126-029 Rilke's Poetry and Prose 1900-1914

Note

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Prerequisites

37.5 points of Second/Third Year subjects.

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

The subject presents an introduction to those works of Rainer Maria Rilke which were written during his most innovative and experimental period. The subject will look at the theory of poetry which Rilke develops in his early prose writing. Students will then participate in detailed analyses of selected poems from the Neue Gedichte, a disucssion of the verse drama Die weiße Fürstin and of the experimental novel Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge. The subject will conclude with a reading of the cycle of poems entitled Gedichte an die Nacht. Students who complete this subject should: have a familiarity with several of Rilke's major writings; have a critical understanding of Rilke's theory of literature and his application of it; have an aesthetic appreciation of Rilke's artistry and an awareness of the main challenges his work presents to a modern reader.

Assessment

A 1000 word classpaper and an essay of 3000 words for 3rd year, 4000 words for 4th year.

Prescribed Texts

A subject reader will be available. A paperback edition of Rilke's novel Die Aufzeichnungen des Malte Laurids Brigge (insel taschenbuch) should be purchased.