Reading List

Normally a student will be expected to have read all the works on the Department Reading List. In consultation with her/hisThesis Committee Chair, however, a student may alter slightly the departmental reading list to concur with his/her own interests and areas of specialty. Such a revised list must be fully approved by the student’s Thesis Committee Chair before the students begins such alternate readings.

Note: Most students find it a good idea to compile notes as they read works from the reading list so they can be reviewed shortly before the oral exam. Students often become so absorbed in their thesis during the last weeks before the oral exam that they do not clearly recall what they have read and often have insufficient notes for an adequate review.

German Studies MA Reading List: An Introduction

The German Studies MA Examination Reading List is a checklist of works that must be read by each student before s/he takes the German Studies M.A. Examination and defends his or her thesis. Questions in the first part of the examination will be based upon these works. Substitutions are acceptable if approved by your advisor, but NOT omissions. You must provide a list of these approved substitutions to the second and third members of your thesis committee at the time you schedule your Exam/ Defense (Remember: you must schedule it at least 2 weeks in advance!)

Where To Find Copies of the the Texts That Appear on the List:
If you have any problem locating a text, please contact your advisor immediately. Readings marked with these symbols can be found at the following places:

* Available at http://humanities.byu.edu/sophie/home.htm
** Available at http://www.gutenberg2000.de
***Available at the Humanities Learning Resource Center, 3031 JKHB

!!! On Reserve at the HBLL Circulation Desk under German 690R (These books are available for two-day loan).

###On Electronic Reserve: www.lib.byu.edu/hbll/ under German 690R. Get the password from the Department.

--For works of art, try www.artchive.com or one of the many links at www.chart.ac.uk/vlib/ or www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/index/index2.html
--For an archive of the works of Architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, see the following site: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~peikx001/archive/
--For musical works and some films, go to the HBLL Media Center on the 4th floor of the Library. Many of the films are available through on-line video rental services, or through the Humanities Resource Learning Center (3031 JKHB).

The Reading List: General Instructions
Before you take your German Studies MA Exams and defend your Thesis, you must be familiar with the following works of literature, art and music. Each separate entry after a check box is a different requirement. As you check off each requirement, please read, listen to or watch each work thoughtfully and try to identify where the work belongs in terms of form, genre, period and historical moment. You should look up the metrics, forms, genres, periods and stylistic elements of each work in the general reference works at the beginning of the list. The questions asked during your exam will not necessarily be about plot lines and characters. More often, the professors on your committee will ask you to place a work in a specific historical, aesthetic or theoretical context. This is a test of your ability to synthesize the concepts that you have learned in the MA program.

Wording of Requirements:

--Some of these requirements are made up of several texts and are worded like this:
Text X AND Text Y. You are expected to read all of these works.

--Other requirements ask you to choose one work out of a list:
Text X OR Text Y OR Text Z. You are expected to choose one of these works.

--Where you are required to read "selected poetry," that means at least 3-5 different poems by the listed author. Please discuss your selections with a committee member who knows the author.

--Where you are required to choose a text, a painting or a work of architecture on your own, bring a list of your choices to the exam and , if possible, a copy of the text, painting, etc. for all of the committee to see.

Total Number of Required Texts from Each Genre:

General Literary History/Theory (5 total)
Novel/ Novella/ Longer Text (20 total)
Short Texts of Various Genres (11 total)
Selections of Poetry (33 total)
Drama, Opera, Film (25 total)
Theoretical Text or Poetics (16 total)
Art (6 Total)
Music (7 total)

German MA Required Reading List

General Literary/ Cultural History

Germanic/ Medieval

Renaissance, Reformation

Baroque

Aufklärung

Sturm und Drang, Klassik, Faust

Romanticism, Kleist

Mid-19th Century

Later 19th Century: Realism, Naturalism

Early 20th Century: Jugendstil, Expressionism, Modernism

Rise of Fascism, Shoah

20th Century: Post-War