Feeling Doctrine: Religious Meanings of Emotion in Sixteenth-Century German Literature

Author

Georgia Anna Leeper, Washington University in St. LouisFollow

Date of Award

Winter 12-15-2014

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Author's Department

Germanic Languages and Literatures

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Type

Dissertation

Abstract

This dissertation explores the intersections of emotion and Protestant theology in late-16th-century German literature. The project demonstrates the availability of even secular texts to confessional readings through the analysis of representations of emotions. Post-Reformation texts practice an emotional exemplarity that highlights the effects - including the spiritual effects - which emotional experiences have on the individual. I argue that narrative representations of emotions at this moment reflect anxieties about the nebulous nature of faith, and its central role in Protestant salvation. Close readings of widely-read texts such as the 1587 Faustbuch, Melusine, and Hans Sach's Judith: ein Comedi, among others support this claim.

Language

English (en)

Chair and Committee

Gerhild S Williams

Committee Members

Lynne Tatlock, Matt Erlin, Christine Johnson, Abram Van Engen

Comments

Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7QV3JP3

Recommended Citation

Leeper, Georgia Anna, "Feeling Doctrine: Religious Meanings of Emotion in Sixteenth-Century German Literature" (2014). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 365.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/365