Vera und Ansgar Nünning - An Introduction to the Study of English and American Literature

Vera und Ansgar Nnning

Translated from the German by Jane Dewhurst

Klett Lerntraining

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E-ISBN 978-3-12-939109-9

The main objective of the present volume, which is a translation of an updated and slightly revised version of our book Grundkurs anglistisch-amerikanistische Literaturwissenschaft (Stuttgart: Klett 2001, 42004), is to provide a concise introduction to the subject-matter, major issues and research fields in English and American literary studies, and to detail the most important foundations, methods and models relating to the analysis and interpretation of literary texts. It is aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at students of English and American literary studies. As a familiarity with the analytical categories and methods used to approach narrative, dramatic and lyric texts is essential, especially at the beginning of the course of study, particular attention is paid to the use of clear conceptual language. We have also focused on fundamental and general aspects (such as central technical terms, generic categories and transferable methods of textual analysis from various genres and media), as such elements enable the student to situate the material covered within broader contexts and therefore provide helpful guidance for those new to the discipline.

When the German version of this book was published, some reviewers and any number of colleagues and students indicated that an English version of this introduction would be much appreciated. However, rendering a text of this type in English has naturally not been without its difficulties. Despite the common subject-matter, the discipline of literary studies takes different forms in English- and German-speaking countries, and methods, models and terminology do not always overlap. Where a standard equivalent to a German term was available, this has been employed; where an equivalent term was not available, efforts have been made to define or paraphrase the German term. When German authorities are cited, the standard or approved translation has been employed where one exists; otherwise the translator has supplied her own translation. Throughout the volume, every effort has been made to bridge the differences between the disciplinary traditions and create a text that is accessible to students of English and American literature from all backgrounds.

As general and comparative literary studies, like English and American literary studies, encompass a wide variety of objects, areas of enquiry and methods, which cannot be covered comprehensively within an introductory volume, we have taken a mixture of pluralism and pragmatism as our guide in writing this book. We have consciously adopted an approach which uses illustrative examples to afford insights into the practice and nature of real, existing English and American studies (SCHWANITZ 1985: 9), and thus serves the needs of students beginning their course of study, but which simultaneously offers a general overview of the discipline in all its factual and methodological diversity.

This short, introductory volume is obviously not the place for a comprehensive introduction to the history of literatures in English. More important for the student who is anxious to derive the greatest possible benefit from the diverse selection of courses on offer is a general understanding of the basics of literary studies, and of the spectrum of literary-historical themes. The present volume aims to provide such a preliminary understanding, along with a basic introduction to the terminology and content necessary for orientation in English/American literary studies. Instead of supplying ready-made interpretations, we therefore aim to provide the reader with the terminological and methodological tools that will enable him or her to interpret unfamiliar texts independently.

However, the volume is not only aimed at new students who wish to cultivate the skill of interpreting literary texts in a systematic and methodologically informed manner, and of employing a terminologically precise idiom. It should also prove helpful to more advanced students who are preparing for seminars or exams and desire a brief overview of the fundamental terms and methods of literary studies, as well as more precise information about the interpretation of lyric, dramatic and narrative texts.

This introduction is not only written for students; it is also the result of many years of fruitful cooperation with students. We would therefore like to thank the numerous students in Brunswick, Gieen and Cologne, who have contributed more to this book, with their active and constructive cooperation in introductory and other courses in literary studies, than they are probably aware. Special thanks are due to our assistants, who made diverse contributions to the preparation of the present volume. Wibke Bindemann, Hanna Bingel, Stefanie Bock, Katharina Engelhardt, Meike Hlscher, Nora Redhardt and Katja Zinn read the manuscript with meticulous attention and carefully checked all quotes and bibliographical references. Gaby Allrath, Dorothee Birke, Stella Butter, Klaudia Seibel, Annegret Stegmann and Carola Surkamp completed the lay-out and commented constructively on earlier versions of individual chapters, as well as contributing invaluably to the composition of the various figures and the glossary.

Our greatest and most heartfelt thanks, however, go to three colleagues to whom we owe a special debt: to Jane Dewhurst, the eminently competent, skillful and patient translator of the present volume, as well as to research assistant Dorothee Birke and Richard Humphrey. First and foremost, we should like to express our sincere gratitude to Jane Dewhurst, who did an excellent job in turning heavy-duty teutonic scholarly prose into readable English, finding any number of elegant solutions for complex problems. Dorothee Birke not only meticulously checked and proof-read the translation, she also made a number of very useful suggestions for improvement, which we have gratefully incorporated. This book has benefited enormously from Janes linguistic resourcefulness and expertise, both as a translator and literary scholar, and from Dorothees unparalleled conscientiousness, exemplary competence, and fine eye for terminological and stylistic details. Both of them not only did a marvellous job, they have also been, and are, a great pleasure to work with. Last, but not least, we are also very grateful to Richard Humphrey, who provided invaluable help and extremely good advice in the final stages of the revision, resourcefully helping us across a number of terminological hurdles. Any remaining mistakes or failings are, of course, entirely our responsibility, not theirs. If the present volume is successful in its aim of enabling students to pursue a course in literary studies independently and successfully, then this is to a large extent thanks to their efforts.