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German · Reading · C1

German literature: reading Goethe, Kafka and the moderns in German

Aufklärung1720–1785Lessing Klassik1770–1832Goethe, Schiller Romantik1795–1840Grimm, Eichendorff Realismus1848–1890Fontane Moderne1890–1933Kafka, Mann Nachkrieg1945–1989Gruppe 47 Gegenwart1990–today Seven periods, from the Enlightenment to today. Most learners start with the Moderne and the Romantik.

Where to start: fairy tales and Kafka’s short prose are the most readable classics: clear sentences in the simple past. Leave Goethe’s plays and Thomas Mann’s long sentences until you can read news German comfortably. Every passage below is out of copyright and quoted in full.

Four famous openings, glossed

Choose a text. Each is shown with every word glossed, a translation, and a note on what makes the language of its period distinctive.

InindenthealtenoldZeiten,timeswowheredastheWünschenwishingnochstillgeholfenhelpedhat,has
in dayn AL-tun TSY-tun, voh das VÜN-shun nokh guh-HOL-fun HAT
lebtelivedeinaKönig,kingdessenwhoseTöchterdaughterswarenwerealleallschön.beautiful
LAYP-tuh ine KÖ-nikh, DES-un TÖKH-tuh VAH-run AL-uh SHÖN
“In olden times, when wishing still helped, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful.”
The workThe opening of The Frog King, the first tale in the Grimms’ Kinder- und Hausmärchen, collected from oral storytelling.
The languageWo used for “when” after a time phrase, still heard today. dessen = “whose”, a relative pronoun in the genitive. Simple past lebte.

Reading older German: what looks different

Texts before about 1900 use a handful of forms that modern German has dropped or changed. None of them is hard once you know what to expect.

before 1901 · Goethe, Heine1901 reform · Kafka, Mann1996 reform · today Thür · Theil · daß Tür · Teil · daß Tür · Teil · dass door · part · that Same words, same sound (TÜR, TILE, DAS): only the spelling moved on.
Older editions keep the spelling of their time. Modern editions of classics often update it, so the same Goethe line can look different from one book to the next.
FeatureOlder textModern German
Dative -eim Walde, dem Manneim VAL-duh, daym MAN-uhim Wald, dem MannMasculine and neuter nouns once took -e in the dative.
Older spellingThür, Theil, seynTÜR, TILE, ZINETür, Teil, seinSpelling was standardised in 1901.
ß before 1996daß, mußDAS, MOOSdass, mussThe 1996 reform changed ß after short vowels.
Verb-first statementsKam ein Mann …kahm ine MANEin Mann kam …Storytelling style: the verb opens the sentence.
Poetic omissiondurch Nacht und Winddoorkh NAKHT oont VINTdurch die Nacht und den WindArticles dropped for rhythm.
Genitive objectsEr gedachte seiner Jugend.air guh-DAKH-tuh ZY-nuh YOO-guntEr dachte an seine Jugend.Some verbs once took the genitive.

A reading ladder

Works in order of difficulty for a learner, from B2 to C2. The step numbers are a guide: an engaging hard book beats a dull easy one.

  1. 1 Kinder- und HausmärchenBrüder Grimm · 1812 Short, repetitive and familiar plots. Ideal first literature.
  2. 2 Die VerwandlungFranz Kafka · 1915 A novella of about 70 pages in clear, precise prose.
  3. 3 Effi BriestTheodor Fontane · 1895 A 19th-century society novel with natural dialogue.
  4. 4 SiddharthaHermann Hesse · 1922 Simple sentences, a philosophical story, short chapters.
  5. 5 Der ProzessFranz Kafka · 1925 Longer, unsettling, still in plain language.
  6. 6 Die Leiden des jungen WerthersGoethe · 1774 A novel in letters: emotional 18th-century German.
  7. 7 BuddenbrooksThomas Mann · 1901 A family saga with famously long, elegant sentences.
  8. 8 Faust IGoethe · 1808 Verse drama, the summit of German literature. Read with notes.

Das Buch handelt von …: talking about a book

Five sentence frames cover most book conversations, from a book club to an exam.

Topic
Das Buchthe bookhandeltdealsvonofeiner Familie.a family
das BOOKH HAN-delt fon AI-ner fa-MEE-lye · “The book is about a family.”Why: handeln von + dative = to be about.
Setting
Der Romanthe novelspieltplaysin Berlin.in Berlin
dair ro-MAAN SHPEELT in ber-LEEN · “The novel is set in Berlin.”Why: spielen in = to be set in (literally “to play in”).
Character
Die Hauptfigurthe main-characterheißtis-calledEffi.Effi
dee HAUPT-fi-goor HAIST E-fee · “The main character is called Effi.”Why: die Hauptfigur is always feminine, even for a man.
Opinion
Esithathasmirmegut gefallen.well pleased
es hat meer GOOT ge-FA-len · “I really liked it.”Why: gefallen: the reader is in the dative (mir).
Recommendation
IchIkanncanesitempfehlen.recommend
ikh KAN es emp-FAY-len · “I can recommend it.”Why: empfehlen = to recommend; die Empfehlung = recommendation.

Roman, Novelle, Gedicht: genres

GermanEnglishFamous example
der RomannovelThomas Mann, Buddenbrooks (1901)
die NovellenovellaTheodor Storm, Der Schimmelreiter
die Kurzgeschichteshort storyWolfgang Borchert, Das Brot
das GedichtpoemGoethe, Erlkönig
das DramaplaySchiller, Die Räuber
das Märchenfairy taleBrüder Grimm, Hänsel und Gretel

Related guides

Next guideThe simple pastThe tense of nearly all German prose. Next guideGraded readingFive texts up to a C1 literary passage. Next guideNominal styleFormal written German, the other C1 skill. Course mapGerman hubThe full course map from A1 to C2.