Heroes, Failures and Other Peculiar Characters-The German Novel from Goethe to Kafka

Readings in the tradition of the German novel, including the Bildungsroman, Realism and modernist fiction. Consideration especially of failed heroes and the failure of the novel genre. Authors include Goethe, Hoelderlin, Novalis, Stifter, Fontane, Musil and Kafka. Readings and class discussions in English.