The image of Germany and the Germans in Erica Jong’s "Fear of Flying " and Walter Abish’s "How German Is It "

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Images of Germany and the Germans in American Literature from the Late 19th to the End of the 20th Century.
• National Images and Stereotypes in Literature
• The Late 19th Century to the Turn of the 20th Century.
• The Country's Changing Image through World War I and II.
• Postwar Germany through the Late 1990's.
• The Depiction of Germany and the Germans in Walter Abish's How German Is It
• Displayed German Virtues and Characteristics.
• Obedience.
• Perfection and Thoroughness
• Cleanliness and Punctuality.
• The Love of Nature.
• The Country's Cultural Heritage and Past.
• A Nation of Poets and Thinkers'.
• Castles, Classical Music and Art.
• National Socialism and the Holocaust.
• The Image of the 'New Germany'.
• Brumholdstein and the People of the 'New Germany'
• Technology and Cars.
• Lifestyle and Food.
• The Depiction of Germany and the Germans in Erica Jong's Fear of Flying.
• Displayed German Virtues and Characteristics.
• Cleanliness.
• The German Woman
• Ugliness.
• The Country's Cultural Heritage and Past.
• 'Old Heidelberg'.
• Germany's Dark Past: National Socialism and the Holocaust.
• The Images of Postwar Germany.
• German 'Father Figures'
• The German Countryside
• Lifestyle and Food.
• The Quest for Identity in How German Is It and Fear of Flying.
• How German Is It: The Discovery of 'Germanness'?
• Fear of Flying: Finding One's Own Identity Abroad

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis examines the portrayal of Germany and the Germans in American literature from the late 19th to the end of the 20th century. It aims to understand how various images and stereotypes about Germany developed and were sustained in American literary works. The thesis focuses on two specific novels, Walter Abish's How German Is It (1980) and Erica Jong's Fear of Flying (1973), to analyze the representation of German identity and culture through the eyes of American authors. The chosen works are particularly interesting for their detailed exploration of German virtues, cultural heritage, and postwar Germany.

• The evolution of images and stereotypes of Germany in American literature.
• The influence of political relations and encounters with the 'Other' on the American perception of Germany.
• The portrayal of German virtues, characteristics, and cultural heritage in How German Is It and Fear of Flying.
• The depiction of postwar Germany in the two novels.
• The impact of confronting stereotypes on the protagonists' search for identity.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The thesis begins by examining the concept of national images and stereotypes in literature, defining key terms and providing a historical overview of perceptions of Germany in American literature from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century. This overview highlights the changing image of Germany in American literature, influenced by historical events and political relations.

Chapter two analyzes the portrayal of Germany in Walter Abish's How German Is It, focusing on the portrayal of German virtues such as obedience, perfection, cleanliness, and the love of nature, as well as Germany's cultural heritage and past. The chapter explores the book's depiction of postwar Germany, particularly through the portrayal of the 'New Germany' and its technology, lifestyle, and food.

Chapter three examines Erica Jong's Fear of Flying, analyzing the representation of Germany and the Germans through the lens of American female identity. It examines the portrayal of German virtues, including cleanliness and the stereotypical image of the German woman, and discusses the novel's exploration of Germany's dark past and its portrayal of postwar Germany.

The final chapter focuses on how the characters in both How German Is It and Fear of Flying confront the various stereotypes of Germany and question their own identities. The chapter explores how these confrontations with stereotypes lead to a search for personal identity within the German context.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of the thesis are: American literature, German identity, national image, stereotypes, How German Is It, Walter Abish, Fear of Flying, Erica Jong, postwar Germany, cultural heritage, virtues, characteristics, identity, and the 'Other'.