THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN MY COURSE!

Welcome Life Long Learners! I am delighted that you are participating in my course. I am looking forward to getting to know you all and being part of this adventure with you. This course introduces participants the rich extensive history and literature of Austria, once the center of the Holy Roman Empire. Our adventure will begin from the Celtic Kingdom Noricum and conclude with modern day Austria. Our journey will include a look at the Habsburg family dynasty that reigned over the Holy Roman Empire for an extensive number of years. We will look at Austria's role in both World Wars. This journey will be aided by the use of literary texts that provide a vivid picture of the culture and norms of various time periods. This course will be great to take with the Introduction to Czech Literature and Civilization, as the two countries are inextricably connected.

Course Outline

Welcome to The Fairy Tale Mini.

The meeting times for this course will be Wednesdays from 6:30pm—7:30pm from August 7, — 25, 2023. All meetings will be held via zoom. Study questions will be provided prior to each meeting. MOST reading material will be made available to you via this webpage. Here is a breakdown of what our schedule will be:

Week

1. Introduction. We will begin by opening a discussion on the history of Austria and major events that led to its development. Material will include, but not limited to a look a Noricum, Osterrichi and the formation of Vienna, its capital. We may also look at Austria's relation to surrounding countries such as the Czech Republic and Italy.


2. During this week we will look at Austria during the World Wars and begin to explore the literary traditions developing by key authors. We will read excerpts from select authors and corroborate these writings with historical events to gain insight into cultural norms.


3. In closing we will read excerpts from authors of the early 20th century and gain deeper insight into the major artistic movements that took place in Vienna around this time. We will conclude with a look at contemporary Austrian writers.