Dimensions of Bildung in the Novels Eine Jüdische Mutter, Nach Mitternacht, and Kindheitsmuster
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DIMENSIONS OF BILDUNG IN THE NOVELS EINE JÜDISCHE MUTTER, NACH MITTERNACHT, AND KINDHEITSMUSTER by GORSHARN GLORY TOOR B.A., The University of British Columbia, 1993 M.A., Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, 2000 A THESIS SUBMITTED INPARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Germanic Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2012 © Gorsharn Glory Toor, 2012 Abstract In my dissertation I analyze the three novels Eine jüdische Mutter by Gertrud Kolmar, Nach Mitternacht by Irmgard Keun, and Kindheitsmuster by Christa Wolf within the paradigm of the genre of the female Bildungsroman and female anti-Bildungsroman. Ideas of belonging to an imagined community, perceived gender norms, and the power of the state play a critical role in determining the outcome of the protagonists’ Bildung, as does the status of the female protagonist. The theories of Benedict Anderson, Judith Butler and Giorigo Agamben provide a useful theoretical framework for this analysis. In Eine jüdische Mutter, set during the Weimar Republic Martha Wolg is deemed an outsider because of refusal to adhere to certain gender norms and her Jewish identity. She is unable to find a compromise with her society because she refuses to incorporate her experiences into her Bildung. In contrast, Sanna Moder does incorporate her experience in Nach Mitternacht, but goes into exile because she does not want to belong to a society in the Third Reich. In Kindheitsmuster, set in the Third Reich and the German Democratic Republic, the protagonist Nelly Jordan is an accepted member of the imagined German community, but she too faces difficulty in her Bildung. The outcome of my research shows how racism, sexism, narrowly defined gender norms, and the type of political state have a profound impact on the Bildung of the protagonists. ii Preface Parts of chapter three have been published. “Re-Imagining Daily Life in Third Reich: Irmgard Keun’s Nach Mitternacht.” Culture as Text, Text as Culture. Ed. Elodie Lafitte, Christina Wall and Mary Cobb Wittrock. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010. iii Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... v Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Goals.................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 History of the Genre of the Bildungsroman ........................................................................ 3 1.3 Method and Critical Framework ....................................................................................... 13 1.4 Structure of Dissertation ................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 2 Eine jüdische Mutter by Gertrud Kolmar: The Anti-Bildung of Martha ....... 35 2.1 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ................................................................ 35 2.2 Dissimilation of German Jews .......................................................................................... 43 2.3 Self-Isolation as Barrier to Bildung .................................................................................. 49 2.4 Martha Wolg’s Role as a Mother ...................................................................................... 56 2.5 Ambiguities of Racism ..................................................................................................... 63 2.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 71 Chapter 3 Nach Mitternacht by Irmgard Keun: A Process of De-evolution .................... 75 3.1 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ................................................................ 75 3.2 Fear-Induced Bildung........................................................................................................ 81 3.3 Gendering in the Third Reich ........................................................................................... 99 3.4 Impact of Nazi Racial Policy on Bildung ....................................................................... 110 3.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 114 Chapter 4 Kindheitsmuster by Christa Wolf: Bildung from a Position of Power........... 117 4.1 Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ............................................................. 117 4.2 Orchestration of Power .................................................................................................. 129 4.3 Bildung of the German Girl ........................................................................................... 141 4.4 Creating a Nazi Racial Identity ...................................................................................... 152 4.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 159 Chapter 5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 163 Works Cited ............................................................................................................................... 169 iv Acknowledgements I offer my gratitude to the faculty, staff and my fellow students at UBC, who have supported me in my work in German Literature. I want to thank Dr. Steven Taubeneck, Dr. Gaby Pailer, and Dr. Markus Hallensleben, whose questions and feedback have contributed to my understanding of the material. Special thanks to my family and friends who have supported me throughout my years of education. v Chapter One Introduction 1.1 Research Goals I examine three novels within the parameters of the genres of the female Bildungsroman and female anti-Bildungsroman: Eine jüdische Mutter by Gertrud Kolmar, Nach Mitternacht by Irmgard Keun and Kindheitsmuster by Christa Wolf. These novels are set in three different political states: the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the German Democratic Republic. The Bildung of the female protagonists will be analyzed to show the conflicts and partial resolutions some of the protagonists reach with their societies. My analysis will reveal that factors such as nationalism, racism and anti-Semitism play influential roles in the creation of self-identities of the protagonists, as do the socio-political settings of the novels. A close examination of these three novels sheds new light on the process of identity formation within particular socio-economic and political environments. I show that the Bildung of the female protagonists neither necessarily proceeds in a linear pattern nor even has a positive outcome. My analysis shows how the novel Eine jüdische Mutter can be read as a female anti-Bildungsroman because the protagonist is unable to find a compromise between her rigid belief system and her society. Nach Mitternacht has elements of being both a Bildungs- and anti-Bildungsroman with the protagonist choosing to reject her society. Kindheitsmuster can be read as a female Bildungsroman in that the female protagonist is able to achieve a compromise between her beliefs and her society. I chose these three novels because they demonstrate an evolution in the ideas of belonging and being an outsider from the Weimar Republic, to the Third Reich and finally to the German Democratic Republic from the point of view of female protagonists. Each novel has a protagonist with a very different status in their given societies. The main character of Eine 1 jüdische Mutter is a widowed Jewish mother who does not have any friends or family and is living in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. Martha Wolg alienates people through her aggressive behaviour and outsider status. Her self-development can be treated as a failure or anti- Bildung because she is unable to find a place for herself in her society, an idea which her suicide at the end of the novel reinforces. The protagonist of Nach Mitternacht, Sanna Moder, has more success than Martha Wolg in her self-development because she has a supportive circle of family and friends. She tries to remain apolitical, but this does not protect her or her boyfriend, Franz, from the oppression of the National Socialist regime. The Bildung of the character can be described as being successful because she incorporates her experiences into her self- development. Sanna Moder knows that her attempts to protect herself, such as remaining silent, will not protect her and her decision to go into exile reflects this understanding. With help from her stepbrother and sister-in-law, Sanna Moder acquires a passport and money to be able to flee, underscoring once again the support she has, which Martha Wolg did not have. The protagonist of Kindheitsmuster achieves the most positive outcome in her