208

GERMAN LITERATURE FROM 1880 TO THE PRESENT DAY

By W. F. MAINLAND

HE year under review has brought a modest number of T detailed studies on German writers of int~mational re­ pute. Among these Rilke seems to have received most attention. E. Kretschmar has followed up his dissertation with a more pretentious work which is particularly significant for its interpretation of the Sonette an Orpheus.1 The Stundenbuch has been made the subject of a separate study,2 and a very careful examination of Rilke's Michelangelo translations together with an account of Rilke's connexion with France have been com­ pleted by Helmut Wocke.3 Wocke gives due praise to Angelloz whose eagerly awaited biographical and critical study has justi­ fied a decade of preparation. 4 Particularly interesting is Angelloz's treatment of the importance of Rodin, and, as one might expect in a work by the translator of the Duineser Elegien, the section devoted to these will repay careful study. This is not denied even by Isler, who finds himself at variance with Angelloz on funda­ mental issues and states his views in a provocative article.s The elegies have inspired further investigations in Germany, notably that of Wolf,6 which will be found of some practical use, though it is mainly paraphrase, and the short but informative essay of O. Schafer; 7 the authoritative study, however, has been written

1 E. Kretschmar, Die Weisheit Rainer Maria Rilkes, Weimar, Bohlau, 1936. See also H. W. Bertallot 'Der Sinn des Orpheussymbols in Rilkes Sonetten WI Orpheus', DVLG, xv, I, 1937. 2 Ruth Movius, Rainer Maria Rilkes Stundenbuch. Entstehung und Gehalt, Leipzig, Insel, 1937. j H. Wocke, 'Rilkes Michelangelo-tJbertragungen', and 'Rilke und Frankreich', GRM, xxiv, 1936. . • J. F. Angelloz, Rainer Maria Rilke. L'evolution spirituelle du poete, Paris, Hartmann, 1936. See also Les Elegies de Duino traduites et commentees par y. F. Angelloz, Paris, Hartmann, 1936. 5 E. P. Isler, 'La structure des elegies de Duino de R.-M. Rilke', Langues _Uodernes, xxxv, 4, 1937· _ & W. Wolf, Rainer Maria Rilkes Duineser Elegien. Eine Textdeutung, Heidelberg, Winter, 1937. 7 O. Schafer, 'Die Duineser Elegien Rainer Maria Rilkes', GRM, xxiv, 1936. w. F. MAINLAND by H. Cammerer.8 Access to letters and other documents in the possession of Frau Wunderly-Volkart has rendered possible a valuable contribution to the biography of Rilke.9 More general studies and works on the motifs in Rilke's poetry are mentioned below.10 Again the number of studies on Stefan George has dwindled. An aesthetic investigation, revealing the exquisite coalescence of form and symbol in George's work, presented as a dissertation at Bonn in 1934, has at last been printed,11 and another short dissertation comes from Giessen.12 The difficult task of selecting poems for school use is undertaken by Hans Koch-Hennecke in ZDB,13 the editor of which promises an essay on fundamental aspects of George's work in the near future. Further essays appear, one in Stimmen der Zeit, and one published separately in Poland.14 A volume of Coleman's handy series of short bio­ graphies is devoted to Stefan George.15 Detailed study of various aspects of Gerhart Hauptmann's works has produced a number of useful essays. F. B. Wahr has followed up his article on Indipohdi with one on Hamlet in Wittenbergj16 F. J. Heuser gives a critical and up-to-date summary of works on Hauptmann,17 and S. D. Stirk draws upon

8 H. Ciimmerer, R. M. Rilkes Duineser Elegien. Deutung der Dichtung, Stuttgart, Metzler, 1937. 9 J. R. v. Salis, Rainer Maria Rilkes Schweizer Jahre, Leipzig, Huber, 1936. 10 V. Errante, La persona/ita di Rilke, Leipzig, Keller, 1937.-R. Woerner, 'Ober Rainer Maria l,Ulke', GRM, xxv, 3/4, 1936.-F. Klatt, Rainer Maria Rilke. Sein Auftrag in heu#ger Zeit, Berlin, Schneider, 1936.-J. Steiner, Rilkes Verhiiltnis zu seiner Zeit, Diss., Giessen, 1936.-H. v. Heukelum, Rahmen, das ist's! Studien zu $piiten Gedichten Rainer Maria Rilkes, Diss., Wurzburg, 1936.-Erna Kiillmer, Auffassung und Bedeutung des Todes im Werk Rainer Maria Rilkes, Diss., Miinster, 1937.-M. Kaubisch, Rainer Maria Rilke. Mystik und KUnstlertum, Dresden, Jess, 1936. 11 B. Blank, Stefan George. Symbolische deutsche Dichtung um 1900, Diss., Bonn, 1936. 12 O. Diehle, Stefan George und das Deutschtum, Diss., Giessen, 1936. 13 H. Koch-Hennecke, 'Verfallszeitalter und volkis::he Wiedergeburt in der Dichtung Stefan Georgea', ZBD, xiii, 3, 1937. 14 H. Schoemann, 'Stefan Georges "Vergottung" des Edelmenschen', Stimmen d. Zeit, lxvi, 6, 1936-H. Sternbach, Stefan George. Ein Versuch, Warsaw, Lwow, Ksi~garnia Lwowska, 1937. 15 B. v. Heiseler, Stefan George (Colemans Kleine Biographien, !xvii), Lubeck, Coleman, 1936. 16 F. B. Wahr, 'The Hauptmann Hamlet', PQ,xvi, 2, 1937;cf. F. B. Wahr, 'Indipohdi', GR, xi, 2, 1936. 17 F. W. J. Heuser, 'Stagea in Hauptmann Criticism', GR, xii, 2,1937

MLS