The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum Essay -- essays research papers fc

Due Date 8th April 2005The Lost keep of Katharina BlumLong EssayQuestion 2Knowing about the writer of a literary text can shape significantly the way that it is read. Consider the effect of the writers context on your understanding of The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum.The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is the product of a political and social genius it is acomment on Germany and society in general and is, as its author, Heinrich Boll would wee it described, a pamphlet disguised as a novel . It was written, not just toentertain, hardly above all, to criticise the society in which it was produced. It is therefore unattainable to fully understand the major ideas and themes of the text, and even, to andextent, the storyline itself without some knowledge of the milieu in which it wascomposed. Being aware of the context in which The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum wasproduced intensifies the bear on of the major issues which it explores (notably thedetrimental effects of power abuse, lang uage abuse, and discrimination on the basis ofwealth and social standing) by forcing us to rethink the childish as yet widely held beliefthat a novel is merely a story and inviting us to read the this text not as a fairy tale, but asa excruciatingly honest commentary on humanity and modern social values.Heinrich Boll was born towards the end of the First World contend, and lived his childhood in its shadow. During this time he wrote many short stories with the background of economics and social consequences of the war. These reflected his experiences as a witness to Germanys defeat in World War One national humiliation, international debt due to the Treaty of Versailles, which also encompassed loss of land and foreign occupation, the political instability of the Weimar Republic, and the almost inevitable collapse of the German economy resulting in hyperinflation, unemployment and later, Great Depression of the 1930s. The shocking social, economic and political conditions in Germa ny eventually led to the rise of Hitler, Nazi Germany and later, to the Second World War. As a youth, Boll was conscripted into the army of the Third Rei... ...Vintage, capital of the United KingdomUsed for quotes and textual supportButler, Michael, (N.D.) The Conscience of a Nation Heinrich Boll, online, retrieved April 1, 2005, from www.writing.upenn.eduHelpful information on Bolls life and biography as a writerClass NotesUseful background information on West Germany and Bolls experiences with the police and pressCorin, Chris, Fiehn, Terry, Communist Russia under Lenin and Stalin (2002), John Murray Publishers Ltd, LondonBackground reading helpful information on communism and western attitudes towards its rise in RussiaInterwar Years Economic Recovery, Spark Notes Online Study Guide online, (2001), Retrieved April 3, 2005, from www.sparknotes.com adept brief overview of the years between the two World Wars background information, useful for filling in the gapsGermany (2003), Encyclopedia Britannica Online Reference Centre online, Retrieved March 30, 2005 through MLC instruct intranet.Information on Germany in the past and present interesting to see the positive comments made regarding freedom of the press