Suchergebnisse

The relative backwardness of eighteenth-century German literature and the presumed ambivalence of German writers towards political power have traditionally been explained by the lack of a copyright law in Germany, which meant that German writers, in contrast to their British contemporaries, were often financially dependent on the state. This paper argues that the differences between British and German writers in economic terms have been overstated. British copyright law did not in fact serve the interests of writers to the extent that has traditionally been supposed. In Germany and Britain the situation of writers was determined more by the underlying economics of the publishing trade, especially the high cost of book production, which enabled publishers to pursue monopolistic practices and tilted the tables in favour of publishers and against writers. This argument has further implications for our understanding of the politics of German literature in the late eighteenth century.

While it is well known that passages in Goethe's Egmont owe a debt to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the relationship between the two plays has not been examined systematically. Additional intertextual evidence makes it probable that Goethe referred to Julius Caesar while writing Egmont. The plays have a strikingly similar constellation of characters: the politically naive hero (Brutus and Egmont) contrasts with the brilliant schemer (Cassius and Oranien). Although the historical context of the two plays is very different, reading Egmont intertextually in this way sheds light on its peculiar politics and much-maligned anti-illusionistic ending.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Rings of Stee -- Chapter 2: A Champion In Town -- Chapter 3: The Attraction Of 'Fisti-Cuffs' -- Chapter 4: The Gloves Are On -- Chapter 5: Sheffield's First Contender -- Chapter 6: Prejudice, War And Poverty -- Chapter 7: Hitting Hard -- Chapter 8: Make Do And Mend -- Chapter 9: Punch-Drunk Humanity.

Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Guru And Genius -- Chapter 3: City Of Champions -- Chapter 4: Building On Success -- Chapter 5: Fixers And Makers -- Chapter 6: Legacy And Leverage -- Chapter 7: Decline And Revival -- Chapter 8: Conclusion: The Final Round.