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The story of four generations of a wealthy bourgeois family in northern Germany facing the advent of modernity; in an uncertain new world, the family's bonds and traditions begin to disintegrate. As Mann charts the Buddenbrooks' decline from prosperity to bankruptcy, from moral and psychic soundness to sickly piety, artistic decadence, and madness, he ushers the reader into a world of stunning vitality, pieced together from births and funerals, weddings and divorces, recipes, gossip, and earthy humor.

Martin Swales explores the interrelation in the novelle of aesthetic theory and textual practice, suggesting that the characteristic mode of the novelle is a specific kind of narrative constellation advocated by theoreticians and practiced by writers. The author’s theory not only serves to illuminate our understanding of the novelle but also advances our knowledge of genre theory. Swales analyzes theoretical writings as if they themselves are literary texts that reflect the age in which they were written. By considering them in relation to seven principal topics, he shows how they share a central concern with cases that are exceptions to the normal social order. The response of each author implies the reluctance of society to have its premises called into question and to adjust in such a way as to accommodate these cases. Swales applies this theory to seven nineteenth-century novellen. Originally published in 1977. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The tradition of the German novel, before the emergence of its 'classic' writers in the first half of the twentieth century does not have an assured place in the canon of European literature. The one signal exception is Goethe's novel Die Leiden des jungen Werthers

This major study reassesses Adalbert Stifter's work within the context of the tradition of nineteenth-century European fictional prose.

Goethe is often revered rather than read, known of rather than known. It is the aim of this study to provide a corrective to this state of affairs. The authors concentrate on literary work and offer analyses that represent an impassioned advocacy

Although some of the most distinguished German novels written since about 1770 are generally considered to be Bildungsromane, the term Bildungsroman is all too frequently used in English without an awareness of the tradition from which it arose. Professor Swales concentrates on the roles of plot, characterization, and narrative commentary in novels by Wieland, Goethe, Stifter, Keller, Mann, and Hesse. By pointing out that the goal in each work is both elusive and problematic, he suggests a previously unsuspected ironic intent. His analysis adds to our awareness of the potentialities inherent in the novel. Originally published in 1978. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.