Whats gripping about this story is not the fact that its another variation of the sack of troy, but the fact that someone had the guts to write it in cassandras words. Cassandra is of course a marginalized figure because of her role as seeress, but wolf focuses more on her role as a woman. Christa wolf, who has died aged 82, was a german writer of rare purity and sensitivity who grew up under nazism and became an adult under communism. A novel and four essays 1984 by christa wolf in this volume, the distinguished east german writer christa wolf retells the story of the fall of troy, but from the point of view of the woman whose visionary powers earned her contempt and scorn. Cassandra, daughter of the king of troy, is endowed with the gift of prophecy but fated never to be believed. Kassandra is a 1983 novel by the east german author christa wolf. During a trip to greece with her husband in the early 1980s, christa wolf 19292011 began reading aeschylus the oresteia during a flight delay. A novel and four essays had such an impact on me when i read it earlier this year that i have reread it and taken copious notes. But despite all these good things, poor cassandra was horribly cursed. She was one of the bestknown writers to emerge from the former east germany. Wolfs observations about war, violence and truth are just as applicable today as they were in ancient times or in central europe in the 1980s. Other readings include aristotles poetics and selected primary and secondary. Cassandra, daughter of priam, the ruler of troy until its demise, has been brought back by.
If there is a sparknotes, shmoop, or cliff notes guide, we will have it listed here. Buy cassandra by christa wolf from waterstones today. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Farrar, straus and giroux, 1984 the fourth dimension. In this volume, the distinguished east german writer christa wolf retells the story of the fall of troy, but from the point of view of the woman whose visionary powers earned her contempt and scorn. Medea is among the most notorious women in the canon of greek tragedy. Cassandra summary and analysis like sparknotes free book. Kassandra cassandra wolfs novel is a retelling of the story of cassandra, the daughter of king priam of troy and his wife, hecuba, who was granted the gift of prophecy by apollo because of her beauty but, when she would not return his love, he spat in her mouth, which resulted in noone believing her prophecies. She has been brought there after the fall of troy as part. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 320 pages and is available in paperback format. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Cassandra by christa wolf is a fairly typical example of a sort of 1980s feminism which attempted to correct the erasure of women from many historical narratives by moving marginalized female. Her death, at eightytwo, marks the end of an era in the divided, then. She studied at the university of jena and the university of leipzig and worked as an editor until the 1963 publication of her first novel, divided heaven, which marked the beginning of her career as a writer.
Aeschylus the oresteia, and 20thcentury german writer christa wolfs reinventions of these figures in her novels cassandra and medea. Morning becomes radioactive,accident,a days news, by. Wolf comes closest with cassandra s relationship with aeneas, marked out as the only real relationship she has had with one of the heroes. She was an outspoken, deeply intelligent and subversive woman who openly criticized the gdr through her works. Between female dialogics and traces of essentialism. She runs through her lifes main events, including her fall from grace in the eyes. The first part of the book, the novel itself written in first person from the point of view of cassandra, is utterly. Comparing cassandra written by christa wolf to aeschyluss. The travel report continues, and the trail is followed. See all 5 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Wolf was a central figure in east german literature and politics, and is the author of many books, including the novels the quest for christa t. Sure, she was a princess of troy, and yeah, she was really prettysome say she was the second most beautiful woman in the world next to helen.
Christa wolf retells a myth from the the perspective of a woman who was only given a few lines in euripides agamemnon and mentioned once or twice in the iliad. Cassandra is the second christa wolf novel that i decided to read for christa wolf week which is part of this years german literature month. In 1982 she was awarded a guest lectureship at the university of frankfurt, where in may she delivered a series of five lectures on poetics relating to her greek travels and studies. The main characters of this fiction, fantasy story are. When christa wolfs memorial is held tonight in berlin, it wont be just a farewell to a writer but a national event. German literature month cassandra by christa wolf vishys blog. Travel report, about the accidental surfacing and gradual fabrication of a literary personage.
Christa wolf was one of the bestknown writers of former east germany, but her star perhaps shone less brightly when it emerged that she had been, briefly, a stasi informer though also informed against who came out against reunification in 1989. Readings for this program will include anne carsons translations of sappho in if not winter. In her gripping new novel, christa wolf explodes this myth, revealing a fiercely independent woman ensnared in a brutal political battle. A work diary, about the stuff life and dreams are made of. Her literary production, starting in the late fifties with a. The analysis of the causes and conduct of war is conducted through the prism of.
See, she was able to see the future, but no one would ever believe any of her predictions. Understanding cassandra by kelsey jasinski on prezi. Cassandra a novel and four essays christa wolf read april 2018 cassandra. Her works, which reflect the ideological and political turmoil of living in a nazi and later communist. Central to cassandra s story is that she is cursed by apollo to speak the truth, and that no one would believe her. A nameless east german narrator tries to discover the essential reality of her dead friend christa t. It took her a long time, she says, to realise that not everyone saw what she saw. Cassandra looks back over her life as she awaits death, having. Wolfs novel is successful in the ways it forces the reader to look at the world. A novel and four essays by wolf, christa and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Gender and warfare in christa wolfs major writings.
In 1980 east german author christa wolf took a trip to greece accompanied by her husband, gerhard. Kassandra and the wolf is the story of a young girl who relates episodes from her life up until she begins school. Sites like sparknotes with a cassandra study guide or cliff notes. The first edition of the novel was published in 1983, and was written by christa wolf. Christa wolfs cassandra is an ambitious novel in that it tries to cover the entire scope of the trojan epic cycle by telling it through the eyes of. With the defeat of germany in 1945, she moved with her family to east germany. The short chapters fiftysix in all, in a 115page book reasonably convincingly present a childs undifferentiated view of the world, with little sense of cause and effect and consequences, but the voice and impressions arent always persuasive. Wolf interweaves the immediate present, as cassandra faces her imminent death, with her telling of the past. A novel and four essays by christa wolf 19840501 hardcover 1 jan. German novelist wolfs discursive retelling of the familiar greek legend, a logical outgrowth from her earlier novel cassandra 1984, ispace margaret atwood, who contributes an informative introductiona humorless and essentially predictable political allegory envisioning the reviled sorceress and murderer of her children as a victim of male arrogance and sexual insecurity. She studied at the universities of jena and leipzig 194953. Christa wolf, one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary german literature, forbids us to forget. Cassandra, daughter of priam, the ruler of troy until its demise, has been brought back by agamemnon after the war as something of a trophy, and his wife clytemnestra kills them both for agamemnon. Christa wolf 19292011 was one of the most celebrated german writers of the twentieth century.
Aeschylus, agamemnon, 50541 cassandra speaks these lines just before entering the palace at mycenae. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of christa wolfs. The sunday wife by cassandra king conroy book club. Christa wolf was one of the two finest writers in the german language to emerge following world war ii, the other being ingeborg bachmann, whom wolf discusses extensively and cogently in one of the four accompanying essays. Christa wolf was one of the bestknown writers of former east germany. It is not until cassandra lives in a community with other women, literally at the margin of the city, that she identifies with a group and includes herself in it by the pronoun we. Cassandra summary supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Written as a result of the authors greek travels and studies, cassandra speaks to us in a pressing monologue whose inner focal points are. After ten years of war, troy has fallen to the greeks, and cassandra is now a prisoner, shackled outside the gates of agamemnons mycenae. The ones to get it in the neck 14 march 2003 david auerbach 0 comments cassandra s concept is simple and thorough. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. The relationship between memory, writing, and the question of how we define ourselves as gendered subjects is at the center of christa wolfs work. Nonetheless, she was paralyzed by the hard simplicity of her convictions and her high. It has since been translated into a number of languages.
Christa wolf was a famed writer and literary critic of the former east germany. As she waits for clytemnestra, who will likewise put to death agamemnon, cassandra renounces her status as apollos priestess. To wolf, she shares with him an unwillingness to be a part of the historical narrative, and at the end of the book she signals her acceptance of aeneass unavoidable fate of going down the dark, violent road of the aeneid to found another empire. Christa wolf s novel about the aftermath of the trojan war begins with the titular protagonist awaiting her execution. When trouble comes a stroke of the wet sponge, and the pictures blotted out. Christa wolf, german novelist, essayist, and screenwriter most often associated with east germany. Christa wolfs kassandra linda schelbitzki pickle oh men, your destiny. Christa wolfs version of the myth of cassandra is told by the protagonist.
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