.  But Raffel does justice to the tragic grandness of this epic and the slow acidic decay brought on by Sifried's and Gunter's youthful lies. He tells the story well, with the verse accentuating his telling.

There are points where Raffel struggles, and where maintaining the verse in modern English becomes obviously forced.  His word choice also can be a bit breezy in places.  But these are minor and isolated flaws; his overall treatment of the work is beautiful.
2241944
I have not completed this book, but I find that whenever I read something that was written in the late 19th to early 20th century it often seems to be of  superior quality compared to contemporary literature. Massey's writing is comprehensive but also dramatic, and easy to read and still relevant even though it was written over 100 years ago.  I would recommend this to anyone who seeks the truth, enjoys excellent writing, and has a desire to go beyond the simple, common place historical explanations and omissions that one is subjected to whenever one delves into the taboo subject of humanity's true origins.
229065
This is a new (2009) English translation of a Fontane novel about late 19th century Berlin. The English and original German are side-by-side on each page. Fontane's novels are noted for their realism, so don't expect crisis situations  or happy endings.

The situation is a familiar one in literature. A young aristocratic cavalryman,  Botho,  out for some sexual adventures before settling down, , meets a lovely young commoner, Lenne,  and they have an affair. They fall deeply in love. But here the story departs from well-worn paths.

Lenne is a pragmatist. She has no illusions about any permanence in the relationship. She sees the  class system as intact and essentally impregnable.  So, she enjoys  the affair and resigns herself  to an imminent ending. It is Botho who is torn by the role expected of him, which is ".Knock it off right now" and marry an appropriately rich young lady, Kathe, selected by his and her parents long ago. His family's financial position is precarious so he is expected to do his duty and marry money. . But the families  do not coerce him heavily. It is his decision to make. He marries Kathe early in the novel, and the story is really about the subsequent lives of Botho, Kathe and Lenne.  I  have a feeling that, if Botho had instead asked Lenne to marry him, Lenne, the level-headed pragmatist, might have turned him down. (with broken heart).

The character  development  by  Fontane is  just great, including minor characters - Lenne's foster  mother, Frau Nimtsch,  and her neighbor friend, and  Botho's military friends.  You will like and understand these individuals, embedded in a  culture  where  social mobility is virtually impossible.  There are really no villains in the novel.

 Berlin, ,the capital of the newly  formed  German empire, and the surrounding environment are  described in colorful detail., one of Fontane's  strengths.

 The translator, Curt Swanson, has some nice surprises for us. You will find explanatory footnotes in the English version on  virtually every page, almost like a paper in a technical journal. They are really enjoyable  to  read.  Many refer  to the Berlin environment, others to the translation of German expressions.  Included with this book is an essay by Swanson on translation problems. As an example, he must deal with the local Berlin dialect spoken by Frau Orr and  Frau Nimtsch and the high German spoken by Botho and his  social set, somehow letting us know in English which is being spoken.
4571155
That's the title in English of the excellent translation by Christopher Middleton of this novella by Gert Hofmann, a German writer born in 1931. Gert is the father of the poet and translator Michael Hofmann, and I thought I had discovered the Father by way of the Son, whose translations of Joseph Roth and other German writers into English have impressed me. I found the elder Hofmann's novel "Der Kinoerzhler" so impressive that I bought the younger Hofmann's translation of it, "The Film Explainer", for my non-German-reading wife. Then I bought Der Blindensturz, in high anticipation that I had `discovered' a new and significant German writer. But by the bottom of the first page, I realized that I'd read the book before, years ago, that I already had Middleton's translation right in my own bookcase.

Nothing lost, nevertheless. Gert Hofmann's poetic prose is well worth reading again in the orginal Deutsch. Der Blindensturz is a painting in prose, almost literally, since the tale is based on the famous painting by Pieter Breughel of six blind beggars staggering into a ditch. In the novella, the beggars are "hired" by a painter to pose; as they trudge to the site to meet the artist, they collectively narrate their personal histories of blindness and beggary. We readers "see" life through their sightless eyes, and we approach the experience of being seen without seeing ourselves.

The English title, The Parable of the Blind, implies a meaning in the tale just waiting to be explicated. Yes, there is a profound `meaning' in Hofmann's portrayal of blind dependency, but it's not a moral, not an explicit lesson for life, and I'd feel guilty about spoiling the book by telling any reader what to think of it in advance. Suffice it to say that Gert Hofmann is, after all, a "new and significant German writer" whose work is acessible to anglophones in high quality translations.
1076813
A terrific 19th century historical novel which is still very readable in the 21st century. This 1972 N.Y. Graphic Society edition is abridged but it is done very well and full of fabulous fold out pen-and-ink maps and drawings about ancient people, places and things of Rome and the Holy Land at the time of Jesus. This is simply one of the best editions of the Lew Wallace novelit's abridgment makes it even more enjoyable since it can be read in a short time period with illustrations to enjoy!
2893082
The following review pertains to the Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy edition of Friedrich Nietzsche's `Human all too Human' edited by Schacht and translated by Hollingdale.  The current text is compilation of three texts, `Human all too Human' (1878), `Assorted Opinions & Maxims' (1879) and `The Wanderer & His Shadow' (1880 ). These texts were rereleased 1886 as a 2-volume set with new prefaces.  As with the majority of Nietzsche's work these texts received little recognition during the author's lifetime.

First, kudos to Cambridge University Press for its the Texts in the History of Philosophy series with its objective of increasing access to important but lesser known philosophical works.  This series promises to be an excellent resource for students of philosophy.  This edition of Human all too Human is a helpful and accessible compilation of some of Nietzsche's lesser known writings. While translation is always a challenging and often a contentious issue, Hollingdale appears to have achieved an appropriate mix of readability and literalness - he is effective in maintaining the poetic feel of Nietzsche's prose.  One minor criticism of this edition is the small font, while probably necessary to keep the text to a single volume; it can make reading less comfortable.

With regard to the work itself, Human all too Human is often seen by scholars as a transitional work in Nietzsche thought.  And, has tended to be overlooked in English for reasons of accessibility (limited translations) and perception (not seen to add to his latter corpus).  For example, Walter Kaufman the great post WWII popularizer of Nietzsche did not choose to translate these texts.

While clearly the themes evidenced in Human all too Human are further developed in Nietzsche's later work, I believe the text has its own inherent value.  Though somewhat more nuanced and less polemical than his more mature work, it provides wonderful insight into his views on a plethora of subjects, religion, art, epistemology, psychology, sociology and culture.  It is also a treasure trove of ideas that are further developed by subsequent thinkers such Freud, Jung and Heidegger etc. Overall, it is a brilliant, insightful and wide-ranging text - highly recommended for all students of modern philosophy.
4398489
This is a book to curl up with in front of a fireplace on a series of snowy winter nights.  The author brings his skills as a novelist,  biographer, and a journalist together - and not to "make a point" or to  "prove a thesis".  This is a comfy, rambling, fascinating exploration of  19th Century thought, mixing anecdote, philosophical reflection,  theological theory, and "bon mot's.  The language fits the topic.  Perhaps  the closest to a focus Wilson comes is when (pg. 13), he states that "God's  funeral was not, as many in the nineteenth century might have thought, the  end of a phase of human intellectual history.  It was the withdrawal of a  great Love-object."  After reading, underlining, and re-reading this work,  I'm still not sure where Wilson stands on many of the issues he raises -  but I'm glad he produced this smorgasbord!  -- "God's Funeral" introduces  us to hundreds of 19th century thinkers (The author is English; his focus  lingers on those from England!).  They range from the still famous (Marx,  Darwin, John Stuart Mill, and Kant), to figures out of high school  literature courses (Matthew Arnold, George Eliot, Swinburne, and the  Rosettis), to such forgotten's as Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer,  Feuerbach, David Strauss, and Benjamin Jowett.  The greatness of this  volume is that it makes one want to read the books that these people wrote.  (Finding some of these tomes may prove harder than one would expect; it  took me months to get a 102-year old copy of Thomas Carlyle's "The French  Revolution"!)  Wilson is a man of strong opinions.  For example, he states  of Herbert Spencer: "No real philosopher today has the smallest interest in  him, since his use of language is so inexact that it is usually difficult  to know precisely what he means."  About Tolstoy, obsessed in later years  with "the famous injunctions not to hoard up treasure on earth, and not to  take revenge upon enemies" Wilson writes that he was "hated (and eventually  excommunicated) by the Orthodox Church precisely because he showed that if  these texts were acted upon, even partially, European civilization, with  its aggressive nation states, its greedy capitalism, its ruthless pursuit  of laissez-faire economics, its empire-building, its religious  conservatism, would collapse."  A.N. Wilson does NOT waffle!  [His harsh  words about creationism and American fundamentalists in the Preface have  certainly hit some nerves!]  But Catholics (devout and lapsed alike) will  find the final chapter, about Modernism, fascinating.  The "modern heresy"  of Modernism, following the declaration of Papal infallibility in 1870 is  an area seldom examined by modern Catholics, even a university level.  Wilson gives a fascinating introduction to this neglected period of Church  history (1890-1910).  -- Oh, incidentally, one nice touch (thank you, dear  publisher!) is the inclusion, in the middle of the book, of 38 photos and  engravings (mostly portraits).  -- Wilson ends his book (p. 354) with a  clarion call that should cheer the religious: "...the God-idea, so important  a part of human consciousness, has not been discarded with anything like  the readiness which the late Victorians would have predicted.  One of the  most extraordinary things about the twentieth century has been the palpable  and visible strength of the Christian thing, the Christian idea.  ... Simone  Weil, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Nicholas Berdayev and Teilhard de Chardin were  waiting in the wings...."
4026550
This reviewer arrived at Novalis (birthname Friedrich von Hardenberg) by way of studying Scottish 19th-century fantasy author George MacDonald.  Like Thomas Carlyle a generation before him, MacDonald looked closely at the literature of the German Romantic authors.  Novalis had a special place in MacDonald's heart.  Several times, during MacDonald's career as an author, he made an effort to promote Novalis amongst English-speaking readers:  two of these efforts were publicly published.

MacDonald published "Exotics" first, in 1876; it included his English translations of Novalis' "Geistliche Lieder" / "Spiritual Songs."

Then, in 1897, MacDonald published "Rampolli: Growths from a Long-Planted Root, being Translations, New and Old, Chiefly from the German."  The 1897 publication duplicated "Exotics" from 1876, and added two works of Novalis which were not completed in time for the earlier book.  So, 1897's "Rampolli" includes as well a fable from Novalis' "Disciples of Sais,"  and MacDonald's English translations of "Hymnen an die Nacht" / "Hymns To The Night."

George MacDonald's "Rampolli," therefore, is the source for the translations published in this Kindle edition.

Finally, regarding MacDonald, his 1895 novel "Lilith," which polarized his reading public with its bold development of romantic symbolism, is heavily influenced by Novalis and his "Hymns to the Night."
3221005
This is Steampunk! A very good selection of Victorian themed stories alongside stories written from renowned Authors of the Victorian time period (1837 to mid 1900s). To say that stories written by authors from that time period are not "Steampunk" due to the fact that those stories may not have a futuristic theme is ludicrous. The Victorian era was the time of the Industrial revolution. Not all Authors of that time period wrote of a futurist time, theirs reflects their own times. How can you say a corset, top hat, gears, and various other things are Steampunk and then state that literature reflecting that time is not? It is as much so and a great way to help you understand what people of that era enjoyed literature wise. That being said, I don't think you are going to find a better collection of Authors and stories (Past and Present) in one package.
2474600
If you are just discovering Theodor Fontane, keep this in mind:  he didn't write many novels, and the ones now in print often have different titles although they might be the same book.  That little warning aside, plunge ahead with his writing, which is set in the late 19th century, in northern Germany, often along the Baltic coast. His novels recall the plays of Ibsen or perhaps the works of Flaubert and Zola, and without knowing for sure I suspect they are at the center of German realism in this period.  Rakes and naive maidens abound in all his pages, and disappointment and tragedy lurk in many chapters. Buy all the novels, and read them with pleasurefor the style, the language, the characters, and the plots.
4127344
If I were to teach a comparative literature class, this work would definitely be on the agenda. It is one of the true classics of Romantic art. We tend to forget that in his own era, Goethe was regarded as the  preeminent genius of European letters. There is ample reason for the  adulation. Whether writing a travelogue (The Italian Journey), a play  (Faust), or a novel (Wether, Elective Affinities, Wilhelm Meister's  Apprenticeship), Goethe is the consummate artist.  Personally, my only  complaint about Goethe was that he didn't think much of Beethoven's music.  Maybe we can attribute it to genius jealousy.  However you feel about  the man, you can not call yourself well-read if you haven't at least  exposed yourself to Goethe's writing. Give this one a chance and you'll  probably want to read more by this great (and I  don't use that term  loosely) writer.
2172042
I now understand why this is considered a great classic. The translation is very modern in feeling and witty as well as erudite. The lengthy passages debating the meaning of history will be hard for most readers to slog through, but the book is so long and with so many romantic subplots that they can be skipped by readers unwilling to make the effort, without any loss to the narrative. It is of course very anti-Napoleon, since it is about the French-Russian war of 1812-13, but Tolstoi is a useful counterbalance against the usual overglorification of him in popular history. The hero, to the extent that there is one, is unglamorous and flawed but an apolitical, moral person. The women are less satisfying than the male characters,and tend to resemble those female stereotypes in Mexican telenovellas, either scheming countesses or naive young ingenues. There are many more male characters since this is about a war after all, and they are wonderfully various in every shade of black, white and gray.
845629
The Chapter on Germany deals mainly with arts and humanities, mainly through a focus on Richard Strauss. But if you really think about the context Tuchman supplies, you can see something interesting.

In school, the standard view of history was that the rise of German fanaticism and Nazism owes much to the conditions that flowed from the exceptionally harsh peace terms the WWI victors imposed. Tuchman's portrait leads me to wonder about that. A lot of her material raises an inference that the attitudes and trends that led to the fanaticism were already well in place in the late 19th century and even that had there been no WWI, Germany was headed for extremism anyway, although the details might not have precisely matched what we wound up seeing. An especially interesting chapter in a generally interesting book.
3098746
I don't understand the point of Amazon reviews that synopsize the plot of the novel in question, sometimes at length. I see one such review in here, from a Top 500 reviewer. That's more of a book report than a review, and doesn't help people interested in this work. Nor do such reviews acknowledge the "neighborhood"--the other reviews among which they reside. It seems like they are just dropped in, with no awareness of their surroundings.

Potential readers looking at these reviews to decide whether to tackle the work do not need a detailed plot description. The plot summary on the bookjacket will suffice for that. And a reader who has finished the novel doesn't need a detailed description either. The Introduction will suffice for that, if your own reading has lost some details.

How then can a review in this space help someone who is interested in this book? Here are a few observations to help you decide if you want to buy and read this Penguin Classics edition:

--The typeface is clear and readable. Many editions of Dickens are not--have a look at them in your local bookstore some time. You'll have enough grief working through the language without the distraction of a muddy font. At $7.00 this is a great value simply in terms of readability.

--If you haven't begun the book, be prepared, as other reviewers have noted, for a slog through the first 100 or so pages. Early on the syntax and cadence of the language will be a burden to most modern readers, since you don't have the context of character or plot to hang on to, to compensate for the difficulty of the language. But stick with it and the novel will gradually open up until you reach the last third. By then the language ceases to be a problem because you're invested in the outcome.

--Don't read the Introduction until you are finished reading the novel, since it gives away most of the plot. You're better off encountering it for yourself in the text.

--The illustrations are great! Look at them carefully.

--Once you have finished the novel and the Intro, go back through some of the early chapters. An easy second pass will help you pick up details you might have missed the first time.

Four stars because Darnay and Carton are ultimately opaque, each in his own way. Since the historical setting is in effect the main character, Darnay does not rise beyond the level of noble stick figure, and Carton's motivations remain obscure to the end. The ending as others have mentioned is remarkable.
1117031
I read this book some time ago.  I read the book for its entertainment value.  It was entertaining and I do not recall the content as being offensive or potentially offensive at all.

One must not approach every book, lecture, discussion, etc. as an exercise in identity politics or require that everything in life be scrutinized through a politically correct lense.

I appreciate that Dover Publications is making out of print late nineteenth and early twentieth century literature available in paperback editions.  This literature is refreshing and more entertaining than much current literature.  Congratulations to them!
2917311
Outstanding as an example of literature; very useful in terms of understanding pre-Nazi/Nazi Germany.