University of Nevada, Reno German-Jewish Relations in the Works and Lives of German-Speaking Laureates of the Nobel Prize in Literature A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and the Honors Program by Megan J. Breen John C. Pettey, Ph.D., Thesis Advisor December, 2016 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA THE HONORS PROGRAM RENO We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by MEGAN JOANNA BREEN entitled German-Jewish Relations in the Works and Lives of German-Speaking Nobel Literature Laureates be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARTS ______________________________________________ John C. Pettey, Ph.D,, Thesis Advisor ______________________________________________ Tamara Valentine, Ph. D., Director, Honors Program December, 2016 i Abstract German-Jewish relations has been a widely studied field, often with the intent of understanding or explaining exactly why and how a modern state could have developed a system of mass genocide. While scholars tend to view the Judenfrage—a socially and politically charged debate about the place of Jews in European, especially German society—as an issue pertaining only to the years of National Socialism (1933-1945) and most common amongst less educated classes in Germany, in reality the “Jewish Question” spans centuries and pervaded even the upper-educated spheres of German-speaking societies. This thesis explores the development of German-Jewish relations in such academic societies from about 1880 to the present by examining the social, political, and personal influences of the “Jewish Question” in the lives and works of thirteen German-speaking laureates for the Nobel Prize in Literature. These laureates and their year of award include: Theodor Mommsen (1902), Rudolph Eucken (1908), Paul Heyse (1910), Gerhart Hauptmann (1912), Carl Spitteler (1919), Thomas Mann (1929), Hermann Hesse (1946), Nelly Sachs (1966), Heinrich Böll (1972), Elias Canetti (1981), Günter Grass (1999), Elfriede Jelinek (2004), Herta Müller (2009). ii Acknowledgments It is only fitting to write these acknowledgements on Thanksgiving weekend, because every time I see my family I realize again how much I have to be thankful for. Heidi, as my roommate you’ve had to hear about this thesis non-stop for the past year; thanks for putting up with me and keeping me sane. Grandma Rita, you were always so excited for me as I learned German and half the German books I have now are because of you. I’m so glad you can be here for my oral defense. Josh and Amanda, you guys keep my “inner nerd” in check most of the time, and I don’t know what I’d do without you. And lastly, Mom and Dad, thank you for reading Little House and Harry Potter with me every night before bed. You set me on the path of reading and learning and then stepped back to let me find my own way. Of course, this undertaking would not have been possible without the support of Dr. Pettey, who has been part of my education from my first day at the university to my last. You taught me a new language (which I am, of course, always still learning), and then introduced me to some of the greats of that language by sharing your crazy interest in Nobel laureates with me. I may be an English major, but looking back it is clear that German has left an indelible mark on my undergraduate career, and for that Dr. Pettey, I can only say danke. iii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................................... ii At a Glance: the German-Speaking Nobel Laureates in Literature .............................................................. v Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 The Nobel Prize for Literature .................................................................................................................. 1 A Brief History of Antisemitism ............................................................................................................... 4 Foundations of the Modern “Jewish Question” ........................................................................................ 7 Thesis Organization .................................................................................................................................. 8 Chapter I: Personal and Academic Politics of the Judenfrage .................................................................... 10 Theodor Mommsen: ................................................................................................................................ 10 The Treitschke-Mommsen Debate ....................................................................................................... 10 Mommsen’s Stance on Assimilation .................................................................................................... 19 Undertones of the Berliner Antisemitismusstreit ................................................................................ 21 Personal Stances on the Judenfrage ........................................................................................................ 22 Rudolf Eucken ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Carl Spitteler ....................................................................................................................................... 24 Paul Heyse .......................................................................................................................................... 25 Thomas Mann ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter II: Conscious Opportunism and Conscientious Objection ............................................................ 33 Gerhart Hauptmann ................................................................................................................................. 33 Gerhart Hauptmann as viewed by Hesse, Bӧll, Canetti .......................................................................... 44 Hermann Hesse ................................................................................................................................... 44 Heinrich Böll ....................................................................................................................................... 46 Elias Canetti ........................................................................................................................................ 50 Chapter III: German-Jewish Relations after the Holocaust ........................................................................ 53 Nelly Sachs ............................................................................................................................................. 53 Flight and Rescue ............................................................................................................................... 53 Eli: Ein Mysterienspiel vom Leiden Israels: ....................................................................................... 57 Other Perceptions of the Holocaust ........................................................................................................ 63 Elfriede Jelinek ................................................................................................................................... 63 Herta Müller ....................................................................................................................................... 67 iv Chapter 4: The Modern “Jewish Question” ................................................................................................ 71 Günter Grass and the modern “Jewish Question” ................................................................................... 71 Mission and Controversy .................................................................................................................... 71 Was Gesagt Werden Muss................................................................................................................... 74 The Future of the “Jewish Question” in Germany .................................................................................. 76 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................ 78 v At a Glance: the German-Speaking Nobel Laureates in Literature 1902 Theodor Mommsen (Germany) 1817-1903 the greatest living master of the art of historical writing, with special reference to his monumental work, A history of Rome Major Works: . Rӧmische Geschichte [A History of Rome] (1854-56): a three-volume survey of the history of the Roman Republic, still read and cited by historians today. Auch Ein Wort über unser Judenthum (1881): An essay published in response to a polemic against Jews published by Mommsen’s colleague, Heinrich von Treitschke. 1908 Rudolf Eucken (Germany) 1846-1926 in recognition of his earnest search for truth, his penetrating power of thought, his wide range of vision, and the warmth and strength