Document Type
Article
Publication Version
Version of Record
Publication Date
2014
Keywords
childhood, autobiographical novel, Mortiz, Reiser, gender
Abstract
During the latter part of the 18th century two German authors in particular showed great interest in the topic of childhood and how childhood experiences shaped their lives. Heinrich Jung-Stilling finished his autobiographical novel Heinrich Stillings Childhood and Youth in 1777, and Karl Philipp Moritz authored Anton Reiserbetween 1785-1790. The purpose of these narratives was not spectacular action or passionate love stories but pure observation of a human being—with particular attention to small details. The texts examined present, often contrary to their stated aims, a persistent picture of a childhood in which family constellations produce children who lack a fixed gender identity, a clear notion of sexuality, and find their identity in fantasy worlds.
Publication Title
International Journal of Languages and Literatures
Volume
2
Issue
2
Pages
10
Format
application/pdf
Language
en
Publisher
American Research Institute for Policy Development
Rights
Copyright © Eckhard Rolz. 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Recommended Citation
Rolz, Eckhard, "Engendering Childhood: The Autobiographical Novel in Eighteenth-Century German Literature" (2014). School of American and Global Studies Faculty Publications with a Focus on Modern Languages and Global Studies. 7.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/mlgs_pubs/7
Comments
This work was published in International Journal of Language and Literature, Vol. 2, Issue 2; (2014) 1-10.