Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Special Section on Goethe and the Postclassical: Literature, Science, Art, and Philosophy, 1805–1815
- Book Reviews
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Christian August Vulpius. Circe: Oper mit der Musik von Pasquale Anfossi. Ed. Waltraud Maierhofer. Hannover-Laatzen: Wehrhahn Verlag, 2007. 58 pp.
- Katharina Mommsen, ed. Die Entstehung von Goethes Werken in Dokumenten. Band IV. Entstehen—Farbenlehre. Founded by Momme Mommsen. With the assistance of Peter Ludwig und Uwe Hentschel. Berlin und New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008. xix + 998 pp., 12 illustrations
- Manfred Zittel. Erste Lieb' und Freundschaft: Goethes Leipziger Jahre. Halle: Mitteldeutscher Verlag, 2007. 247 pp
- Rainer M. Holm-Hadulla, Leidenschaft: Goethes Weg zur Kreativität. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2008. 266 pp
- Michael Hertl, Goethe in seiner Lebendmaske. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2008. 140pp.
- Henrik Boëtius, Marie Lousie Lauridsen, and Marie 373 Louise Lefèvre. Light, Darkness and Colours. Brooklyn, NY: Icarus Films, 2000
- Steven Ritz-Barr and Hoku Uchiyama, Faust, Classics in Miniature, 2008. DVD, www.classicsinminiature.com. Home edition: $19.90
- Carsten Rohde, Spiegeln und Schweben: Goethes autobiographisches Schreiben. Göttingen: Wallstein Verlag, 2006. 444pp
- Werner Frick, Jochen Golz, and Edith Zehm, eds., Goethe-Jahrbuch 2005. Volume 122. Göttingen: Wallstein, 2006. 570pp
- J. M. van der Laan, Seeking Meaning for Goethe's Faust. London: Continuum, 2007. 202 pp
- Lorna Fitzsimmons, ed., International Faust Studies: Adaptation, Reception, Translation. London: Continuum, 2008. ix + 299 pp
- Jill Anne Kowalik, Theology and Dehumanization: Trauma, Grief, and Pathological Mourning in Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century German Thought and Literature. Ed. Gail K. Hart et al. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009. 186 pp
- Paul Bishop, Analytical Psychology and German Classical Aesthetics: Goethe, Schiller, and Jung. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. 233 pp
- Alexander Mathäs, Narcissism and Paranoia in the Age of Goethe. Newark: U of Delaware P, 2008. 255 pp
- Andreas Gailus, Passions of the Sign. Revolution and Language in Kant, Goethe, and Kleist. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. 222pp
- Jocelyn Holland, German Romanticism and Science. The Procreative Poetics of Goethe, Novalis, and Ritter. New York: Routledge, 2009. 221pp
- John A. McCarthy, Remapping Reality: Chaos and Creativity in Science and Literature. (Goethe—Nietzsche—Grass). Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi, 2006. 373 pp
- Matthias Buschmeier, Poesie und Philologie in der Goethe-Zeit: Studien zum Verhältnis der Literatur mit ihrer Wissenschaft. Studien zur deutschen Literatur, Bd. 185. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, 2008. 490 S
- Susan Bernstein, Housing Problems. Writing and Architecture in Goethe, Walpole, Freud, and Heidegger. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2008. 216pp
- Chenxi Tang, The Geographic Imagination of Modernity: Geography, Literature, and Philosophy in German Romanticism. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2008. 356 pp
- Louise von Göchhausen, “Es sind vortreffl iche Italienische Sachen daselbst”: Louise von Göchhausens Tagebuch ihrer Reise mit Herzogin Anna Amalia nach Italien vom 15. August 1788 bis 18. Juni 1790. Ed. Juliane Brandsch. (Schriften der Goethe-Gesellschaft 72.) Göttingen: Wallstein, 2008. 520pp., 7 illustrations
- Matt Erlin, Berlin's Forgotten Future: City, History, and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Germany. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004, 216 pp
- Jost Schillemeit, Studien zur Goethezeit. Ed. Rosemarie Schillemeit. Göttingen: Wallstein Verlag, 2006. 620 pp
- Marjanne E. Goozé, ed., Challenging Separate Spheres—Female Bildung in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Germany. Bern: Peter Lang, 2007. 317pp
- Andrew Cusack, The Wanderer in 19th-Century German Literature: Intellectual History and Cultural Criticism. Rochester, New York: Camden House, 2008. 257 pp
- Grant Profant McAllister, Jr., Kleist's Female Leading Characters and the Subversion of Idealist Discourse. New York: Peter Lang, 2005. Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature, vol. 75. 210 pp
Jill Anne Kowalik, Theology and Dehumanization: Trauma, Grief, and Pathological Mourning in Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century German Thought and Literature. Ed. Gail K. Hart et al. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009. 186 pp
from Book Reviews
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2018
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Special Section on Goethe and the Postclassical: Literature, Science, Art, and Philosophy, 1805–1815
- Book Reviews
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Christian August Vulpius. Circe: Oper mit der Musik von Pasquale Anfossi. Ed. Waltraud Maierhofer. Hannover-Laatzen: Wehrhahn Verlag, 2007. 58 pp.
- Katharina Mommsen, ed. Die Entstehung von Goethes Werken in Dokumenten. Band IV. Entstehen—Farbenlehre. Founded by Momme Mommsen. With the assistance of Peter Ludwig und Uwe Hentschel. Berlin und New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2008. xix + 998 pp., 12 illustrations
- Manfred Zittel. Erste Lieb' und Freundschaft: Goethes Leipziger Jahre. Halle: Mitteldeutscher Verlag, 2007. 247 pp
- Rainer M. Holm-Hadulla, Leidenschaft: Goethes Weg zur Kreativität. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2008. 266 pp
- Michael Hertl, Goethe in seiner Lebendmaske. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2008. 140pp.
- Henrik Boëtius, Marie Lousie Lauridsen, and Marie 373 Louise Lefèvre. Light, Darkness and Colours. Brooklyn, NY: Icarus Films, 2000
- Steven Ritz-Barr and Hoku Uchiyama, Faust, Classics in Miniature, 2008. DVD, www.classicsinminiature.com. Home edition: $19.90
- Carsten Rohde, Spiegeln und Schweben: Goethes autobiographisches Schreiben. Göttingen: Wallstein Verlag, 2006. 444pp
- Werner Frick, Jochen Golz, and Edith Zehm, eds., Goethe-Jahrbuch 2005. Volume 122. Göttingen: Wallstein, 2006. 570pp
- J. M. van der Laan, Seeking Meaning for Goethe's Faust. London: Continuum, 2007. 202 pp
- Lorna Fitzsimmons, ed., International Faust Studies: Adaptation, Reception, Translation. London: Continuum, 2008. ix + 299 pp
- Jill Anne Kowalik, Theology and Dehumanization: Trauma, Grief, and Pathological Mourning in Seventeenth and Eighteenth-Century German Thought and Literature. Ed. Gail K. Hart et al. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009. 186 pp
- Paul Bishop, Analytical Psychology and German Classical Aesthetics: Goethe, Schiller, and Jung. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. 233 pp
- Alexander Mathäs, Narcissism and Paranoia in the Age of Goethe. Newark: U of Delaware P, 2008. 255 pp
- Andreas Gailus, Passions of the Sign. Revolution and Language in Kant, Goethe, and Kleist. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. 222pp
- Jocelyn Holland, German Romanticism and Science. The Procreative Poetics of Goethe, Novalis, and Ritter. New York: Routledge, 2009. 221pp
- John A. McCarthy, Remapping Reality: Chaos and Creativity in Science and Literature. (Goethe—Nietzsche—Grass). Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi, 2006. 373 pp
- Matthias Buschmeier, Poesie und Philologie in der Goethe-Zeit: Studien zum Verhältnis der Literatur mit ihrer Wissenschaft. Studien zur deutschen Literatur, Bd. 185. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, 2008. 490 S
- Susan Bernstein, Housing Problems. Writing and Architecture in Goethe, Walpole, Freud, and Heidegger. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press, 2008. 216pp
- Chenxi Tang, The Geographic Imagination of Modernity: Geography, Literature, and Philosophy in German Romanticism. Stanford: Stanford UP, 2008. 356 pp
- Louise von Göchhausen, “Es sind vortreffl iche Italienische Sachen daselbst”: Louise von Göchhausens Tagebuch ihrer Reise mit Herzogin Anna Amalia nach Italien vom 15. August 1788 bis 18. Juni 1790. Ed. Juliane Brandsch. (Schriften der Goethe-Gesellschaft 72.) Göttingen: Wallstein, 2008. 520pp., 7 illustrations
- Matt Erlin, Berlin's Forgotten Future: City, History, and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Germany. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004, 216 pp
- Jost Schillemeit, Studien zur Goethezeit. Ed. Rosemarie Schillemeit. Göttingen: Wallstein Verlag, 2006. 620 pp
- Marjanne E. Goozé, ed., Challenging Separate Spheres—Female Bildung in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Germany. Bern: Peter Lang, 2007. 317pp
- Andrew Cusack, The Wanderer in 19th-Century German Literature: Intellectual History and Cultural Criticism. Rochester, New York: Camden House, 2008. 257 pp
- Grant Profant McAllister, Jr., Kleist's Female Leading Characters and the Subversion of Idealist Discourse. New York: Peter Lang, 2005. Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature, vol. 75. 210 pp
Summary
The pages of Jill Anne Kowalik's posthumous Theology and Dehumanization swim in grief. Afloat with the mourning rituals of seventeenth and eighteenth century Germany, the book sketches a rising tide of unresolved grief, its waters teeming with repressed affect, rage, and trauma. The editors’ preface—co-authored by Gail Hart, Ursula Mahlendorf, and Thomas P. Saine—remarks that Kowalik refused “to evade the personal issues her research raised and she used the intellectual task she set for herself to confront her own traumatic illness, the knowledge and fear of her own impending death, and her grief” (9). One senses that the editors too adroitly used this intellectual task to do their own mourning work. They have had to navigate treacherous waters, creating a scholarly monograph cum memorial.
In Theology and Dehumanization, lead editor Hart and her collaborators— Ursula Mahlendorf, Thomas P. Saine, and Hans Medick—have gathered nine essays authored by Kowalik over some fifteen years. Four have appeared previously as journal articles, two in these pages. The first introduces the book Kowalik had planned to write had she but world and time enough, a work which would have included a final chapter on “the meaning of dehumanization” intended to “clarify the impact of early modern forms of grief on the development of modern pathologies” (22). The editorial preface elucidates, “the finished work as she visualized it would have encompassed the loss and grieving of all the centuries from Homer to the Vietnam War” (11). While that goal ultimately eluded Kowalik, the eight subsequent chapters suggest the quality of what has been lost with her death.
Varied in length and polish, the essays range ambitiously: from Achilles's rage at Patroclus's death (in chapter two) to twentieth-century German scholars’ “profoundly judgmental approach to emotional experience” (117). Tracing a genealogy of grief beginning with Homer, Kowalik asks how Paul's frequently cited suggestion in I Thessalonians 4:13–14—grief may be remedied by the belief in resurrection— came to entail its proscription altogether. Grief, Kowalik argues, was not banned by Augustine, nor with Luther. Instead, it was outlawed in the seventeenth century, although not by Burton in The Anatomy of Melancholy (52–54). Grief's “demonization,” Kowalik argues, was a particularly German phenomenon, one bound inextricably with the intense and prolonged reception of Johann Arndt's bestselling Vier Bücher vom wahren Christentum (1606–).
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- Information
- Goethe Yearbook 17 , pp. 382 - 383Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2010