ABSTRACT

The canonical status and topicality of literary texts of the German Enlightenment are often cited as good reasons to teach these texts. In practice, however, the canonical status favours an uncritical approach to literature and leads to the omission of numerous sources that could serve to gain significant insights into the literary life of the time; and the postulate of topicality invites students to neglect the historical quality of the Enlightenment as well as the difference between fact and fiction. Using the example of drama, the article identifies these problems and outlines teaching options that arise from a critical engagement with canon and topicality. It also suggests that teaching the literature of the German Enlightenment is not necessarily easier in German-speaking countries than it is in other parts of the world.

摘要

德国启蒙运动文学文本的规范地位和话题性经常被认为是教授这些文本的充分理由。然而，在实践中，规范地位有利于对文学采取不加批判的态度，并导致遗漏大量资料，这些资料可能有助于深入了解当时的文学生活。而时事性假设让学生忽视启蒙运动的历史性质以及事实与虚构的区别。本文以戏剧为例，确定了这些问题，并概述了因对经典和话题进行批判性参与而产生的教学选择。它还表明，在德语国家教授德国启蒙运动的文学作品并不一定比在世界其他地区更容易。