German Literature as a Transnational Field of Production 1848-1919

A collection of new essays bringing into view the push and pull of the national and the international in the Austro-German cultural field of the period. <p/>The cultural formations of the so-called Age of Nationalism (1848-1919) have shaped German literary studies to the present day for better or worse. Literary histories German self-representations the view from abroad - all of these perspectives offer images of a culture ever more concerned with formulating a coherent nationally focused idea of its origins history and cultural community. But even in this historical moment the German-speaking territories were not culturally self-contained; international forces always played a significant role in the constitution of the so-called German literary and cultural field. <br>This volume rethinks the historical period with sixteen case studies that bring into view the push and pull of the national and international in Germany and Austria undertaking a reframing of literary-cultural history that recognizes the interrelatedness of literatures and cultures across political and linguistic boundaries. Viewing even overtly national literary and cultural projects as belonging to an international system these case studies examine the interrelations organization and positioning of the agents forces enterprises and processes that constituted the Austro-German literary-cultural field locating these ostensibly national developments within an inter- or even anti-national context.