Frankenstein's Island
England and the English in the Writings of Heinrich Heine

Professor Prawer's new book documents Heinrich Heine's lifelong involvement with England and the English.

S. S. Prawer (Author)

9780521110624, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 7 May 2009

368 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.69 kg

Professor Prawer's new book documents Heinrich Heine's lifelong involvement with England and the English. It shows him to have been a witty and intelligent observer of English men and women, institutions and politics, and books and journals of his own day; and to have extended his observation backwards into English history and literature of the past in a way that constantly welds the past to the present. The picture which emerges is one shaped by traditional preconceptions, political considerations, social philosophies and aesthetic experiences. The author (who is an authority on Heine) has amassed a vast amount of quotations; many of these passages have never been available in English before. The book will be an important reference work for scholars of nineteenth-century German literature and history; and, since all quotations are rendered in English, it will appeal to general readers interested in verbal caricature and in the changing image of England and the English in Europe.

Preface
Part I. The view from Germany: 1797–1831
1. Sir Harry
2. Wise fools
3. The lion's den
4. John Bull's liberties
Part II. The view from France: 1831–1848: 5. Dual vision
6. Frankenstein
7. Cicerone
8. Cold warrior
9. Gods and impresarios
Part III. The view from the crypt: 1848–1856: 10. Coal-smoke and Englishmen
11. Apology
Conclusion
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK]