FYS 1079 GERMAN ROMANTICISM'S LEGACY

What was German romanticism? Was it a free-spirited movement that encouraged the exploration of the human soul and the formation of a better world? Or was it a prelude to the totalitarian regimes and ideological battles that would be played out in more recent times? This class will attempt to answer these questions by looking at works of music and literature by such key figures as Beethoven, Goethe, Marx, Nietzsche, Wagner, and Robert and Clara Schumann. Short "field trips" to the present era will reveal the profound influence that these 19th-century writers and artists had on many continents. Through reading, listening, and multi-media assignments, students will emerge from the class more aware of the impact of the German Romantic era on our modern world.