This course explores the profound sense of foreboding and uncertainty that resonates in various works of German-language literature, painting, and film in the early twentieth century. In discussing pivotal figures such as Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, and Fritz Lang, the lectures also focus on intellectual forces—such as Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud—that influenced their work. The course also examines how various historical conditions—including rapid urbanization, the traumas of World War I, and the political instability of the Weimar Republic—contributed to the cultural innovations of artistic movements including Expressionism and New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit).

For more information and to register, visit Summer Art History Courses.

About the Instructor

Tim Coombs

Timothy Coombs is a Ph.D. candidate in Germanics at the University of Washington. He has taught German language, literature, philosophy, and film at the University of Washington, as well as English language in Germany, Chile, and Peru. He is currently writing his dissertation on Franz Kafka, Martin Heidegger, and Paul Celan.