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We meet for Book Conversations at 6:45 pm at the Goethe-Institut in Washington, D.C. (see map). Our Book Conversations aim to approach significant works of German literature (occasionally philosophy) in an informal way that allows maximum audience participation and enables exploration of individual viewpoints. Selections are classical or contemporary works available in English translation. Participants may read either the German or the English version, according to language preference. Our discussions are in English, with light refreshments following the conversation. For information on obtaining a copy of any of the texts in either English or German, contact John Loth at johnloth@verizon.net.
2009 Events
Wednesday, February 25, 6:45 pm, Goethe-Institut: Jeremias Gotthelf: The Black Spider (Die Schwarze Spinne). This masterful novella is a cautionary tale of a devastating plague that first destroys the animals of a farming community and, in a subsequent outbreak, the entire population of the remote Emmental region. Set in medieval times, Gotthelf retells the disastrous events of feudal exploitation, a devil's bargin (long since historical legend) and extols traditional values against the intruding materialist Zeitgeist of his generation. Refreshments will follow the conversation. Wednesday, April 1, 6:45 pm, Goethe-Institut Admired for its masterful construction and suspenseful plot, Storm's last novella, Der Schimmelreiter (The Dykemaster / The Rider on the White Horse (1888), is widely regarded as one of the most important frame- novellas in world literature. Set on the western coast of Schleswig-Holstein, dominated by the North Sea, the novella tells the tragic story of Hauke Haien, the strong-willed 18th century dykegrave who remains a legendary figure of the region to this day. According to legend, whenever the sea threatens to inundate the low-lying lands and farming communities, the area's fearful villagers believe they see the phantom of Hauke Haien riding on a white horse along the Hauke Haien dyke, still standing a hundred years later. To learn more about the novel, read this article (auf Deutsch) from Wikipedia.de or visit the Theodor Storm center. Follow this link to download Storm's Novelle (auf Deutsch) from Projekt Gutenberg. A Hoerbuch (auf Deutsch) is available as well. An English translation is available from the Gutenberg Consortia Center. (Click on the blue text to obtain the copy/ies of your choice. Introductory lecture by Erika Joyce, AGS president Discussion moderator: Dr. Esther Elstun, Professor emerita of German, George Mason University
2008 Archive
Wednesday, October 22, 6:45 pm, Goethe-Institut: Heinrich von Kleist: Earthquake in Chile (Das Erdbeben in Chili). In this masterful novella, one of eight collected Erzählungen, poet and dramatist Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) draws on two historical events: the 1647 earthquake in Santiago, Chile, and the earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, of 1755. Both of these natural disasters utterly shattered many of the fundamental beliefs of the Enlightenment. Kleist calls into question whether God and Divine Providence are good and whether the world order is rational. His story of violence and passion contradicts Rousseau’s assertion of the innate goodness of human nature, as well as his belief in revolution and the claim that all social barriers can be overcome. In powerful prose, Kleist describes mob behavior and demagoguery, radically criticizes institutionalized religion, demonstrates the conflict between individual morality versus society’s conventions, and plumbs the human capacity for greatness through self-sacrifice. Kleist’s narrative is characterized by extraordinary economy and vividness in his account of a catastrophe in which human beings are driven to the limits of their endurance by the violence of others or by nature. Refreshments to follow the conversation.  Thursday, February 28, 6:45 pm, Goethe-Institut: Franz Kafka: Amerika. Jamestown, 1608, saw the first German immigrants to America. In our first book conversation of this anniversary year we will look at the wave of German immigration around the turn of the 20th century through the lens of Franz Kafka’s first novel, Amerika. As a nation of immigrants we all share the experience of immigration. We are either immigrants ourselves, or immigration is part of our heritage. Like Kafka’s other two novels, Der Prozeß (The Trial) and Das Schloß (The Castle), Amerika remained unfinished. But Kafka published its first chapter independently as Der Heizer (The Stoker) in 1913. And he included it in the mere five works he intended "to stand" as his literary legacy. Our conversation will focus on this "story." It narrates the bewildered arrival in New York harbor of 16-year-old Karl Rossmann, expelled from home as a black sheep but rescued from disaster by wealthy and respected Senator Jacob, who is none other than Karl’s uncle. Karl’s arrival story leaves us suspended in ambivalence about the immigrant’s future: success like his uncle’s, or failure of the well-intentioned but inexperienced youth? Nor does the rest of the novel answer this question. Indeed chapter after chapter accumulates similarly inconclusive experiences of the newcomer in the enigmatic American world. Refreshments to follow the lecture.
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