march 1992 women in german march 1992

MARCH 1992 WOMEN IN GERMAN MARCH 1992
Z 1. Drei Wege zum See 2. Menschen im Hotel 3. Cornelia Goethe 4. Gestem ~
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5. Fegefeuer in Ingolstadt 6. Amy oder die
Metamorphose 7. Seifenblasen. Dreischerzhafte Erzahlungen 8. Panther Frau
9. Das Haus der Kindheit 10. Das kunstseidene Madchen 11. Respektloser
Umgang 12. Der Dienst 13. Die Wupper 14. Amanda, ein Hexenroman 15.
Miriam16. Es bleibt noch viel zu sagen 17. Ich stehe meine Frau 18.
Liebe 19. Julia, oder die Liebe zum Chorgesang 20. Karin W. 21.
Antigone 22.Paulinchen war allein zu Haus 23.Cassandra 24. Goethes
Briefwechsel mit einem Kinde 25. Schicksale einer Seele 26.Gilgi, eine von uns
27. Die Judenbuche 28. Florentin 29. Ludwig, der Kellner 30. Das Fraulein von
Sternheim 31. Agnes von Lilien 32. Die groBere Hoffnung
33. Die Familie Seldorf 34.Linas Briefe 35. Amanda und Eduard 36.
1m Hause des Kommerzienrates 37. Die Amtmannin von Hohenweiler 38. Die
Grafin Rattenzuhausebeiuns 39. Duvall und Charmille 40. Theresgen 41.
Leichtsinn und gutes Herz 42. Entwicklungen auf dem Maskenballe 43. Die
Zwillingsschwester oder die Verschiedenheit des GIUcks 44.
Adelheit von Teck 45. Krambambuli 46. Der Gang im Ried 47. Der Kugelblitz 48.
Die Geschichten der drei Damen K. 49. Klassenliebe 50. Aus guter Familie 51. Stud. chern.
Helene Willfiier 52. Pioneere in Ingolstadt 53. Das Recht der Mutter 54. Leben unter
Bedrohung 55. Die Nacht im Teppichsaal. Erlebnisse eines
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Wanderers 56. Grafin Faustine 57. Zur Geschichte der
deutschen demokratischen Legion aus Paris von einer Hochverraterin 58.
Das dicke Kind 59. Das Madchen George 60. Abalard und Heloise 61. Aus
unseres Herrgotts Tiergarten. Geschichten von sonderbaren Menschen und
62. Proserpina 63. Michael: Ein Jugendbuch
fUr die Infantilgesellschaft 64. Das verlorene Kind 65. Die
Bettlerschale 66. Auf dem Wege zur amerikanischen Botschaft 67. Friihherbst in Badenweiler 68.
Amoralische Kinderklappcr 69. Eine Jndin erlebt das neue Deutschland 70. Le ben und
Abenteuer der Trobadora Beatriz nach Zeugnissen ihrer Spielfrau
verwunderlichem Getier
Laura 71. 1989 oder ein Moment Schonheit 72. Die UberHiuferin 73. Franziska
Linkerhand 74. Spitzenzeit 75. Poesie und andere Nebendinge 76. Der Faden
der Geduld 77. Julia oder die Erziehung zum Chorgesang 78.
Lauter Leben 79. Wie ich meine Unschuld verlor 80. Nasenflote 81. Stunde
zwischen Hund und Katz 82. Hautungen 83. Ubergang 84. Bildnis der
lakobina Volker 85. FlieBendes Licht der Gottheit 86. Reigen
der Tugenden (Ordo Virtutum), ein Singspiel...In recognition of
Women's History Month: Can you guess who wrote
these books? Key on back cover!
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I
MARCH 1992 WOMEN IN GERMAN MARCH 1992
FREYA FOELKER
FEMINIST UNIVERSITY
UTOPIA. USA
Subscriptions/Meml>ership
Read your mailing label and renew when month
and year match that of the issue. For example. if
your label reads 03-92, renew now!
The membership rates listed below are effective as of January 1, 1992.
WIG membership dues were last increased in 1990. Meanwhile. costs have
continued to rise. All WIG members receive the WIG newsletter and the WIG
Yearbook. Your dues help support the annual WIG conference and other WIG
projects. The sliding scale helps keep membership more affordable for those
in the lower income ranges.
To join WIG or renew your membership, fill out the section below and return it
with your payment in U.S. dollars (check or money order made out to
Women in German) to: Women in German. Dept. of Modem Foreign Languages,
Indiana U. - Purdue U.• Fort Wayne. IN 46805-1499.
Please circle the amount enclosed. and indicate whether you are a new or
renewing member. Members overseas and in Canada. please add postage.
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.--
WOMEN IN GERMAN
NUMBER 57
EDITORIAL
MARCH 1992
When I returned from Germany in February, it was a delight to find such a fine
issue of the WiG newsletter in my stack of mail. Helga Thorson's willingness to
coordinate the November newsletter in my absence contributed significantly to my peace
of mind during my almost six months away from home. Many thanks to her and the
University of Minnesota WiG newsletter staff, especially liz Mittman, lisa Roetzel, and
Ginny Steinhagen.
Reading the newsletter also made me mindful of how much I had missed at the WiG
conference. It must have been an incredibly rich experience I I am looking forward to
next year's gathering, although it saddens me to realize that Sydna (Bunny) Weiss will
no longer be a part of the visible WiG community. Susan Cocalis's and Christine
Groeppner's moving tributes remind me of my own earliest memories of Bunny, at the
1983 WiG conference on Thompson Island. Bunny's way of including everyone helped
create an atmosphere that persuaded newcomers like me to keep coming back. As WiG
members, we will do well to keep her memory alive not only through a memorial fund,
as has been suggested (see "WiG Bulletins"), but in emulating her spirit in our
interactions.
Indeed, as our organization grows and matures, it helps to remind ourselves
periodically of the goals and values WiG espouses. In this regard I would like to express
my gratitude and offer congratulations to Jeanette Clausen and Sara Friedrichsmeyer for
their first volume of the Women in German yearbook published with University of
Nebraska Press. Not only have they achieved an appearance commensurate with quality
of the contents, but in their preface and the postscript, "What's Feminism Got to Do with
It?" they remind us of the difference WiG has made in the struggle for change in the
academy, namely "bringing to public attention ... issues of importance to us all ... " and
"working toward the creation of a space in which our differences can be articulated,
where diversity can flourish," without abandoning our critical intelligence (172-173).
Such conscious reflection serves us well in renewing and directing our energies.
Enough time has elapsed since last fall that the memory of the day-to-day
pressures during my ten-week student program in Munich has begun to recede behind
the highlights. During that time I had the good fortune to work with eighteen engaged and
cooperative students, who took advantage of the many cultural opportunities available to
them.
It particularly renewed my faith in our efforts at language teaching to see what
doors their hard-won linguistic skills opened for them during our visit to Dresden,
where host families took them in like long-lost relatives. In these six days, my students
got beyond the cliches about reunification and gained concrete insights into the complex
mixture of benefits and tribulations each host family faces as citizens in "den neuen
Bundeslandern." Very quickly words like 'ehemalig(e)', 'Altlast', 'Abwicklung',
'Mieterhohung' became active vocabulary with specific applications; no longer did
anyone make facile judgements about how people in the GDR could or should have given
more resistance to the system. The students' sensitive insights about their experiences
surpassed all my expectations.
But I was not prepared for the level of emotion that welled up at the train station
when the students said goodbye to their newly-won Dresden friends. In the past I had
come to expect such farewells between American students and GDR hosts; the train
2
epitomized the moment of truth, where political reality divided them once more into
those who could depart effortlessly to the West, and those who had to remain behind.
This time, however, the feelings ran almost as strong, if for different reasons;
For most of our hosts, this visit represented the first opportunity to get to know
Americans personally. Dismantling old GDR cliches in the process of building new
friendships generated powerful feelings and a realistic expectation for future visits,
perhaps even reciprocal ones, with the newly-won friends. In Dresden my students
realized perhaps for the first time what a key for transformation their language
proficiency can be.
I welcomed the time after the Carleton program to visit friends during the
holidays and then to pursue my own projects, which involved some interviews in eastern
Berlin with former GDR writers. While the news media have exploited the unending
Stasi revelations concerning Berlin's 'Prenzlauer Berg' district, they have in the main
ignored the exciting literary and cultural projects taking place in the area. In the "Calls
for Papers" section of this issue, you will find the description of one such undertaking,
"Texten auf der Spur: Scheherezade nach dem Golfkrieg." This title applies both to a
series of readings in Berlin by women authors from various countries, and an anthology
that is underway. The editors/organizers, Brigitte Struzyk and Anja Tuckermann are
seeking contributions that extend the concerns expressed last year about violence in the
Gulf to other conditions women face in the world.
I enjoyed my brief exposure to the activities in Berlin, which now in Minnesota
seems so far away. I hope that WiG members will continue to keep us in contact with
current issues and events, as Barbara Hyams and Tamara Felden did in the last issuel
Best wishes for Spring,
Julie Klassen
Carleton College
P.S.: Please be sure to send us all items for the Summer Newsletter (our shorter issue,
sent first class) by July 1. Thanksl
3
WIG BULLETINS
Moving?
Send us your new address!
(Don't feed the shredders!)
Did you know that bulk mail not deliverable as addressed is destroyed? Bulk mail is
neither forwarded nor returned to the sender, but is fed to the U.S. Post Office's
shredders--hardly the final resting place we had in mind for the WIG Newsletters and
Yearbooks I
So, to keep your WIG mail from the shredders, please send us your new address
several weeks before you move, and at least 6 weeks before publication of each
newsletter (March, August, November).
If you have missed any issues of the WIG Newsletter or Yearbook because your address
change didn't reach us in time, please send $2 per missed item when requesting a
replacement. Send address changes to: Jeanette Clausen, Modern Languages, IPFW, Fort
Wayne, IN 46805.
FROM THE EDITORS
ALL ABOUT WIG (THE YEARBOOK, THAT IS!)
WOMEN IN GERMAN YEARBOOK 7 (1991) was mailed to all WIG members in
February. The editors welcome your comments on the journal's new look as well as on
the content. DOES YOUR UBRARY SUBSCRIBE TO THE WOMEN IN GERMAN YEARBOOK?
Send library subscriptions to our publisher, the University of Nebraska Press, 901
North 17th St, Uncoln, NE 68588-0520. If you haven't received your copy of volume7
yet, please let Jeanette know.
We're working on ...
WOMEN IN GERMAN YEARBOOK 8 (1992). The deadline for receipt of articles to
be sent out for review was March 1. It is, however, still possible to submit comments
(ca. 1000 words) on articles that appeared in the Yearbook or on topics of general
interest. Comments for publication in volume 8 must be received by May 1, 1992.
Looking ahead to ...
WOMEN IN GERMAN YEARBOOK 9 (1993).
It's not too early to start thinking about submitting an article for possible publication in
Women in German yearbook 9. In addition to general contributions, we invite
submissions for a special focus section on German women and drama. We are
interested in feminist approaches to the works of women dramatists from any of the
German-speaking countries and from any historical period. Manuscripts are welcome at
any time throughout the year. Tentative deadline for receipt of manuscripts to be sent
out for review: March 1, 1993. Follow the MLA Handbook format for notes and
works cited. Send one copy of your manuscript to each coeditor-- failure to do this will
delay the processing of your manuscript by several weeks.
Jeanette Clausen
Modern Languages Dept
Indiana U. - Purdue U.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
Otc: 219
481-6637
Sara Friedrichsmeyer
Foreign Languages Dept
Univ. of Cincinnati, RWC
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Otc: 513
745-5679
4
home 219
FAX 219
485-1096
481-6985
home 513
FAX 513
931-5843
745-5767
BACK ISSUES: The University Press of America has allowed Women in German yearbook 1
and 2 to go out of print! For volume 3, send $15 to Jeanette Clausen (limited quantity
available!). Volumes 4, 5 and 6 can be ordered from UPA (4720 Boston Way, Lanham, MD
20706). Be sure your library has them all!
When is WIG 1992?
Get out your calendars and reserve Oct. 15-18, 1992 for this year's Women in German
conference! Detailed information and registration materials will be included in the August
Newsletter. The conference will be held, as last year, in Great Barrington, Mass.
Update on Guests for WiG 1992
Leslie Morris reports that the following women have accepted WiG's invitation
for our annual conference:
Dagmar Schultz
Teaches Women's Studies at the Fachhochschule for Sozialarbeit and Sozialpadagogik in
Berlin. Has also taught at the JFK Institut for American Studies at the FU in Berlin. She has
been active in the women's health movement, and in 1976 published a women's self-help
book. Other publications: 1978-1979: "Ein Madchen ist fast so gut wie ein Junge. Sexism
in der Erziehung"; Farbe Bekennen (1986); as well as numerous articles on women's issues,
women's health, and sexism in the schools. Founder of a women's self-publishing group that
later became Orlando Frauenverlag.
Ike HOgel
Sozialpadagogin. Currently employed in public relations for Orlando Verlag. Has taught self
defense to women. Contributor to Farbe Bekennen. Has also contributed to Afreketer and
M.s..., and serves on the editorial board of Afreketer. Has been conducting anti-racism
workshops in Germany for several years.
Women in German Memorial Fund
The WIG Steering Committee has been deliberating how to structure a memorial fund in
remembrance of Sydna Stern (Bunny) Weiss, who died on Nov. 10, 1991 (see November WIG
newsletter).
Ideas for distributing funds include: subsidies for student travel to WIG conferences;
a visiting feminist scholar program; a prize for the best book or article each year by a WIG
member.
In the meantime, WIG welcomes contributions! Please send checks made out to ~
Memorial Fund to Jeanette Clausen, Women in German, Dept. of Modern Languages, Indiana UPurdue U., Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
5
Attention, all New York Wiggies!
The following is a request for a few days' lodging in NYC for some Berlin women--who
would gladly pay "in kind"! As you can see, the date is still not finalized, so
demonstrating interest does not indicate an automatic commitment. Please contact Karen
Remmler if you have questions.
Die Internationale Begegnungsstatte JagdschloB Glienicke Berlin fOhrt in
Zusammenarbeit mit Karen Jankowsky, Universitat Wisconsin und Karen
Remmler, Mount Holyoke College, in der zweiten Septemberhalfte 1992 oder
1993 ein Frauenprojekt zur Thematik "Rassismus-Sexismus" durch. Aus
diesem AniaB sucht die Internationale Begegnungsstatte fOr 12 Frauen
Obernachtungsm6glichkeiten bei Frauen in Manhattan, die
Unterkunftsmeglichkeiten fOr 5 Tage umsonst oder preiswert zur VerfOgung
stellen kennen. Ais Gegenangebot besteht die Meglichkeit ebenfalls 5 Nachte
umsonst in Berlin zu wohnen. Interessierte Frauen melden sich bitte bei Rosy
Peisker
Internationale Begegnungsstatte
JagdschloB Glienecke
011 49 30 8050147 Telefon
1 Berlin 39, KenigstraBe
011 49 30 8050156 Fax
Lefkowitz
Documentary
Available
The film "INTERVALS OF SILENCE: Being Jewish in Germany," screened at the 1991 WIG
Conference, is available for rental, purchase, or screening and discussion with the
filmmaker. Please contact:
Deborah Lefkowitz
P.O. Box 274
Cambridge, MA 02140
tel.: 617-864-3316
[n.b. The University of Minnesota's Center for Jewish Studies and Department of
German co-sponsored a screening of this film, with Lefkowitz present, in early March.
The film and discussion generated considerable interest and the entire event was a great
success!]
Women Writers in Translation
Making the works of German-speaking women writers available in English translation is
an ongoing concern for WIG members, especially those who teach Women's Studies or
Comparative Literature as well as German. However, it is a concern that hasn't been
addressed in an organized fashion since the publication of Women Writers in Translation:
An Annotated Bibliography (Garland 1984). To help us determine what role the WIG
Yearbook might play in beginning to address issues around translation, we are asking
WIG members to send us information, as follows:
1. Let us know about women authors whose writings have been recently translated into
English, especially works published by small presses or in anthologies and journal
issues, since these might more easily escape notice.
6
2. Let us know about translation projects in progress, and tell us the names of authors
and works, from any German-speaking country in any historical period, that you believe
most urgently need to be translated.
3. We would like to know your thoughts on issues such as: Who decides which authors
will be translated? Who should decide? How are translators chosen? Who is the
audience for German women writers in English translation? What kinds of editorial
decisions (use of notes, introductions, etc.) need to be made? What other factors should
be considered?
4. We are interested in feminist perspectives regardIng translation I What issues
most particularly need to be addressed from a feminist point of view? Is anyone working
on this?
We thank everyone who has already responded to this announcement, and ask interested
WIG members who have not yet done so to send information, comments, opinions, etc. to
both coeditors:
Sara Friedrichsmeyer
Foreign Languages Dept.
Univ. of Cincinnati, RWC
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Jeanette Clausen
Modem Languages Dept.
Indiana U. - Purdue U.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
The Christa Wolf Society
The international Christa Wolf Society was founded at the 1991 WiG Conference. The
following draft of its constitution will be discussed at the 1992 WiG Conference and will,
if our request for a business meeting is approved, be presented at the 1992 MLA for
discussion and ratification.' Until the constitution is ratified and officers elected, those
wishing to become members of the Society can send membership dues to: Christa Wolf
Society, c/o Jeanette Clausen, Treasurer, Women in German, Modern Foreign Languages,
Indiana U. - Purdue U., Fort Wayne, IN 46805. Make your checks payable to the Christa
Wolf Society.
DRAFT: THE CHRISTA WOLF SOCiETY CONSTIMJQN
The Christa Wolf Society is an international association of scholars, teachers, students,
and others who share an interest in the work of Christa Wolf. The SOCiety's purpose is
to encourage the study of Wolfs work as well as its intersection with that of other
writers, especially those associated with the former German Democratic Republic. The
Society is open to anyone upon payment of dues.
Article I: The Society shall meet annually at a time and place to be announced to all
members.
Article II: The Society shall be governed by an Executive Committee of five officers:
The President shall be elected for a two year'term and shall be responsible for
publicizing the society and its meetings. The President shall preside over the
Society'S annual Business Meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee. If
any of the other offices becomes vacant, the President shall appoint a Society
member to fill the vacancy until the next election.
7
The Vice-President shall be elected for a two year term. In the absence of either
the President or the Secretary at the Business Meeting, the Vice-President shall
resume that officer's duties.
The Secretary shall be elected for a two year term and shall be responsible for
compiling, editing, and mailing the Society's Newsletter to each of its paid
members. He or she shall also have the responsibility for providing the minutes
of each meeting of the Society and shall correspond with members of the Society
when appropriate.
The Treasurer shall be elected for a two year term and shall handle all matters
dealing with membership in the Society, including collecting membership dues
and keeping a current membership list. In addition the Treasurer shall pay all
Society bills and present a report at the annual Business Meeting.
The Program Chair shall be elected for a one year term and shall be responsible
for organizing at least one program during that year at a national conference,
either chairing the session(s) personally or appointing a chair.
Article III: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once annually at a time and place
designated by the President.
Article IV: Nominations for officers shall come from the membership yearly at a time
and in a manner designated by the Executive Committee and conveyed to the Society's
members through the Newsletter. Elections shall normally take place at the annual
Business Meeting or by mail. Officers shall be elected by a simple majority of those
taking part in the election.
Article V: The Society's bylaws and/or dues structure may be amended by vote of a
simple majority of those attending its annual Business Meeting.
Article VI: Any member of the Society may nominate honorary members by submitting
names to the Executive Committee. Those nominations which the Executive Committee
supports for honorary membership shall be brought to the annual Business Meeting
where they will be voted on by Society members.
Article VII: The Executive Committee is empowered to appoint such committees as shall
further the declared purposes of the Society.
By-Laws
1. The annual meeting shall take place in conjunction with one of the national
conferences typically attended by the Society'S members.
2. When the Society qualifies to become an MLA Allied Organization, the President shall
apply on behalf of the Society.
3. In order to assure that not all offices become vacant in the same year, the first
Secretary shall be elected for a three year term.
4. In order to assure that not all offices become vacant in the same year, the first
Treasurer shall be elected for a three year term.
8
5. Until the Society has applied for and been granted allied organization status in the
MLA, the responsibilities of the Program Chair shall include applying for and organizing
a special session at the MLA.
6. The Newsletter shall typically include abstracts of all papers presented at sessions
organized by the Society at national or other conferences, the minutes of the annual
Business Meeting, a listing of recent publications and works in progress on Wolf,
Society reports, and other items relevant to Wolf research or Society business.
7. The membership fee of $10.00 ($5.00 for students) is for one calender year.
8. Finances permitting, the Society shall encourage projects such as international
symposia devoted to some aspect of Wolf studies, an annual award to an advanced graduate
student for the study of some aspect of Wolf's work, a Wolf bibliography, and a ~
Yearbook.
Draft submitted by:
\
Sara Friedrichsmeyer
Pat Herminghouse
Dorothy Rosenberg
9
CALLS FOR PAPERS
Interruptions: Abortion in German History. politics. and Literature
Out of discussions at last year's GSA and MLA conferences evolved the idea for a volume
on the issue of abortion in the context of East/West/German history, politics, and
literature. We are still looking for contributions and would like to encourage
submissions from Wiggies. As an important part of this project, we also plan a
comprehensive bibliography of fictional and non-fictional texts centering on abortion.
Contributions to this would be greatly appreciated. Deadline is May 1sf. 1992. Please
address all inquiries or send abstracts/papers to:
Katharina von Ankum
Dept. of German
Scripps College
Claremont, CA 91711
(714) 625-3228 (h)
(714) 621-8000 ext. 2807 (w)
(714) 621-8323 (FAX)
Kristie Foell
Dept. of German
Gustavus Adolphus College
St. Peter, MN 56082
(507) 931-9388 (h)
(507) 933-6087 (w)
German Writing on Colonialism and the "Third World"
For an anthology, we are inviting articles and book reviews and bibliographies. The
purpose of the enterprise is to present a collection of essays which acquaints an English
speaking audience with critical texts on German fictions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and
South America. Because much is already available on travel literature, we would like to
get articles and plays, journalism, philosophy, film/photography, and especially
narratives by women and men from the 19th and 20th century. Case studies as well as
theoretical treatises are welcome. Please, send a preliminary description of your
project or an abstract by May 15th. 1992 to:
Konstanze Streese
New York University
Dept. of German
19 University Place
New York, NY 10003
Trayel Literature: Critical Perspectives
We are seeking submissions for our collection of critical essays on travel literature.
Articles can deal with theoretical considerations, an individual work or author,
questions specific to an epoch, a travel destination, or the motivation for the journey, to
name a few aspects. Particularly for women authors, traveling often represents an act
of breaking out. How do authors utilize the possibilities which present themselves of
re-viewing their own and strange worlds during journeys? Does the experience of
traveling pave the way for a utopian imagination in the private as well as the public
sphere, particularly in regard to gender-specific (male or female) modes of existence?
What effects does the travel experience have on the future lives and the texts of these
authors? To what degree do the motivation for a journey, the destination, and the means
10
of transportation shape the experience and literary presentation of the voyage? Such
and similar questions are to be explored in this volume.
We do not intend to limit the time period covered but rather plan a publication "from the
beginnings to the present." Similarly, we do not want to limit contributions to the print
media but hope to include articles on film and possibly other media as well. Articles
should be approximately 25 pages long. Please send proposals to both of us by April 1.
aaa.
Monika Shafi
Dept. of Foreign Langs/Lits
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716
Tamara Felden
Department of German
Augustana College
639 38th Street
Rock Island, IL 61201-2296
The Chicago Series on Sexuality. History and Socjety (John C. Fout, Editor)
The University of Chicago Press announces a new book series concerned with all aspects of the
history of sexuality. The volumes in the series--works by individual authors as well as edited
volumes--will represent the most sophisticated theoretical and critical scholarship being
executed in what is, at this point, an intellectually exciting and still emerging field. While the
emphaSis will be historical, the series will nonetheless be cross-cultural and crossdisciplinary. It will be expected that authors would be working in the humanitles--literature,
history of art, film history, classics, religion, and philosophy among other disciplines--and
the social sciences, including anthropology, political science, and feminist scholarship from a
variety of disciplinary perspectives. Moreover, the new series will publish scholarly work
taken from the disciplines from which the history of sexuality has drawn the theoretical and
methodological framework that has made it a field in its own right--especially the "new social
history," women's history, gay studies, gender studies, literary criticism, the history of ideas,
family history or even legal history, as well as the history of crime and deviance. The book
series is designed to publish original work of serious scholars investigating such issues as the
regulation of sexuality, how sexual behavior and mores are socially constructed, how sexual
politics function at all levels of society from the ancient world to the present and from social
class, gender and racial vantage points, and the crucial relationship between gender roles and
"appropriate" sexual behavior as shaped by cultures and societies across time. It should be
emphasized that while the series is not defined by feminist and gay scholarship alone, it
nonetheless has as its goal the publication of the best research now being published in those
areas. The University of Chicago Press and the Series Editor believe that this book series will
prove to be one of the most exciting and innovative projects underway, and we believe that the
series will help shape this new field.
For additional information about the book series or to submit manuscripts and book proposals,
contact the series editor, Professor John C. Fout, Department of History, Bard
College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504, (914) 758-7543. The editor urges
scholars to submit either manuscripts in their entirety or substantial sections of a manuscript
with supporting table of contents and summary statement about the purpose and scope of the
proposed project, a timetable for its completion, and a Curriculum Vitae. Completed essay
collections will also be conSidered, or detailed proposals, including names of contributors, essay
titles, and descriptions of proposed essays.
11
Special Issue: Lesbian and Gay History (Journal of the History of Sexuality)
The Journal of the History of Sexuality announces a special issue on lesbian and gay history to
be published in Volume 4, Number 1 (July 1993). In the first two volumes of JHS many
substantial articles concerned with homosexuality were published and the Journal emerged as
an important forum for scholars working in the field of gay studies. To further this important
scholarly research JHS wants to bring together in one issue scholarship from authors working
in history and the other social sciences (especially sociology, anthropology, and political
science), the humanities, including the history of art, film history, classics, religion,
philosophy, literature, and history of science. This special issue is expected to cover many
facets in gay and lesbian history from the ancient world to contemporary society from a crosscultural perspective.
Articles should be 30 to 50 pages, double-spaced, including endnotes (7,500-12,500 words).
All submissions must be received by June 30, 1992. Thus deadline allows for the
essays to be reviewed in our usual fashion (by two expert scholars in the field), to be revised if
necessary, and to be edited for publication. Essays not included in the special issue may be
accepted for publication in subsequent issues. As with past special issues of JHS, it is possible
that the essays may be published as a separate anthology by the University of Chicago Press.
For more information about the special issue, or to submit manuscripts, contact the
Editor, Professor John C. Fout, Department of History, Bard College,
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504, (914) 758-7543.
Texten auf der Spur; Attention all Creatiye Writers
"Texten auf der Spur - Auf den Spuren von Scheherazade"
Liebe Autorinnen,
wir suchen Texte. Einige unter Ihnen wissen schon, worum es geht, haben schon Texte
zugesagt oder geschrieben. Andere werden hier das erste Mal angeschrieben.
"Texten auf der Spur - Auf den Spuren von Scheherazade" ist unser Arbeitstitel. Ober
diese Erzahlerin heiBt es in den Geschichten aus 1001 Nacht:
"Nun hatte der Wesir zwei Tochter, beide schOn, anmutig, entzOckend und von
eben rna Big em Wuchs, der Namen der alteren war Scheherazade, der der jOngeren
Dinarzade. Die altere hatte viele BOcher und Chroniken, die
Lebesbeschreibungen der frOheren Konige und die Geschichte der vergangenen
Volker gelesen; es wird auch berichtet, daB sie 1000 BOcher von den Chroniken,
die sich mit den vergangenen Volkern und verstorbenen Konigen befaBten, und die
Dichter gesammelt hatte."
Haben wir das nicht auch getan, die vie len BOcher und Chroniken gelesen und
gesammelt? Was aber hat sie damit angefangen? Sie hat 1001 Nacht erzahlt, urn einen
Macho - man kann ihn getrost so nennen, den Konig Schahijar, den Stadtfreund (so sein
Name) - zum Menschen zu machen.
In den Geschichten aus 1001 Nacht vereinen sich Legende und Bericht, Marchen und
Chronik, Anekdote und Gedicht, und wie mit tausendundeiner Zunge stellt Scheherazade
vor ihren Herrscher eine Welt, die voll von Zauber und Schrecken ist, die aber nicht in
der Hand einzelner Herrscher, sondern in der Hand Allahs liegt. Die Schopfung ist
groBer als ihre Nutzer.
Unsere Idee, Texte zu sammeln, entstand wahrend des Golfkriegs. "Die Waffen
schweigen ... Wir wollen erzahlen - was der Krieg in unserem Alltag, unseren
Vorstellungen und unseren Traumen hinterlassen und in Gang gesetzt hat. Wir wollen
sammeln - und vielleicht kommen dann annahrend 1001 Nachte zusammen." Das waren
12
die Auftaktsatze der ersten Einladung dazu im Marz 1991. Nun wollen wir ein Buch
herausgeben Ober den Zustand der Welt - wir wOnschen uns Texte Ober Grenzen,
Ausgrenzung, Gewalt, auch die allU\gliche, Ober UnterdrOckung, Ober BrOche, Risse,
Kluften im Leben, in der Familie, der Stadt, der Welt. Die Texte mOssen also keineswegs
diesen Krieg, nicht einmal Oberhaupt einen Krieg zum Thema haben.
Wir erbitten Texte bis zum: 31. Mai 1992 an eine der unteren Adressen.
"Texten auf der Spur" ist auch eine Veranstaltungsreihe. Von Oktober bis Dezember
1991 lasen 13 Autorinnen in der IiteraturWERKstatt Pankow und in der Begine, einem
Frauenkulturzentrum in Berlin. Wir wollen bis Juni 1992 zwOlf weitere
Doppellesungen in Berlin durchfOhren.
Hoffentlich haben wir nun Ihr Interesse geweckt und Ihnen vielleicht sogar eine
Anregung gegeben. Wir wOrden uns sehr freuen, von Ihnen zu Mren. FOr
Obersetzungen ins Deutsche sorgen wir. Es wird ein anteilger Seitenhonorar gezahlt.
Herzliche GrOBe,
Brigitte Struzyk
Wolfshagener Str. 56
o - Berlin 1100
Anja Tuckermann
Erdmannstr. 13
W - 1000 Berlin 62
13
ANNOUNCEMENTS
ACAMEMIC POSITIONS:
One year replacement position in German at Bucknell University, with the possibility of
one or two additonal years, beginning in the fall of 1992.
We are looking for someone to teach German language courses at all levels to
undergraduate and, possibly, advanced level courses in German in literature and culture.
The person should have the following qualifications:
(1) native or near-native German;
(2) success in teaching language courses, preferably using the communicative
approach;
3) Ph.D. in hand or near completion.
We are also looking for someone who has a background in Women's Studies and Cultural
Studies and would be able to teach advanced courses in German in these areas.
Please encourage candidates to send us immediately:
(1) a letter of candidacy;
(2) a current dossier (including letters of reference);
(3) a statement on teaching philosophy.
Because of the late date, we will make our decision as soon as possible. Therefore,
applications will be considered as they are received.
Bucknell University especially encourages applications from women and minority
groups.
Marianna M. Archambault, Chair
Department of Modern Languages
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837
(717)524-1353
UPCOMING CONFERENCES:
AATG 1992 in Baden-Baden and Strasbourg: The Third European Meeting in AATG's 66
Years (July 19 - 22, 1992); Theme: Deutsch in europaischen Kontexten.
Three forums:
I.
Along the Cultural Faultline--zu einer Kulturpadagogik des
Fremdsprachenunterrichts with Gisela Baumgratz-Gangl, Universite de Paris; Claire
Kramsch, University of California, Berkleley; and Bernd MOller-Jacquier, Universitat
Bayreuth (Sunday, July 19, 7:30-8:45 p.m.)
II.
Aktueller Stand und Tendenzen in der SprachlehrlLernforschung und ihre
Implikationen fOr den DaF-UnterriC/7t with Wolfgang Butzkamm, RheinischWestfalische Technische Hochschuli3':-Hans-Eberhard Peipho, Justus-Liebig Universitat,
GieBen; and Renate Schulz, University of Arizona (Monday, July 20, 5:00-6:15 p.m.)
III.
Cultural Politics - speakers to be announced (Tuesday, July 21, 5:00-6:15
p.m.)
14
Oicherlesyngen: Elisabeth Borchers, Frankfurt (Sunday evening, July 19); and Erica
Pedretti and Hugo Loetscher, Switzerland (Monday evening, July 20)
Luncheons: Monday, July 20: Awards Luncheon with speaker to be announced; Tuesday,
July 21: Luncheon with speaker Prof. Dr. Eberhard Lammert, Freie Universitat Berlin
BanQyet and Dinner-Dance: Tuesday, July 21, 7:00 - ? Join your friends and colleagues
in celebrating AATG's 1992 meeting at this gala affair.. Music for listening and dancing
will highlight the festivities. The cost of $45.00 includes a banquet dinner and dancing.
Six Half-Day Post-Conference Workshops: Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23.
For further details:
MID
112 Haddentown Court #1 04
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Women's International Studies Europe (W.I.S.E.) will hold its general assembly on 2425 June 1992 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Address: Women's International Studies
Europe (W.J.S.E.), drs. Margit van der Steen, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS-Utrecht, The
Netherlands. Tel: +31 30 531881. FAX: +31 30 531619.
"The Besponsibility of Intellectuals" University of Chicago, April 30-May 3
American and German writers, academics and intellectuals will discuss the relation of
state security services (the Stasi) and intellectuals in the former GOB. For a program
with detailed information, please contact:
Goethe Institute of Chicago
401 North Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Tel 312-329-0915
Fax 312-329-2487
"The Minnesota Forum on German Cylture: Be-forming the Pyblic Sphere in Germany"
Inaugural Meeting May 8-9, 1992 University of Minnesota
Sessions include: Writing as Public and Private ... ; The Public Sphere in the GOB:
Past and Present; Public Spaces/Places; Marginal Groups and the Public Sphere; and a
film and discussion with Helke Sander.
For more information contact:
Prof. Jack Zipes
German Dept. 231 Folwell Hail
Univ. of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel:
612-625-2080
I
i
~;
15
Contact Addresses for Women Studies Centers in Germany
Zentraleinrichtung zur FOrderung von Frauenstudien und Frauenforschung, KOnigenLuise-Str. 34, 1000 Berlin 33 (Tel.: 030 1 838 6254 oder 838 3378)
Koordinationsstelle fOr Frauenstudien/Frauenforschung UniversiUlt Hamburg,
Allendeplatz 1, 2000 Hamburg 13 (Tel.: 040 1 4123-5966 und 41234227)
frauenbibliothek & dokumentattionszentrum, frauenforschung, Kaiserstr. 8, 6600
SaarbrOcken (Tel.: 0681 1 93 633 - 23, 24, 29) Offnungszeiten: Montag
bis Mittwoch: 9-17 Uhr, Donnerstag: 9-20 Uhr, Freitag: 9-12 Uhr.
Excerpt from a letter that appeared in Frauen in der Literaturwissenschaft
(Hamburg), Dec. 1991, from Dr. Gabriele Jahnert, Director of ZIF (Zentrum
interdiziplinare Frauenforschung), Humboldt University, Berlin:
Liebe Frauen,
wir mOchten uns an dieser Stelle ganz herzlich fOr die zahlreichen Solidarisierungen
von Wissenschaftlerinnen der ZE Frauenstudien/Frauenforschung [Freie Universitat,
Berlin] und des ganzen Landes mit dem ZiF der Humboldt-Universitat bedanken und
denken, daB die Offentlichen Proteste wesentlich zum Erhalt dieser Einrichtung
beigetragen haben. Nach monatelangem Ringen und groBer Unsicherheit scheint der
Bestand des ZiF - zunachst fOr 1 1/2 Jahre - gesichert.... Die bereits fOr den 1.5.
ausgeschriebene Stelle der GeschaftsfOhrerin konnte erst nach vielen Interventionen am
1.8. mit Dr. Gabriele Jahnert, einer Germanistin, neu besetzt werden (Befristet bis
31.3.1993).
Subscriptions I Memberships
NEW JOURNALS
Zaunreiterin- Eine unabhangige feministische Stimme aus der (Ex)-DDR
Zaunreiterin erschien als Reaktion auf den effektiven AusschluB von Frauen und
Frauenperspektiven aus der mittlerweile ramponierten und korrumpierten
Untergrundszene der DDR. Anstatt weiterhin als Gehilfinnen, Zulieferinnen und
ZuhOrerinnen mannlicher Wortexperimentatoren zu fungieren, nahmen die sechs
GrOnderinnen die Chance wahr, im Herbst 1989 im Selbstverlag ihre eigene Zeitschrift
zu grOnden. Seit Januar 1990 erscheint Zaunreiterin mehr oder weniger regelmassig.
Zusammensetzung der Redaktion und Redaktionskonzept haben sich mittlerweile einige
Male verandert; die anfangliche Aufgabe, Ober Frauen direkt betreffende politische und
rechtliche Veranderungen im Rahmen der deutschen Vereinigung zu informieren und
Ost-Leserinnen mit ihnen bis dahin vorenthaltenen feministischen Texten aus dem
Westen zu konfrontieren, ist mittlerweile dem Ziel gewichen, einen Ort des
Erfahrungsaustausches und der Kommunikation fOr Frauen anzubieten. Seit Nr. 3 haben
aile Hefte einen thematischen Schwerpunkt. Bisher erschienen "Ehe im aus?,"
"Kinderland ist abgebrannt," und "Frauen mensch sucht Menschenfrau." Wer sich fOr
Ansichtsexemplar(e) und/oder Abo interessiert, schreibt bitte an:
Verlag Zaunreiterin
Tschaikowskistr. 5
70 10 Leipzig
16
Direkte Oberweisung von OM 40 auf folgendes Konto garantiert ein Jahresabo inklusive
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BLZ 8607000
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Script:
Frau - Literatur - Wissenschaft im alpen-adriatischen Raum
Script soli in erster Linie dem Informationsaustausch unter literaturwissenschaftlich
arbeitenden Frauen dienen. Dabei versteht sich Script nicht nur als Forum far
Literaturwissenschaftlerinnen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum. Mit der Einbeziehung
der Regionen Friaul-Julisch-Venetien und Siowenien soli eine grenzOberschreitende
Wirkung erzielt werden (eine Ausweitung auf den osteuropaischen Raum ware durchaus
denkbar). Die O-Nummer von Script wird im Dezember 1991 erscheinen. Der
Themenschwerpunkt dieses ersten Heftes sind "Stadtebilder". RedaktionsschluB der 0Nummer: Mitte Oktober. Postadresse: Postfach 15, 9022 Klagenfurt, Tel.:
0463/57785.
RENEWAUNEW SUBSCRIPTION FORM
Frauen in der Literaturwissenschaft (Hamburg)
Rundbrief Abonnement fOr 1992
_ _ Hiermit mochte ich mein Abonnement des viermal jahrliche erscheinenden
Rundbriefes "Frauen in der Literaturwissenschaft" erneuern - Adressenanderung!
_ _ Hiermit mochte ich den viermal jahrlich erscheinenden Rundbrief
abonnieren!
Name:
Adresse: ______________________________________________ _
Teleton
Ich habe den Betrag von __ (OM 20,-- fOr Studentinnen und Arbeitslose, OM 40,-und mehr fOr Berufstatige) auf das Konto: Renate Berger, Stichwort "Rundbrief",
Hamburger Sparkasse, BLZ: 200 505 50, Kontonr.: 1238 / 446 577 Oberwiesen.
(U ntersch rift)
17
CONFERENCE REPORTS
MLA Session:
"Writing on the Wall"
"Writing on the Wall" at the MLA: A Report on WIG's session on German Unification
Katie Faull (Bucknell University)
It was truly standing, sitting, Iying-on-floor-room only in WIG's session on
German unification. Although there had already been a number of sessions on the same
theme that day, the conference room in the San Fransisco Marriott soon filled up for the
feminist view of things. Our speakers' topics ranged from the depiction of the GDR as a
woman in the western press to the politiCS of abortion, the re-establishment of the old
patriarchal order, and the ideological uses of the wall (and not just the physical one).
For those of you who couldn't make the conference, here are the abstracts. Thank you to
everyone for making this such a successful and thought-provoking panel.
"The Feminization of the German Democratic Republic in Political Cartoons 1989-90"
Susan Morrison (Brown University)
From the voices demonstrating for unification of the two Germanies, one could
hear "Deutschland-einig Vaterland" [Germany One Fatherland] and "Wiedervereinigung
jetzt" ["Reunification Now"]. Meanwhile the AIDS-Hilfe campaign played off of the
latter slogan and suggested: "Wider Vereinigung ohne Kondom" - "Against union without
a condom. But who in this peaceful revolution was to wear the condom? The official
line by the Eastern government constructed the West as the dangerous bearer of drugs
and AIDS. To protect the East, the West has to wear the prophylactic. That means that
the West is male. There was indeed a gendering of the political situation existing
between East and West Germany in the press. Recent political cartoons which
anthropomorphize the GDR and FRG fulfill a semiotic code of gendering which trains its
readers to expect a female GDR and a male FRG. The GDR is naturalized as a woman, a
phenomenon which carries numerous political implications.
The first set of cartoons shown in this talk come from the West German press and
deal with various political watersheds immediately following the opening of the Wall,
such as the attempts made by West German parties to adopt "sister" parties, the issue of
the GDR's allegiance (NATO or the Warsaw pact), and fears of the Third World that it
will be ignored during the revitalization of East Germany. As unification approached, a
second wave of cartoons and headlines appeared which explicitly played with the
metaphor of marriage. This play with the marriage metaphor became increasingly
popular as unification approached and appeared in the West German, American and
British press. Once the couple weds, the problem of offspring arises. Two basic tactics
are presented which deal with the "children" of East and West Germany. There exist both
the worry of how to feed the children as well as concerns by political neighbors.
In this series, the majority of cartoons depicting a female GDR as hideous or
physically unfeminine come from the American or British press, not the West German
press. Communism is ugly, these cartoons tell us, and therefore the eradication of the
political system is even more justifiable. The depiction of East Germany as a woman
only occurs in contrast to a male West Germany. In cartoons which deal strictly with
inner-East German concerns and not Ost-Westpolitjk, the East Geman figures are
limited to men. More surprising than the Western press's depiction of the East as a
woman is the depiction of the GDR as female in the GDR press itself.
II
18
There exist two major differences between the cartoons from the Eastern press
and those from the Western. Those from the Western press show East GermanylBerlin
smiling. In those from the Eastern press, however, the female East is shown looking on
in dismay. She is figured as passive, as though the situation is out of her control already
and she is unable to change or resist it. The cartoons from the Eastern press are also the
only cartoons to show the breasts of the East and depict the women in highly charged
sexualized positions. The sexual positions seem to make the Eastern female even more
vulnerable to Western male advances.
Those cartoons with marriage partners of East-West are grounded in the ideology
of unification -- FRG and GOR are one nation and should become so. Other cartoons have
a sexual element not of marriage but of balance -- east is female, west is male -- and
they embrace or shake hands, promising political coitus in the future. The cartoonists'
utilization of male-female signifiers naturalizes the political ideology of unification.
But why is the east consistently female and the west consistently male? The East
economically plays a role not unlike that of the woman in a patriarchal society. Just as
women are traditionally paid less money for the same work, East Germany is seen as the
site of cheaply made goods and workers. The East is available as a new field for
investment--a good way to reproduce the D-Mark is to penetrate the East bloc.
However, the artistic depictions of East Germany as female reinforce and reflect the
sense among pro-unification forces that the East was naturally dependent on the West in
a hierarchical relationship paralleling the traditional patriarchal dynamics between
men and women.
Feminist discourse has exposed the role ot the "other" played by women. The GOR
is likewise depicted as "other" in these cartoons. The "other" is doomed to definition and
marginalization only in terms of the "dominant" Just as women have traditionally given
up their names and autonomy to men, so too the GOR gave up its identity when it wedded
West Germany.
Political cartoons teach us how to read. In this case, we learn how to read or
interpret a country through the repetition of gendered figures. Political domination is
reflected in the common semiotic of gender domination. The genderfication in these
cartoons is predicated on both the normalization and naturalization of the unification of
Germany. Within this symbolic system, the loss of independence for the GOR was
inevitable. While the West German press depicts the communist party alone as
unattractive, Anglo-American cartoons tend to personify the GOR altogether as ugly or
hideous. In contrast, the GOR press shows the most seductive and sexualized
representations. The GOR depicts itself as an attractive deal for the FRG to be involved
with, whereas the Western press literally figures the new partnership as one
presenting warty problems. I supsect that the uglier the depiction of the personified
GOR, the more acceptable it seems to be rid of this "other" country. If the GOR is
depicted as the weaker "other", which its former citizens will remain for an
indeterminate period of time in real economic terms, will they not continue to be seen as
"other" to "original" West Germans? And what impact will that have on inner German
bedroom politics?
"The Hand Writing on the Wall"
Dorothy Rosenberg (Smith College)
The Berlin Wall itself has disappeared, dismantled and sold to collectors around the
world. Its physical reality has been replaced by a sense of disjuncture, the moment of
reflection that crossing the border demanded now pushed aside in a carnival of
speculation.
For most Westerners, the Berlin wall provided the romantic frisson of the
black-and-white spy film, a pleasantly concrete symbol of the easy division of good and
19
evil. It also represented the end of the known world. The Western hand that wrote on the
Wall rarely went beyond it. For the East, it represented an experience of one's own
inability to actually change the conditions of life dictated by higher powers, a visual sign
of the limits, but also a reliable scapegoat, comforting in its all-encompassing and
uncomplaining guilt.
The Wall began as a highly successful economic device for both sides and
continued to be quite good for business. Culturally, of course, something else was
happening, for the Wall stopped the flow of people in both directions. The fall of the
Berlin Wall doesn't mean that the East Germans have been joyously welcomed into the
Western fold. The fact that the Berlin Wall was originally built to keep people in,
rather than out, did not prevent those on the Western side from quickly coming to
appreciate its utility as a barrier, as the current panic fear of unhindered Eastern
European migration clearly evidences. The Wall is alive and well, it has simply
reassumed its true form relieved of its Cold-War burdens.
Both the SPD and CDU are now openly courting the xenophobic vote in the
shadow-boxing over whether to change the constitution or merely speed up the
proceSSing of asylum seekers out of the country. None of these politicians mention that
alongside its liberal asylum law, the Federal Republic has no immigration policy,
making naturalization and the attainment of the rights of citizenship for "guest
workers", rather than simple residency, nearly unattainable.
The no-longer-extant Wall itself will continue to be used for contemporary
political and ideological purposes as its history is written and rewritten. The real
problem for the united Germany is whether it can survive without it or whether it will
erect new walls -- of concrete, barbed wire, exclusionary laws or prejudices -- to
keep others out. If Germany can survive only in ethnic isolation, it is truly doomed in
the modern world. where the international flow of capital is inevitably accompanied by
the international flow of people.
It is too early to say whether the Eastern Hordes of the German imagination will
acually materialize. On the other hand. what may look like a horde to the German
imagination may be only normal· migrational patterns in the absence of artificial
barriers. The East Germans are not the only ones reluctant to part with their familiar
wall paper in the face of historic changes going on in the world around them. As Michael
Gorbachev pointed out to Erich Honecker on October 7, 1989, life punishes those who
come too late.
"The Politics of Choice: Women, Literature, and Abortion in the GDR"
Katharina von Ankum (Scripps College)
Since 1972 the GDR had one of the most liberal legislations on abortion in
Europe. Officially, the law that guaranteed women the right to interrupt a pregnancy
during the first three months was presented as a logical step in achieving complete
economic and social equality for women under socialism. In my paper I argue that the
law was rather part of a steady process of positive discrimination against women, an
effort to assure that family business would remain women's business and men be
relieved of all economic and moral responsibility for household and children.
The recently published volume of interviews Abbruch- Tabbu (1990) by
Gabriele Grafenhorst and the first issues of the feminist magazine ypsilon demonstrate
the need for public discussion of the politics of abortion in the GOA, which left women
faced with a difficult moral choice without support or public forum. Until 1989, the
prevailing patriarchal structure of GDR society had kept the issue of abortion out of the
media. Like other problematic social issues, abortion could only be discussed in the
context of fiction.
20
The protagonists of Maja Wiens Traumgrenzen (1983), Helga KOnigsdorfs
"Unterbrechung," and Monika Helmecke's "Kloptzeichen" all suffer from their legal
right to choose that has been perverted into social pressure to avoid motherhood and
consequently female self-determination. Pregnancy is experienced as a creative force
by which women can change their lives, an opportunity to love and be loved which they
give up together with their unborn children. This "mystification of femininity" which is
expressed through the emphasis on pregnancy and motherhood as almost exclusive ways
of female self-expression, as well as the way in which men are written out of their
responsibility for procreation and family, demonstrates to what extent the authors have
been coopted by the system. While they take up a vital and controversial issue like
abortion, thereby voicing a serious critique of GOR society, they do not anticipate a
feminist perspective on the subject. In the context of the history of abortion legislation
in the GOR, these fictional texts illustrate how social pOlicy and propaganda in the GOR
convinced many women of equality while keeping them in their traditional place.
"Wie die altdeutschen Herren ein Land neu verteilten: Die Geschichte der deutschen
(Wieder?)-Vereinigung als Herrengeschichte"
Sabine Wilke (Univ. of Washington)
Wer die Geschehnisse der letzten achtzehn Monate vor und nach der Vereinigung
der beiden deutschen Staaten am 3.0ktober 1990 in einen verstandlichen Rahmen
bringen will, sieht sich trotz der immer klarer werdenden Marschrichtung hin auf eine
zwei-Klassen-Gesellschaft in erster Linie einer Menge von Fragen gegenOber. Nichts
wird mehr so sein, wie es war und Die Geschjchte ist offen sind einschlagige Beispiele
von Buchtiteln, die diese Tendenz spiegeln. Aber in einem Punkt kennen wir ganz sicher
sein: daB es sich bei den Ereignissen urn die deutsche (Wieder?)-Vereinigung urn die
systematische Anwendung der patriarchalen Herrengeschichte auf aile Ebenen des
tag lichen Lebens handelt, steht meiner Meinung nach auBer Frage. Oabei werden schon
errungene Positionen im Emanzipationskampf der Frau urn rechtliche, politische,
soziale und kulturelle Gleichstellung (Ost wie West) unterhOhlt und die Neuverteilung
der Machtpositionen unter Mannern sichergestellt.
Bei der Umorganisierung der Gesellchaft der ehemaligen DDR in ein Teil der
neuen Bundesrepublik, die ja auch auf eine konsequente Gleichschaltung aller Bereiche
hinauslauft, haben feministische Belange keinerlei Chance. Ich versuchte in meinem
Vortrag zu zeigen, wie die Perspektive der Frau auf die Probleme von Frauen innerhalb
der Debatten urn die deutsche Vereinigung nicht nur in rechtlichen und politischen
Dokumenten wie dem Einheitsvertrag, sondern auf allen Gebieten und durch die gesamte
Parteienlandschaft hindurch, niedergemacht wurde. Dabei bin ich so vorgegangen, daB
ich sowohl die eindeutig patriarch ale Ausrichtung des oben beschriebenen politischen
Prozesses an Hand der Analyse von Reden, offiziellen Dokumenten etc. charakterisierte,
als auch--und hier liegt die Provokation meines Ansatzes--die fragile
Revolutionsbewegung, reprasentiert durch Gruppen wie das "Neues Forum",
"Demokratie Jetzt", "BOndnis 90" and andere BOrgerinneninitiativen, der
Komplizenschaft an diesem frauenfeindlichen Diskurs OberfOhre.
Dank eines grOBerwerdenden historischen Abstands zu der sogenannten
"friedlichen Revolution" im Herbst 89 und den rasch darauf folgenden, sich
OberstOrzenden Ereignissen kennen wir jetzt kritischer urteilen, als das noch vor
wenigen Monaten mOglich gewesen ist. Ich begreife jetzt die Entwicklung dieser
revolutionstragenden BOrgerinnenbewegungen in der DDR in der Zeit von September 89
("Behlener Plattform" und GrOndungsaufruf des Neuen Forum "Aufbruch 89--Neues
Forum") bis zur vorgezogenen Volkskammerwahl am 18.Marz 90 als eine Entwicklung
in Richtung auf eine Verfestigung herkemmlicher politischer Strukturen, die das
21
ursprOnglich vorhandene Innovationspotential der offenen Foren, in denen sich auch
verstarkt Frauen auBerten und Frauenbelange diskutiert wurden, erstickten. Als
Beispiel dafOr sei nur die Streichung der Forderung nach Quotierung fOr Frauen in allen
gesellschaftlichen Positionen genannt, die das Neue Forum in der Hektik der
Wahlpropaganda beschloB. Dabei blieb ein ganz wesentliches politisches Prinzip des
Programms, namlich das Streben nach paratatischer Gleichstellung in einer nichthierarchisch organisierten Gesellschaft, auf der Strecke.
Der systematische AusschluB der feministischen Perspektive aus allen
politischen Diskussionen bei der Bildung einer neuen Gesellschaft stellt die
Frauenbewegung vor neue Aufgaben, die den Ausbau neuer solidarischer Beziehungen
verlangt.
MLA Session:
"Historical Narratives by Women"
"Literary Legerdemain: Benedikte Naubert's Strategies for Rewriting Patriarchal
Narratives"
Shawn Jarvis (St. Cloud State)
In my paper, I explored the strategies Benedikte Naubert used to distinguish her writing
from the dominant male tradition and to problematize gender. These strategies included
maintaining her anonymity to appear to be a man and appropriating traditionally male
discourses (historical writing) and genres (the historical novel). I discussed two of the
stories in her collection Yelleda. Ein Zauberroman to examine how Naubert used the
strategy of appropriation from the dominant male tradition; the texts are an amalgam of
historical novel and Erl(jsungsmarchen - the medieval redemption fairy tale, in which a
hero (usually male) sets out to rescue a captive damsel. I suggested that this blurring of
generic boundaries was in keeping with Naubert's agenda to point out the inability of
either the historical or the fairy tale narrative to reflect female experience and to
create a new model. The paper also questions whether Naubert's strategies were
successful. They have not succeeded in securing her a place in the canon: she, along with
entire generations of women writers, has fallen into obscurity. Perhaps if her strategy
of maintaining a male persona had been more successful, her work would be judged
seminal and not derivative. Naubert did, however, inscribe herself into literary
history; her works indeed constituted part of the dominant literary discourse for over a
century after her death. I also suggested that if Naubert's strategies for distinguishing
her writings from dominant male tradition and for problematizing gender had been less
successful, her works might also have made their way into the mainstream of dominant
tradition. As it is, we can only speculate on the reasons they were rejected by that same
tradition. If we read many of her works for what they are, namely nascent female
Bildungsromane, we begin to get an inkling of why they have been consigned to the realm
of Trivialliteratur. Naubert's texts like "Voadicea and Velleda" and "Der Riesentanz"
anticipate a whole series of later female-authored texts, even to a certain extent the socalled "great novels" by women whom Gilbert and Gubar made so important in Ib.e.
Madwoman in the Attic. For the characters in Gilbert and Gubar's study, "growing up
female requires vigilant de mystification of an enigmatic, male-dominated world." For
Naubert's Velleda, and others of her female characters, especially in the fairy tales,
growing up female requires vigilant attention to the mysteries of female experience healing, soothsaying, herbal magic, community - the very things that the patriarchal
system has denigrated, feared, and even persecuted for centuries. What could be more
trivial to canonical literary history and more significant to us?
22
"Law, Gender, and Complicity: Helga Schubert's Judasfrauen"
Marie-Luise Gaettens, MLA 92
Helga Schubert's Judasfrauen retraces a largely unexamined aspect of women's history
- their collaboration and/or complicity with National Socialism and (by implication)
with GDR Socialism. Schubert's book presents ten cases of women who informed for the
Gestapo and whose victims were subsequently executed. The ten cases are reconstructed
out of trial documents - National Socialist as well as post-war documents. It is thus not
only the re-constructed act of informing that takes place within a specific context of the
law (even if we consider this law completely illegal) but also the re-construction itself.
Drawing on Foucault, particularly his notion of disciplines, I examined how this
relationship to the law plays itself out in Schubert's text and how the text en-genders
the female historical subject in her specific relationship to law and power.
National Network of Women's Caucuses:
Curriculum Transformation and the Current Backlash
The National Council for Research on Women sponsored the second Biennial Meeting of
the National Network of Women's Caucuses and Committees in the Professional
Associations (NNWC) in Washington, D.C., February 22-24, 1991. Fifty
representatives of caucuses, committees, networks, and organizations within or
affiliated with the academic diSCiplines and professional associations in the United States
attended. There was one participant from Great Britain.
Elizabeth Kamarck Minnich keynoted the session. Author of Transforming
Knowledge, member of the Society for the Study of Women Philosophers and professor at
the Union Institute, Minnich discussed the current status of the movement toward a more
inclusive curriculum. Once feminist scholarship introduced the concept of diversity and
"created tangle where there was dangerous neatness," Minnich said, the movement
encountered backlash. As changes in the curriculum challenged the canon or threatened
to move from margin to center, conservative hostility increased, so that scholars who
could accept Black Studies as a fad, for example, could not tolerate the idea of an Afrocentric curriculum.
Ironically, Minnich noted, demands for "political correctness" currently
receiving extensive coverage in the national media generally represent white male
complaints about being silenced and reveal their fears about the disintegration of the
neatly ordered "knowledge base" of Western thought universalized to pertain to all
cultures. This controversy, she pointed out, exemplifies an illogical "reversal" of the
kind she dissected in Transforming Knowledge. Where "political correctness" had been
used by insiders as a "healthy reminder that there is always inconsistency between
theory and practice" and that theoretical concepts can obscure important and interesting
differences between people, the use of "political correctness" has now been labeled the
"new fascism of the left" to serve as an indictment against curriculum transformation.
This sort of uninformed ridicule from people who have not read the feminist literature
of the past twenty years is the "academic equivalent of violence," intended to make us
ridiculous so they need not talk to us. But it is also, Minnich contended, a sure sign of
the success of the feminist movement: "if we weren't so successful, they wouldn't be
craving our death through wit." Still, she acknowledged, "the charges are dangerous
because these are dangerous times" and because "if we are the women who wanted things
to change, we didn't want to change enough." Now is the time, Minnich said, to talk
through our problems, to discuss visions, set priorities, speak out clearly and do
activist news releases to become educators of the wider community.
23
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24
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
WiG Members
Kord, Susanne. Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen. Deutschsprachige Dramatikerinnen im
18. und 19. Jahrhundert. Stuttgart: Metzler, 1992.
Susanne Kords Arbeit zeigt erstaunliche Ergebnisse: die Existenz von Ober 300
deutschsprachigen Dramatikerinnen und ca. 2000 Dramen. Die meisten dieser
Autorinnen sind heute unbekannt; viele waren es immer. Zwei Drittel der
ermittelten Autorinnen benutzten ein Pseudonym. Diese Tatsache veneitet noch
heute zu der Annahme, vor dem 20. Jahrhundert habe es nur wenige oder gar
keine Dramatikerinnen gegeben. Dieser Annahme setzt Kords Buch eine imposante
Auswahl aus der reichhaltigen dramatischen Produktion deutschsprachiger
Autorinnen des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts entgegen. Innerhalb der wichtigsten
Genres werden Werke von 50 Autorinnen interpretiert. Bezugspunkt war dabei
nicht die bekannte Literaturgeschichte als Modell, sondern der Kontext des
zeitgenOssischen Theaters und der sozialen Bedingungen, unter denen Frauen
schrieben und verOffentlichten. Biographische Informationen zu den 50
Autorinnen, deren Werke vorgestellt werden, und ein umfassendes Verzeichnis
der ermittelten Dramenautorinnen (mit ausfOhrlichen Angaben zur Person, den
Werken und ihren Bibliotheksstandorten) mach en diesen Band zu einem
unentbehrlichen Nachschlagewerk.
Lasker-SchOler, Else: Werke, Lyrik, Prosa, Dramatisches. Hg., mit einem Nachwort,
Anmerkungen und Zeittafel von Sigrid Bauschinger. MOnchen/ZOrich: Artemis
und Winkler, 1991.
Martin, Biddy. Woman and Modernity. The (Ufe)Styles of Lou Andreas-Salome. Ithaca
and London: Cornell University Press, 1992.
Martin's analysis points to the constraints that result from institutionalized
gender hierarchies, assumptions of gender polarity, and compulsory
heterosexuality and poses challenging questions concerning the extent to which
Salome and other "marginal" figures may come to represent repressed
contradictions of self-critiques of major literary and philosophical movements.
Streese, Konstance. "Cricr - "Crac/"Vier literarische Versuche, mit dem K%nialismus
umzugehen. Bern, Frankfurt 1M., New York, Paris, 1991.
Kolonialismuskritsiche Literatur hat es weniger mit dem kulturell "Anderen" als
mit dem "anderen Eigenen" zu tun, wenn der koloniale Zusammenhang als Produkt
der eigenen Kultur so genau und kritisch betrachtet wird, daB er selbst die
Deutlichkeit des "Fremden" annimmt. Solches kann sich als nOtzlich erweisen
bei der AuflOsung hegemonistischer Sichtweisen. Wie we it dies in vier
narrativen Texten von Dieter KOhn, Uwe Timm, Hans Christoph Buch und
Henrike Leonhardt aus der Zeit von 1974-1987 angelegt ist, wird hier auch im
Zusammenhang mit frOheren imperialismuskritischen literarischen Arbeiten
und im Kontext der AuBenpolitik der BRD dieser Jahre diskutiert. Aus dem
Inhalt: Zur Kolonialismuskritik in narrativen Texten von KOhn, Timm, Buch und
Leonhardt: "Manichaische" Dichotomien - Die Sprache der "Anderen" - Deja-Vu
als historische Grunderfahrung vom Kolonialismus Ober den Imperialismus in
den Neo-Kolonialismus - Diskursive Auslassuungen und korrektive
Wiedereinschreibungen.
25
Tatlock, Lynne (Hrsg.) Transgression in Early Modern German LiteraturelVariationen
zur Literatur im Umbruch. Amsterdam/Atlanta: Rodopi, 1991.
Welter, Nik. Lene Frank. Lehrerinnendrama in vier AufzOgen. Studienausgabe.
Eingeleitet und kommentiert von Germaine Goetzinger. Luxemburg: Editions du
Centre d'etudes de la litterature luxembourgeoise, 1990.
Wurst, Karin A. (Hrsg.). Frauen und Drama am Ausgang des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts.
Wien: BOhlau Verlag, 1991.
Der Band stellt sechs Dramatikerinnen und ihre Werke in ihrem
sozialhistorischen Kontext vor. Die StOcke sind neu abgedruckt und mit kurzen
biographischen Skizzen zu den jeweilgen Dramatikerinnen versehen. Die
Einleitung untersucht die verschiedenen Diskurse, die auf die dramatische
Produktion der Frauen am Ende des achtzehnten Jahrhunderts EinfluB haben.
Die von rechtlicher und Okonomischer Abhangigkeit gezeichnete Situation der
Frau, ihre Position in der Familie, ihr Mangel an einer "Berufs"tatigkeit, ihr
AusschluB von formaler Bildung und von der literarischen dramatischen
Tradition, die spezifische Rezeption ihrer Werke sowie die zeitgenOssische
Hierarchie der Gattungen mit ihren jeweiligen Merkmalen haben EinfluB auf die
Wahl der Gattung, auf die Publikumsmodi und auf die formale und inhaltliche
Eigenart der hier vorgestellten Werke: Christiane Karoline Schlegel, Duval und
Charmille (1778) - Sophie Albrecht, Theresgen (1786) - Marianne Ehrmann,
Leichtsinn und gutes Herz - Elisa von der Recke, Entwicklungen auf dem
Maskenbal/e (1794) - Wilhelmine von Gersdorf, Die Zwillingsschwestern oder
die Verschiedenhait des GlOcks (1797) - Elise BOrger, Adelheit von Teck
(1799).
Other Publications of Interest
Bossinade, Johanna. Das Beispiel Antigone. Textsemiotische Untersuchungen zur
PrSsentation der Frauenfigur. Von Sophokles bis Ingeborg Bachmann. Wien:
BOhlau Verlag, 1990.
Chvojka, Erhard. GroBmOtter. Wien: BOhlau Verlag, 1992.
Cole, Helena. The History of Women in Germany from Medieval Times to the Present:
Bibliography of English-Language Publications. Reference Guides of the German
Historical Institute, Washington, D.C.,· No.3. German Historical Institute, 1990.
Dolling, Irene: Der Mensch und sein Weib. Geschichtliche UrsprOnge und Perspektiven.
Berlin: Dietz,1991.
Duda, Sibylle/Luise F. Pusch: Wahnsinnsfrauen. Biographische Portrl1ts. Ffm:
Suhrkamp, 1991.
Fietze, Katharina. Spiegel der Vernunft. Theorien zum Menschsein der Frau in der
Anthropologie des 15. Jahrhunderts. Paderborn: SchOningh, 1991.
Fischer-Seidel, Therese (Hrsg.). Frauen und Frauendarstellung in der englischen und
amerikanischen Literatur, TObingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1991.
FrauenVideoKatalog. Videofilme von Frauen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum.
Zusammengestellt von Karin Bruns und Claudia Richarz. Hamburg: FrauenAnstiftung E.V., 1991.
"Mit dem FRAUENVIDEOKATALOG soli Frauentruppen, -seminaren und
interessierten Einzelfrauen eine InformationsbroschOre in die Hand gegeben
werden, mit deren Hilfe Bander zu bestimmten Themen ausgewahlt werden
kOnnen. Das Verzeichnis enthalt auf 417 Seiten Ober 400 Kurzbeschreibungen
mit Verleihadressen, geordnet nach Themen von "Abenteuer" bis "Werbung" und
26
Register der Regisseurinnen und der Videos. In dem Aufsatz "Elektronische
Einschreibungen" stellen K. Bruns und C. Richarz, beide seit Jahren mit dem
Metier Film vertraut, die Entwicklung des Mediums "Video" im alternativen
Bereich dar. Der FrauenVideoKatalog kann bezogen werden Ober die FrauenAnstlftung, ElmsbiiUler Str. 53, 2000 Hamburg 50, Tel.: 040/43
15 95." (From Frauen in der Literaturwissenschaft, September 1991)
Frischmuth, Barbara: Traum der Literatur--Literatur des Traums. Munchner Poetik
Vorlesungen. Salzburg: Residenz Verlag, 1991.
Georgen, Theresa, Ines Lindner, and Silke Radenhausen, Hg., ulch bin nicht ich, wenn ich
sehe" Dialoge--Ilsthetische Praxis in Kunst und Wissenschaft von Frauen.
Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1991.
Grabher, Gudrun M. and Maureen Devine (eds.). Women in Search of Literary Space.
TObingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1991.
Gunther, Susanne/Helga Kotthoff (Hrsg.): Von fremden Stimmen. Weibliches und
mllnnliches Sprechen im Kulturvergleich. Gender Studies. FrankfurVM:
Suhrkamp, 1991.
Hahn, Barbara: Unter falschem Namen. Von der schwierigen Autorschaft der Frauen.
Gender Studies. FrankfurVM: Suhrkamp, 1991.
Hering, Sabinel Gudrun Maierhof: Die unpllBliche Frau. Sozialgeschichte der
Menstruation und Hygene 1860-1985. Pfaffenweiler: Centaurus, 1991.
Koonz, Claudia: M()tter im Vaterland. Frauen im Dritten Reich. Aus dem Amerik., von
Cornelia Holfelder--von der Tann. Freiburg: Kore Verlag, 1991. (Not new, but
the German intro. is new and the quotes are in the original Germani)
Marti, Madeleine: Hinterlegte Botschaften. Die Darstellung lesbischer Frauen in der
deutschsprachigen Literatur seit 1945. Stuttgart: M&P, Verlag fOr
Wissenschaft und Forschung, 1991.
Morgner, Irmtraud. Der Schone und das Tier. Eine Liebesgeschichte. FrankfurVM:
Luchterhand, 1991.
Mudry, Anna (Hrsg.): Gute Nacht, du Schone. Autorinnen blicken zOruck. FrankfurtlM:
Luchterhand, 1991.
Pelz, Annegret. Reisen durch die eigene Fremde. ReiseJiteratur von Frauen als
autogeographische Schriften. Wien: BOhlau Verlag, 1991.
Prokop, Ulrike. Die Illusion vom GroBen Paar. Band 1: Weibliche LebensentwOrfe im
deutschen BildungsbOrgertum 1750-1770. Band 2: Das Tagebuch der Cornelia
Goethe. FrankfurVM: Fischer Taschenbuch, 1991.
Scholz, ROdiger. Verleumdung von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Zensur. Der Fall Dyck,
Jens und Ueding. Freiburg, 1991.
Das Schreiben der Frauen in Osterreich seit 1950. Walter Buchebner Literaturobjekt.
BOhlau Verlag, 1991.
Aus dem Inhalt: Christibne Schmidjell: "Geh ohne Mantel und vergiB, was deine
Heimat war": Hertha Kraftner und die Generation 'Junger Autorinnen' nach 1945
- Regula Venske: "Schriftstellerin mit der Seele eines Mobelpackers": Marlen
Haushofer - Andrea Stoll: Erinnerungen als Moment des Widerstandes im Werk
Ingeborg Bachmanns - Elisabeth Schlebrugge: Zur Schreibarbeit Friedericke
MayrOckers - Sigrid Schmid-Bortenschlager: Der Ort der Sprache. Zu lise
Aichinger- Konstanze Fliedl: Natur und Kunst. Zu neueren Texten Elfriede
Jelineks - Christa Gurtler: Die Bewegung des Schreibens. Annaherungen an
neuere Texte osterreichischer Autorinnen.
Weigel, Sigrid, (Hrsg.). Leib-und Bildraum. LektOren nach Benjamin. Koln, Weimar,
Wien: Bohlau, 1991. .
Wen kOmmert's, wer spricht. Zur Literatur und Kulturgeschichte von Frauen aus Ost
und West. Dokumentation eines Symposiums im April 1989 mit Beitragen von
Wissenschaftlerinnen aus der DDR, BRD, CSFR und den USA. Herausgegeben von
Inge Stephan, Sigrid Weigel, and Kerstin Wilhelms, Wien: Bohlau Verlag, 1991.
27
Erstmalig konnten im April 1989 bei einem Symposium an der Universitat
Hamburg siebzehn Wissenschaftlerinnen aus der damaligen DDR, aus Polen und
aus der CSFR mit fOnfzehn Wissenschaftlerinnen aus der BRD, den USA und aus
GroBbritannien in einer freundschaftlichen Atmosphare ihre Arbeitsprojekte
und Forschungsvorhaben austauschen. Vorgestellt wurden exemplarische
Untersuchungen zur Literatur von Frauen vom 18. Jahrhundert bis zur
Gegenwart sowie zur Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte der Geschlechterverh~Utnisse
und Weiblichkeitsmuster.
Der Tagungsband bietet einen reprasentativen Ausschnitt aus den vorgetragenen
Referaten und gibt zugleich einen hervorragenden Oberblick Ober den Stand der
Frauenforschung in Ost und West. Inhaltliche und methodische
BerOhrungspunkte gibt es in den Untersuchungen von Weiblichkeitsmustern und
der Literatur von Frauen, Unterschiede dagegen fallen vor allem im Bereich der
theoretischen Orientierung auf. Hier zeichnet sich eine Vielstimmigkeit ab, die
Hoffnungen far die Zukunft gibt.
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28
BOOK REVIEWS
Marlen Haushofer The Wall, trans. by Shaun Whiteside. Pittsburgh: Cleis Press, 1991.
Those of us who want to integrate more Austrian literature into our literature in
translation courses and women's studies courses will heartily welcome the recent
translation of Marlen Haushofer's Die Wand. With the exception of a few Britishisms
which may disturb the reader, the translation reads very smoothly. The author was
born on April 11, 1920, the daughter of a forester who ran a small farm with his wife.
She began publishing after World War II and wrote short stories, novellas, and several
novels until her death in 1970 of bone cancer.
Imbued with a sense of female isolation in a masculinist world, her works depict
a society in which women and men have become increasingly estranged. In The Wall,
Haushofer considers the deadly concequences of the gender-based alienation. Originally
published in 1963 at the height of the Cold War, two years after the completion of the
Berlin Wall, Haushofer's The Wall is a desperate appeal to reason, which the author
equates with love. On vacation in the mountains, the unnamed narrator awakens one day
to find herself cut off from the world by an invisible wall. On the other side of the wall
all living beings have been turned to stone. The narrator believes herself to be the lone
survivor of a catastrophe she assumes to be work of one of the super-powers.
With her novel, Haushofer powerfully indicts a society in which human potential
is perverted, politiCS are dominated by men, and loving is considered a liability. In the
world before the wall, the protagonist was confined by prescribed roles. In her new
universe, the narrator finds it necessary to be flexible in order to survive, and she
discovers that her previous limitations were artificial. During the two-and-a-half
years since the wall has closed her out, she undergoes a gradual shedding of the layers of
projected personality acquired through socialization. However, Haushofer undermines
to some extent her own critique of a society perverted by gender-role socialization with
an essentialist interpretion of certain personality traits. In numerous works, the
author basically views women as being driven by an innate urge to preserve life: men,
on the other hand, appear to be driven to destroy. Women's "drive" stems from their
biological potential to bear children.
At a time when many of advances women have struggled for are in danger,
Haushofer's novel will surely inspire much discussion.
Jackie Vansant, Miami Univerity (Oxford Ohio)
Stephan, Inge, and Sigrid Weigel, eds., Die Marseillaise der Weiber: Frauen, die
Franzosische Revolution und ihre Rezeption. Hamburg: Argument, 1989.
The title,"Die Marseillaise der Weiber," a reference to Heiner MOiler's
"Marseillaise der Leiber," prepares the reader for many of the thematic concerns to
follow in this volume. The "Marseillaise," of course, refers to the French Revolution,
which, on the occasion of its bicentennial, provides the framework for this project.
"Weiber" indicates the specific feminist perspective of the editors, who argue that the
role of women in the French Revolution has been grossly marginalized in traditional
historiography. On one level, that marginalization can be seen in the blatant exclusion of
French women from the "Rights of Man"; on another, it is apparent in the way
historians have assessed! neglected to assess the actual role played by women during the
1790's; and on yet another level, it may be observed in the allegorical representation of
women in the art or literature of revolutions. Finally, the allusion to MOiler's
"Marseillaise der Leiber," which mayor may not be familiar to most readers but which
29
is mentioned in the introduction, establishes a connection to the reception of the French
Revolution in contemporary literature (Weiss, H. MOiler). Der Au/trag, from which
this quote is taken, also deconstructs the relationship between revolutions, sexuality,
and white male privilege.
The volume, edited by Inge Stephan and Sigrid Weigel, contains eight essays on
various aspects of the French Revolution and its reception in the 19th and 20th
centuries. Half of the articles deal exclusively with literary texts, two provide portraits
of French women connected with the revolution (Olympe de Gougesl Germaine de Stael,
Claire Demar), and two trace the iconography of women! revolution in art (and
literature). Thus the scope of the volume is interdisciplinary, with its primary focus on
art and literature. Half of the contributions are restricted to the period 1789-1830,
two concentrate on the mid-19th century, and two examine the legacy of the French
Revolution in the present. Most essays are written in German with one, by Eleni Varikas
on Claire Demar, in English. Illustrations are provided for the two essays on the
transformation of visual images of women: e.g. on the changes in the depiction of
"Liberte" between 1789 and 1830 (Monika Wagner) and on the metamorphoses of the
Charlotte Corday-figure from the 18th century to the present (Inge Stephan).
Although only these two essays deal specifically with the graphic representation of
women, the images of women/revolution created by both women and men playa central
role throughout the volume. In a somewhat daring generalization, the editors present the
French Revolution, and specifically de Gouges' "Declaration of the Rights of Women"
(1791), as the point of origin of all subsequent women's liberation movements or
emancipatory writing. They argue that powerful new, self-created images were
generated by the French women's experience, upon which later generations of German
women drew when re-examining the relationship between the sexes. At the core of this
emancipatory impulse was a redefinition of women's sexuality, their access to power and
personal involvement with violence! death, and a rejection of the restraints imposed
upon them by aristocratic tradition and bourgeois morals. The French Revolution,
dominated by men, had unleashed a sexual and gender revolution. In reaction to this,
there was a concerted effort by male artists! authors to relegate female revolutionaries
to largely symbolic functions or allegorical roles within the historical process.
Although the male efforts at containment were, on the whole, effective, resulting in the
repression of sexuality and violence and and the imposition of a strict moral and judicial
code, the revolutionaryl emancipatory impulse would erupt from time to time in the
course of the 19th and 20th centuries. While the interrelationship of violence,
sexuality, and revolution may have changed, many writers continue[d] to use the female
body as a vehicle for depicting the revolutionary process.
The individual essays elaborate on specific aspects of these general themes, with
some focusing on the female and others on the male perspective. There is no clear-cut
division along gender lines, however, as is demonstrated by Stephan in the case of
Gertrude Kolmar or Sibylle Knauss, by Rachel McNicholl1 Kerstin Wilhelms in the case
of Fanny Lewald, or by Helga Meise in the case of Sophie von LaRoche. Other examples
used to illustrate German women's espousal of revolutionary ideals are surprising in the
extent of their radical views, as shown by Dagmar von Hoff in certain dramas of Karoline
von GOnderode and Christine Westphalen, Meise in Therese Hubers Familie Se/dort, or
McNicholl/Wilhelms in novels by women written around 1848. As Sigrid Weigel points
out in her thought-provoking analysiS of the "revolution dramas" of BOchner and
Heiner MOiler, one can also register an ambiguity in male writers who attempt to
deconstruct the (white male) discourse on revolution, sexuality, and the primacy of the
word. Stephan alludes to a similar phenomenon in the case of Peter Weiss.
Taken as a whole, the eight essays shed new light on the role of women in the French
Revolution and the relationship between the reception of revolution and sexuality/the
female body. Some of these essays (Ruth Henry, Varikas)provide information on French
women of the revolution; some (Meise, von Hoff, McNicholl/Wilhelms) introduce
30
(lesser-known) German women writers in a new context; some (Wagner, Stephan)
change the way the reader will view familiar icons such as Delacroix's "28th of July"
or David's "Marat"; and an essay like Weigel's "'Theater der weil3en Revolution':
KOrper und Verkorperung im Revolutionstheater von H. MOiler und G. BOchner" will
serve as a catalyst for re-examining a whole variety of texts that have little to do with
the French Revolution, but much to do with "KOrperIVerkOrperung" in political texts.
After reading a recent MLA Newsletter, in which concern was voiced as to the
'mortality' of books printed on acidic paper, I was struck by the thought that so much of
the most valuable feminist criticism in the field of German literature has been edited by
Stephan and Weigel in these very accessible, yet very 'mortal' Argument paperbacks.
These volumes are prime candidates for disintegration. With other paperback
publications, there is at least a backup hardcover edition meant for libraries and
posterity, but these collections on feminist criticism only exist in their current,
vulnerable form. I tried to imagine the late twenty-first century, in which there might
be no trace of these paperbacks. The experience might be akin to what some of us
experience today trying to locate women's texts from the 18th or early 19th century: we
know they existed because of catalogues or reviews, but they have either disappeared or
exist only in isolated copies too brittle to microfilm. Have we spent the past twenty
years reclaiming lost literature by women only to condemn our critical efforts to the
same fate? Wouldn't it be worthwhile for the editors Stephan and Weigel to consider
having their series reprinted in a more durable edition. Just thinking of the loss of such
a valuable resource is painful; imagine if we had to experience it.
Susan L CocaJis, University of Massachusetts/Amherst
PERSONALS
Liz Mittman has received a Mellon post-doc at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Lisa Roetzel has accepted a poSition as Assistant Professor of German at Eastman School
of Music - University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.
The Coalition of Women In German, an allied organization of the MLA, invites
students, teachers, and all others interested in feminism and German studies to submit
relevant material to the newsletter. Subscription and memb~rship information is on the
last page of this issue.
Women In German Steering Committee:
Linda Feldman, U. of Western Ontario (1991-1994)
Anna Kuhn, UC-Davis (1991-1994) .
Ursula Mahlendorf, UC-Santa Barbara (1990-93)
Leslie Morris, Bard College (1990-93)
Karen Remmler, Mt. Holyoke (1989-92)
Dorothy Rosenberg, Northampton, MA (1988-91)
•
Treasurer: Jeanette Clausen, Iu/PU-Ft. Wayne
Yearbook: Jeanette Clausen and Sara Friedrichsmeyer, U. of Cincinnati
The Women In German Newsletter is published three times each year. Deadlines
for submissions are as follows: March 1; July 1; November 15. Send newsletter items
to Julie Klassen, Newsletter Coordinator at:
'
Women in German
Dept. of German and Russian
Carleton College
Northfield, MN 55057-4001
(507) 663-4249
Contact person in Austria:
Jan Murray
Eberpromenade 9
A-2325 Himberg
Austria
Tel. (02235) 88419
Editorial Staff: Martina Anderson, Lisa Delano, Angelica Fenner, Beth Kautz, Liz
Mittman, Isolde MOiler, Lisa Roetzel, Karen Storz, Helga Thorson, Christine White
Graphics by Lisa Roetzel
Printed on recycled paper by Westside Printing, Northfield, MN.
1. Ingeborg Bachmann 2. Vicki Baum 3. Sigrid Damm 4. Ingeborg Drewitz 5.
Mereluise FleiBer 6. Barbara Frischmuth 7. Ricarda Huch 8. Sara Kirsch 9.
Maria Luise Kaschnitz 10. Irmgard Keun 11. Helga Konigsdorf 12. Angela
Kraus 13. Else Lasker-SchOler 14. Irmtraud Morgner 15. Luise Rinser 16.
Rose Auslander 17. Margot Schroeder 18. Helene Stocker 19. Helga SchOtz
20. Gerdi Tetzner 21.Grete Weil 22. Gabriele Wohmann 23.Christa Wolf 24.
Bettine von Arnim 25. Hedwig Dohm 26. Irmgard Keun 27. Annette von
Droste-HOlshof 28. Dorothea Schlegel 29. Luise Otto 30. Sophie la Roche
31. Karoline von Wolzogen 32. lise Aichinger 33.Therese Huber 34. Sophie
la Roche 35.Sophie Mereau 36.Eugenie Marlitt 37. Benedikte Naubert 38.
Gisela von Arnim 39. Christiane Karoline Schlegel 40. Sophie Albrecht 41.
Marianne Ehrmann 42. Elisa von der Recke 43. Wilhelmine von Gersdorf 44.
Else BOrger 45. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach 46. Elizabeth Langgasser 47.
Inge Seidel 48. Helke Sander 49. Karin Struck 50. Gabriele Reuter 51. Vicki
55. Isolde
Baum 52. Anna Seghers 53. Helene Bohlau 54. Nelly Sachs
Kurz 56. Ida Grafin Hahn-Hahn 57. Emma Herwegh 58. Marie Luise
Kaschnitz 59. Joe Lederer 60. Louise von Plonnies 61. Anna CroissantRust 62. Elisabeth Langgasser 63. Elfriede Jelinek 64. Rahel Sanzara 65.
Christine Lavant 66. Anna Seghers 67. Gabriele Wohmann 68. Barbara
Frischmuth 69. Uli Korber 70. Irmtraud Morgner 71. Helga Konigsdorf 72.
Monika Maron 73. Brigitte Reimann 74. Daniela Dahn 75. Eva Strittmatter
76. Elke Erb 77. Helga SchOtz 78. Helga Schubert 79. Christine Wolter 80.
Maria Seidemann 81. Angela Stachowa 82. Verena Stefan 83. Anna Duden
84. Birgit Pausch 85. Mechtild von Magdeburg 86. Hildegard von Bingen
~.
WIG
Department of German and Russian
Carleton College
1 N. College St.
Northfield, MN 55057
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