American Views Abroad

 
One of the main German evening news programs, the second public channel ZDF, reported on the Thanksgiving with a Message story last Friday. It contrasted it in a tongue-in-cheek way on German politicans attending the annual German Press Ball that evening.

Fred intends to write up his promised book review soon. I, doing my best to show an interest in the country where I reside, have been taking part in a literature seminar and still have twenty pages of Goethe's 'Sturm und Drang' work Die Lieden des jungen Werthers to read before 4pm today. It has been fascinating studying the original 1774 version. On the opposite page is Goethe's re-write of it in 1787. He was then more conservative and his changes, additions and exemptions are revealing. The language had also changed quite a bit in those few years. It has also been very interesting for me to see how the Germans in the group talk about the change in the language or their memories of having to read this work in school or just how they see Goethe today.

- posted by Gloria @ 1:41 PM