Older German Language and Literature

The research area deals with the German language and literature of the Middle Ages, from the earliest written records in Old High German to Renaissance humanism, from Carolingian parchment manuscripts to the printed Gutenberg Bible. In addition to early medieval spells and incantations, we analyse, for example, Arthurian novels, heroic epics, courtly Minnesang and late medieval prose novels.

After you have learnt about and understood the characteristics of the historical language levels during your studies, we will focus our text analysis on cultural-historical contexts: questions regarding the chivalric code of honour and violence are just as interesting as concepts of courtly love, magical fairy tales, crusades in literature or the persecution of witches in the late Middle Ages. We take into account the historical and political background as well as historical narratology, the history of emotions or the materiality of manuscripts and early prints.

Greifswald's field of Older German Language and Literature is an official partner chair of mittelalter.digital [de].

As a popular epoch, the Middle Ages have been booming for decades in films/series (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones), computer games, (fantasy) literature (including Harry Potter) and re-enactment (e.g. Viking markets). We take up this fascination and analyse the real-historical foundations of modern reception.

Methods based on literary theory are always flanked by fundamental research on an empirical basis. In order to open up practical and didactic perspectives and optimise your employability, we foster the inter(national) networking of Greifswald students and not only work in a transdisciplinary manner, but also integrate digital strategies into research and teaching.