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| Semester | spring semester 2021 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Nicola Gess (nicola.gess@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Hugues Marchal (hugues.marchal@unibas.ch) |
| Content | The notion of “deadly surprise” is not only a narrative cliché that can be traced in various literary traditions – just think of the faints that overcome, for instance, Schiller’s or Kleist’s (male) protagonists (e.g. Fiesco in Die Verschwörung des Fiesco zu Genua [1783], Sylvester in Die Familie Schroffenstein [1803]) when confronted with a sudden and shocking insight; or think of Sand’s Indiana [1832], in which the news of the July Revolution strike the female protagonist as a “mortal blow (coup mortel)”: she “faints in the street”, only regaining consciousness after several days in a hospital. The notion also appears in poetry and on stage, where it meets the concept of coup de théâtre, thereby realizing the age-old dramatic principle of peripeteia and anagorisis, which Aristoteles already made out as the prime moments of wonder in Greek tragedy. Also, the notion is very relevant for avantgarde theories of shock (e.g. in Benjamin) as a poetic and potentially also revolutionary principle. Aside from poetics and literary theory, the notion of deadly surprise may be approached from a medical, psychoanalytical or cognitive perspective (can the unexpected actually kill? why do we faint of surprise?), as well as in many other disciplinary frameworks. For instance, it also finds great resonance in political history and theory, where the coup d’État might represent such a form of surprise. The readings will be in English, German and French (with translations provided); the discussions will be mostly in English, and the seminar will include five interdisciplinary guest lectures by specialists in the field. |
| Bibliography | Will be put on ADAM in the week before the semester. |
| Admission requirements | See Studienordnung |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | Online course |
| Course auditors welcome |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz - |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 02.03.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 09.03.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 16.03.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 23.03.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 30.03.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 06.04.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 13.04.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 20.04.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 27.04.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 04.05.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 11.05.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 18.05.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 25.05.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Tuesday 01.06.2021 | 14.15-16.00 | - Online Präsenz -, -- |
| Modules |
French Literature: Recommendations (PhD subject: French Literature) German Literature: Recommendations (PhD subject: German Literature) Literary Studies: Recommendations (PhD subject: Literary Studies) Modul: Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft: Forschungsorientiertes Studium (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft: Grundwissen Master (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Spanish Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Latin Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: English) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Italian Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Slavic Studies) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: Nordic Philology) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Modul: Interphilologie: Literaturwissenschaft MA (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschung (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Literaturtheorie (Master's degree program: Literary Studies) Modul: Neuere deutsche Literaturwissenschaft (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) Modul: Spécialisation en littérature française (Master's degree subject: French Language and Literature) Wahlbereich Master Deutsche Philologie: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: German Language and Literature) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Will be communicated in the first session of the seminar. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Deutsche Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |