Examines the lure of mountains in German literature, philosophy, film, music, and culture from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. Mountains have always stirred the human imagination, playing a crucial role in the cultural evolution of peoples around the globe and becoming infused with meaning in the process. Beyond their geographical-geological significance,mountains affect the topography of the mind, whether as objects of peril or attraction, of spiritual enlightenment or existential fulfillment, of philosophical contemplation or aesthetic inspiration. This volume challenges the oversimplified assumption that human interaction with mountains is a distinctly modern development, one that began with the empowerment of the individual in the wake of Enlightenment rationalism and Romantic subjectivity. These essays by European and North American scholars examine the lure of mountains in German literature, philosophy, film, music, and culture from the Middle Ages to the present, with a focus on the interaction between humans and the alpineenvironment. The contributors consider mountains not as mere symbolic tropes or literary metaphors, but as constituting a tangible reality that informs the experiences and ideas of writers, naturalists, philosophers, filmmakers,and composers. Overall, this volume seeks to provide multiple answers to questions regarding the cultural significance of mountains as well as the physical practice of climbing them. Contributors: Peter Arnds, Olaf Berwald, Albrecht Classen, Roger Cook, Scott Denham, Sean Franzel, Christof Hamann, Harald Hoebusch, Dan Hooley, Peter Hoeyng, Sean Ireton, Oliver Lubrich, Anthony Ozturk, Caroline Schaumann, Heather I. Sullivan, Johannes Turk, Sabine Wilke, Wilfried Wilms. Sean Ireton is Associate Professor of German at the University of Missouri. Caroline Schaumann is Associate Professor of German Studies at Emory University.

About the Author
SEAN IRETON is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of German and Russian at the University of Missouri. CAROLINE SCHAUMANN is Professor and Chairperson of German Studies at Emory College, GA. ALBRECHT CLASSEN is University Distinguished Professor of German Studies at the University of Arizona; he received the title of Grand Knight Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Three Lions in 2017, in recognition of his outstanding service to German studies. CAROLINE SCHAUMANN is Professor and Chairperson of German Studies at Emory College, GA. OLAF BERWALD is Department Chair of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and Professor of German at Middle Tennessee State University. PETER HOEYNG is Professor of German at Emory University. SEAN FRANZEL is Associate Professor of German at the University of Missouri-Columbia, MO. SEAN IRETON is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of German and Russian at the University of Missouri.

Reviews
[E]xcellent coverage of the part played by mountaineering and its representations in the recuperation of German self-esteem post-1918, and into the evolution of the Bergfilm after 1945. . . . What makes mountain space so interesting from the point of view of the imagination -- one of many insights available here -- are the ways in which time can be figured in it . . . . [A] collection whose historical depth and breadth of reference make it a resource for scholars of the spatial imagination. * FORUM FOR MODERN LANGUAGE STUDIES *
[A]n invaluable and intellectually lively contribution to a growing international scholarship on the cultural significance of mountains. * ECOZON *
[T]urns what could have been a tired exercise in Toposforschung into an absorbing and insightful investigation of geology, history, and culture. . . . Overall, reading this book is in many respects just like climbing a mountain: . . . because, in the end, one can look back and contemplate a magnificent view. * JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN STUDIES *
[Gives] extensive, insightful treatment to shifting discursive, cultural, and political valences of mountains in the German imagination. . . . [T]he range of the collection is quite broad. Nonetheless, the . . . essays on poetry, film, literature, and music address a set of related questions. . . . [T]o be praised not only for being the first to treat the cultural meaning of mountains so extensively, but also for tracing their meanings in such variety and depth. . . . Recommended. * CHOICE *
[A]n impressive high mountain tour that as it goes on opens vistas on not-yet-climbed routes. * GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW *
An excellent example of a variety of approaches in interdisciplinary environmental humanities, the volume presents an informative and critical addition to the study of nature representation in German culture . . . . * WOMEN IN GERMAN NEWSLETTER *



Book Information
ISBN 9781571139870
Author Professor Sean M. Ireton
Format Paperback
Page Count 406
Imprint Camden House Inc
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g