December 1976 Newsletter

WOMEN IN GERMAN

Number 9                                                         December 1, 1976

Subscription fee: $2.00 per year ($1.00 if unemployed)

Since it is our purpose to break cliches and stereotypes, Women in German can best summarize the Ohio conference and retreat by turning around the old cliché 'die Vorfreude ist größer als die Freude.' Without a doubt the conference itself far surpassed our anticipations; not only were the papers and discussants’ presen­tations in and of themselves exciting and stimulating, but the atmosphere was one of free exchange among equals. This open atmosphere was made possible in part by the format of short formal presentations and panel presentations with emphasis on discussion of the larger questions raised by the material and on participation by the substantial portion of the audience. Because there was so much enthusiasm over the exchange of ideas and the contact with other coalition members from all sections of the country, it was decided on the spot to hold another conference next year at the same place and at about the same time. Kay Goodman and Ruth Sanders will be co-ordinating the conference; Viktoria Harwig and Christa Stutius are planning the retreat; any ideas and suggestions as to format and topics should be addressed to:      
Kay Goodman or Ruth Sanders
Coordinators: Women in German Conference 1977 Dept. of German, Russian, East Asian Languages Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056

Suggestions for the retreat should be sent directly to Viktoria and Christa:
c/o Women in German
Dept. of German
814 Van Hise Hall
Madison, Wisconsin 53703

On behalf of ourselves and all conference participants we would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the women at Ohio University who organized the entire conference so carefully, down to the nitty gritty of donuts, coldcuts!

SYMPOSIUM

All participants in the symposium on "Feminism and German Studies" and in the retreat in Ohio were asked to submit abstracts of their presentations and their critiques. Those abstracts which we received are printed below with few editorial changes; in some cases we have had to summarize the main points of the papers or the critiques because the abstracts were not yet available. The abstracts or sum­maries are printed in the order in which they appeared on the program with those contributions to the retreat given last.

Please note that we have sent this Newsletter first class due to the deterioration of the Postal Service. This has seriously depleted our funds, but we thought it worthwhile. For this reason, we must urge all those who have not yet sent their $2 for this year to do so immediately. If anyone feels able to send more, please do. We need it.

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"What Did You Do In The War, Mommy?": Susan M. Levin (summarized by Women in German staff)

Levin described the experiences of the Baroness Fredericke Riedesel (the wife of a Hessian general) who spent several years travelling with her husband while he was on active duty with Burgoyne's army in the American Revolutionary War. The Baroness kept an account of her daily life and this is now available in English as Letter and Journals relating to the War of the American Revolution and the Capture of the German Troops at Saratoga by Mrs. General Riedesel, trans. W. L. Stone. Originally published in 1867, it has been reprinted by Arno Press in its recent series Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution. This pre­sentation provoked discussion concerning autobiography in relationship to women who, in the 19th and 20th centuries, have made extensive use of this mode.

Discussant: Kay Goodman, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

In dealing with a genre such as the journal- traditionally referred to as a woman's form--the discussion of a particularly female contribution to the form as well as the choice of this form to convey one's experience becomes especially significant. Although beginning this discussion, Levin could have pursued it further. The role model which journals establish is, because of their sense of actuality, doubly important. Levin emphasized the positive image of a strong, capable woman learning to use her resources. However, by ignoring the his­torical and political implications of the Baroness Riedesel's position both as Baroness and wife to a German General commanding troops against the American Revolutionaries, Levin overlooked the far stronger doctrine of submission which the Baroness both explicitly preached and actually represented. The effect of the Baroness' journal is to subvert the potentially empowering awareness of one's own strength to the cause of husband, family and fatherland--the patriarchal status quo of Germany in 1800.

"German and English Contributions to the Emancipation of Women": Timothy Sellner

In my paper I sought to compare the first two major contributions to the idea of the emancipation of women, Mary Wollstone craft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel's Über die bürgerliche Verbesserung der Weiber, both of 1792. I contrasted the works in terms of the background of the authors, the style and approach of the works, and their history since the time of publication. The main purpose of my paper was to make known the ideas contained in Hippel's heretofore unknown work, to show the way in which the work of Hippel complements that of Wollstonecraft, and to provide grounds for the idea that the two works together, representing both female and male viewpoints on the subject of the emancipation of women, more nearly comprise the first complete manifesto on feminism than does either of the works taken alone.

Discussant: Susan L. Cocalis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Hippel's On Improving the Status of Women remained without any noticeable effect on German audiences and, despite its author's reputation as a satirist, is written in a tediously pedantic style which serves to obscure the main arguments. The latter could be summarized as follows: "Solange die Weiber bloß

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Privilegia und nicht Rechte haben . . . wird nicht das Weib den großen Beruf der Natur:  das Weib ihres Mannes, die Mutter ihrer Kinder, und, kraft dieser edlen Bestimmungen, ein Mitglied, eine Bürgerin, und nicht bloß eine Schutzver- wandtin des Staates zu seyn--nur immer sehr unvollkommen . . . erfüllen." (Status, Pt. II). Woman is to attain these "rights" gradually through a new edu­cation, which she would pursue in addition to her "special schooling as mother and housewife" (Part V). Hippel's work is not revolutionary, much less sedi­tious, and would serve to enhance the established social order through minimal reforms in education. Women should be granted the right to call themselves citizens, (but not to vote), by making themselves more "useful" members of society.

If one does accept the premise of contrasting Hippel to Wollstonecraft, their similarities should be stressed rather than their differences. Mr. Sellner's portrait of Wollstonecraft as revolutionary notwithstanding, she also appeals for gradual reforms of a woman's status through equal opportunities in education.
The "revolutionary" aspect of her work is largely metaphorical: e.g., "It is time to effect a revolution in female manners--time to restore them to their lost dignity--and make them, as a part of the human species, labour by reform­ing themselves to reform the world. " Her diatribes against property would also fall under the heading of "utility," i.e., she criticizes the "idleness" which comes from having too much property, not the idea of property itself. There­fore there are allowances made for "usefully employed" aristocrats as well as for idle members of the lower classes. In no way is she advocating wo-manning the barricades as Sellner suggests. Finally, educational reforms would ulti­mately improve woman's utility to her husband, her children, the state, and herself. Both works propose educational reforms, bot both works remain firmly situated within the restrictions of the existing social order. The two treatises differ, of course, in their male/female viewpoints, in the question of sexual license, and in the matter of style.

In conclusion I would tend to look at the novel or at the moral weeklies for the antecedents of a German women's movement, since it was those genres which were most influential in shaping public opinion. Isolated works, like Hippel's, with "feminist-sounding" titles can often be misleading and can seduce us into construing false causal relationships which obscure the problems at hand.

"Revolutionary Women in Imperial Germany": Bill Pelz

Legend has it that German women have almost always been a passive, apo­litical if not outright reactionary group. Yet, the mass of German working class women made a significant contribution to the Socialist movement from the 1870's to 1919 despite the sexism of the Male-dominated movement. Women were in­volved in all forms of struggle from trade union work to the Berlin street fighting during the German Revolution of 1918-19. Moreover, this was not accidental. Marxist theory clearly showed a way forward which would offer female emanci­pation as well as human freedom.

"A Comparative Analysis of Sex Role Stereotyping in Children's Readers: USA vs. GDR": Donna Slepack

To assess the current status of women in a socialist society, a field study in the German Democratic Republic was conducted in conjunction with an analysis of women's image in GDR children's textbooks. The impact of the socialist educa­tional system and other social organizations on women's career roles and sexist attitudes in society are described from a theoretical, historical and per-

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sonal perspective. Observations made during the field$ study provided the context of socio­political reality from which the analysis of the textbooks was interpreted.
GDR children's readers for grades 1-6 were analyzed for sex-role stereotyping, utilizing the criteria employed by Britton in her study of USA textbooks (1974). A percentage analysis was used to compare the GDR books with Britton's analogous data. Analysis of the GDR readers revealed a statistically significant increase in career role options and frequency for women in the GDR textbooks ( p < . 005).

Male major characters dominated both USA and GDR readers; however, the domi­nance was less marked in the GDR readers. A Sex Bias Index, combining the various parameters analyzed, yielded results consistent with the author's hypothe­sis that a more positive image of women would be found in the textbooks of a socialist state. In the USA readers, the only positive role for women was that of "mother." In contrast, women's career role in GDR readers presented women as capable, active and resourceful figures. However, in reality and in the readers, women are still double-burdened with the responsibilities of home and career. Consequently, helpfulness and co-operation is the most desirable behavior model ed for children in the GDR readers.

The GDR's struggle against sex bias appears to be directed more toward improving objective conditions which facilitate women's employment and equality, rather than dealing with attitudes per se that maintain women's inferiority. It may be assumed that these changing realities will alter stereotyped attitudes sooner than changing attitudes will alter reality.

"Feminist Theater in West Germany and USA": Evelyn Beck, Betsy Edelson, Nancy Vedder-Shults

Feminist theater is political theater: its strategy is to use drama as a cata­lyst to bring women's oppression to public attention in order to work against it. Feminist theater was first developed in the United States in the late 1960s in the context of the growing women's movement and the social ferment of those years.

It began to be used in West Germany in 1972 and continues to be a tool of the developing women's movement in that country. The earliest forms of feminist theater in both countries was the "political happening" (e.g., disruption of bridal fairs and beauty contests), but other modes have since become popular and perhaps even more effective. These include: agit-prop plays which rely on satire to deliver a clear message (such as pro-abortion reform, especially in West Ger­many); myth plays which retell traditional myths and legends from a feminist view­point; "Bildungsroman" which depict the gradual development of a feminist politi­cal consciousness, making concrete the feminist belief that "the personal is political"; and historical documentary which often retrieves and celebrates the history of women in the context of the lost history of all oppressed groups. Most recently, "politicized role playing" has provided the opportunity for women in subordinate positions to act out situations from their own lives and in this way pre­pare the way for their taking greater control of their own lives.

Discussants: Viktoria Harwig, Christa Stutius

In the collective paper presented by Evelyn a view of Alternative Theater as an organ for the transformation of present-day social conditions is given. Alter­native Theater makes use of various techniques for effect, such as a direct con­frontation with stereotypes and the reversal of sex roles, which are intended to make us conscious of the degrading sexist and reifying structures of our society.

But unless this confrontation, which we agree is an important and necessary first step, is viewed within a social-political framework, there is a danger, as we see

it, on the one hand of relying exclusively on Skandal der Tatsachen or on the other hand, of ascribing exploitation and oppression of women to men alone. Thereby the decisive accent of feminism, namely, women's oppression seen within a context of social class struggle, is lost. Only the feminist critique which is able to base its ideological position in an understanding of the social contradictions of classes and material conditions, and not in a vague need for "social change" nor in a more radically formulated "disgust with men as exploiters, " can sustain a lasting movement.

The collective made an important contribution to feminist criticism; never­theless we felt that certain fundamental ideological questions should be raised in addition not only to the paper but also to a discussion of feminism in general.

"The Politics of Popularity in Elle": Mary Ann Burke

This paper discusses Elle as a space of exchange in which rhetorical struc­turing informs as well as translates the readers' concept of woman. The analysis focuses on the operational polarization of terms used to express woman (normal/ abnormal = subservient/dominant) which explicitly is directed against the sepa­ratist politics of radical feminism.” This polarization, however, is a rhetorical posture in the sense that it superficially centers on a highly biased and dialectical examination of the two terms and thus gives the impression that one term will eventually appropriate the other, whereas its true function is first to render both terms equally unacceptable, and then to create a space of desire for a mediating third term. The latter is found by moving from an authoritarian concept of female/ male relationships in which one sex must transcend the other to a politics of imma­nence in which woman's "otherness" is no longer defined in terms of hierarchy: in her difference woman coexists with man in a sororal-fraternal context which allows her to form a separate image of herself without having recourse to separat­ism itself. Elle never confronts the problem of how to define "otherness, " al­though one feels that it ultimately would be on the basis of traditional sex roles, an implicit return to authoritarianism. The conclusion is that the rhetorical structuring of Elle creates a framework of duplicity as it postulates two terms which conceal and lead to a third which in turn leads back to the initial bias.

"A Critical Look at Brigitte": Dorothy Wartenberg

Brigitte, for almost twenty years one of the most popular women's magazines in Germany, has gradually opened its editorial pages to items on women's rights in the past five years. Brigitte's progress is deceptive, however, since most of the editorial material, including interviews and short stories, reinforces the traditional view of woman as wife, mother or virginal ingenue. Beauty, fashion and cooking features still predominate and are designed to occupy the greater part of the reader's day. Advertising, which accounts for an average of 55% of the magazine's space, presents woman in a less inhibited but also traditional role-- that of primitive temptress, vamp, or mistress. Brigitte's editorial features on behalf of the "new woman" are thus successfully "de-fused" by a sophisticated and insistent appeal to women as consumers, in the old, familiar roles.

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Retreat Discussions:

The workshop on feminist pedagogy and feminist literary criticism had origi­nally been planned for Friday night. But, though we began with the discussion of feminist pedagogy because it seemed easier to deal with, we found that we had so much to say on the subject that the discussion of criticism had to be postponed to Saturday. We began by speaking about teaching techniques which some of us had been able to use in classes about women in literature, with a majority of women students. But we also recognized that most of us are not able to teach women's courses every semester (or even at all). So we also tried to determine whether some of the teaching techniques we seemed to be identifying as "feminist" could be applied to standard German department course offerings. Many of us, it seems, use techniques to break down "male" authority patterns and humanize our class­rooms, both in literature and language classes, and we were able to share many of the techniques with which we have experimented. We do not have the concrete examples discussed at the workshop ready at this time, but we would like to print them in the next newsletter. Those of you who were not at the Ohio retreat may wish to send us descriptions of your reading experiences. Our experiments seem to have met with varying degrees of success: though students generally respond positively, some of us have met resistance to our techniques both from students and from our male colleagues. What was most exciting about the workshop was the feeling of support and solidarity which derived from discovering that a great many women were struggling to create an alternative classroom situation which would reflect our feminist principles. It was exciting as well to discover many of us felt that feminists should not only examine a different subject matter, but that they should do it in a different way (i.e. , feminism changes form as well as content). One discussion participant indicated that she had attended many Women's Studies conferences, but had never participated in a workshop which devoted so much attention to "process" (i.e., the way in which a group activity takes place in con­trast to the subject with which it is dealing), and she hoped that this indicated a new direction for Women's Studies as a whole.

Sara Lennox

Saturday evening's discussion of Neglected Women Writers was tied into the continuing discussion of feminist criticism and centered on two major foci: the quantitative or bibliographical problem of locating material about and by women writers and the much more complex qualitative issue of which writers are worth dealing with from the point of view of feminist values and/or literary merit. After a lively exchange of bibliographic leads and resources, discussion centered on the second question. All participants agreed this topic was far too profound to resolve without a great deal of ground work, which would probably have to be undertaken by groups rather than individuals. It was finally decided that we will use the forth­coming year until our next workshop to explore the terrain and come to the 1977 session prepared to suggest periods in which we wish to concentrate our energies and form work groups for collective research and the pooling of resources. Per­sons with suggestions in this respect or interest in organizing such work groups should contact Pat Herminghouse or the workshop planners.

Pat Herminghouse

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"Women in German Literature: Ideas on how to teach the course"

The main points covered in the discussion included: (1) practical adminis­trative questions (e.g., course approval, class size); (2) goals of the course; (3) student reaction; (4) suggestions for changes.

The course I taught in the Fall of 1975 tried to investigate the changing liter­ary and social roles and images of women from the beginning of the 19th Century to the present day: Woman as seen by man, by another woman and in introspec­tion. Following an introduction to feminist criticism the investigation focused more specifically on major questions such as: Which roles did women play (stereotype or not) ? Which themes were prevalent for different authors and to what extent did they change? Why do we find certain images or roles at a particular time and what social, historical, or psychological factors influenced certain interpretations of female characters?

The literary images of women were discussed in works by Goethe, Schiller, Bettina von Arnim, F. Schlegel, Droste-Hiilshoff, Grillparzer, Ibsen, Schnitzler, Aichinger, Bachmann, Wohmann, Bruning and Wolf. Excerpts from works by Bebel, Baumer, Zetkin, Nietzsche, Freud, Helwig, Friedan, Beauvoir and Schwarzer provided an insight into the social role of woman in the past and today.

Elke Frederickson

Women in Literature Work shop--Women's Role--Myth and Reality

An interdisciplinary course taught by women faculty members from the Depart­ments of Biology, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, History, English and Foreign Languages. Topics examined included:
Biology of Sex and Motherhood - basic text Males and Females
Experiments on Nurturing: Mothering and Freud's Theories on Women's Sexuality - On the Psychology of Women
Motherhood in American History - The Oven Birds
Mother Figures in Shakespeare Coriolanus and Shakespeare's androgynous heroines
Non-motherhood
Of particular interest to Teachers of Women in German
The Mother Figures in The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Yerma

Doris Auerbach

MEETINGS

Several sessions of the M.L.A. this December inN.Y.C. are of particular interest to Women in German. These are listed below. However, we also urge our coalition members to attend the many interesting sessions sponsored by such caucuses as the Women's Caucus for the Modern Languages, the Radical Caucus, the Gay Caucus, and the Marxist Literary Group--all of whom take special care to integrate a focus on women in their program. These groups are interested in enlarging their horizons to include the relatively neglected area of German studies. If we wish German to be more fully represented, all we need to do is provide the material.

Special German sessions at the M.L.A.:

1. "Women Figures in the Works of Berfolt Brecht. " Tuesday, 12/28/76, 2:30 p.m., Rendezvous Room, Hilton
2. The Twentieth Century German Literature section is featuring a focus on women under its title "Prose Fiction, New Forms, Neglected Writers. "
Hilde Domin will speak about her own work; Richard Johnson will speak on Gabriele Reuter; Sigrid Bauschinger on Annette Kolb; Pat Russian on women as neglected and excluded writers.
3. There will also be a Coalition meeting of Women in German Tuesday, 10/26/76, 10:30 a.m., Room 520, Hilton. Be sure to attend. Especially for those who could not attend the Ohio retreat and symposium it will be an excellent opportunity to meet face to face, to exchange ideas and information.

In April 1977, there will be the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Columbus, Ohio. Textbook authors will be present to answer questions. We think this will be a great opportunity to talk once again about sexism in textbooks. If you need more information on this conference, please write to Ursula Haas, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202 (Department of Romance and Germanic Languages and Literature).

SYLLABI

Printed below are two syllabi--one for a course in progress at Indiana Univer­sity which has focused on twentieth-century autobiographies by women and one for a course on 'Women Writers since 1945' to be offered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in spring semester. We encourage readers to submit their own course proposals or the syllabi they have developed for courses of interest to "Women in German."

The following is a reading list from a Women in German reading group at Indiana University, compiled and discussed in part as a preparation for the course on Autobiography. The course list is then given below.
Klara Mülller Jahnke: Wir Frauen
Emma Doltz: Hoffnung; Die Heimarbeiterin
Margarete Beutler: Die Büros; Die Brücke; Moderne Familie; Die Puppe; An einen moralischen Freund; Nach der Weinlese; Der Garten; Herbstrausch
Ricarda Huch: Mondaufgang; Frühlingstriumph; Frauen 1; Tropft die Stunde nieder. . .
Ricarda Huch: Mein erstes Jahrzehnt (essay)
Hertha Kraftner: Betrunkene Nacht; Dorfabend; Wer glaubt noch
Gertrud Kolmar: Troglodytin; Die Dichterin; Die gelbe Schlange; Wahn
Elsa Lasker-Schüler: Weltschmerz; Weltende; Mein blaues Klavier
Elsa Lasker-Schüler: Der letzte Schultag (essay)
Hilde Domin: Geburtstage
Renate Rasp: Die Beiden; Russisch Leder; Bildnis

* Lyrical poetry Unless otherwise indicated

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Rosa Luxemburg: Frauenwahlrecht und Klassenkampf (political article)
Klara Zetkin: Die Anfänge der bürgerlichen Frauenbewegung in Deutschland (historical essay)
Gertrud Bäumer: Die Frau in der Krise der Kultur (essay)
Gabriele Reuter: Das Tränenhaus
* * * * *
Gertrud Bäumer: Lebensweg durch eine Zeitenwende
Helene Lange: Lebenserinnerungen
Adelheid Popp: Jugendgeschichte einer Arbeiterin
Alma Mahler-Werfel: Mein Leben
Christa Wolf: Nachdenken über Christa T.
Karin Struck: Klassenliebe

Syllabus for German Women Writers since 1945: Evelyn Beck, Instructor

This course is viewed as an exploration rather than a definitive conclusion about the terrain, which as yet remains largely unknown. The list of texts was chosen to represent a spectrum of women's writing in those genres in which women have been productive: short fiction, the novel, and reportage. Avail­ability of texts in paperback was an important determining factor in this reading list.

Luise Rinser: Mitte des Lebens. Fischer Bd. 256
Ingeborg Bachmann: Simultan. DTV 1031
Barbara König: Die Personen person. DTV 438
Ursula Erler: Die neue Sophie. Raith Verlag
Karin Struck. Klassenliebe. Suhrkamp
Christa Wolf: Nachdenken über Christa T. Luchterhand
Ingeborg Drewitz: Wer verteidigt Katrin Lambert? Fischer 1734
Verena Stefan: Häutungen. Verlag Frauenoffensive
Erika Runge: Frauen. Suhrkamp 359
Sarah Kirsch: Die Pantherfrau. Langewiesch Brandt
Alice Schwarzer: Der Kleine Unterschied und seine grossen Folgen. Fischer

In addition, short stories by Anna Seghers, Marie Luise Fleisser, Helga Novak, Sigrid Brunk, Gabrielle Wohmann, Angelika Mechtel and Gisela Eisner will be handed out.

If it were less expensive and easier to obtain we would include Irmtraud Morgner's very important feminist novel, Leben und Abenteuer der Trobadora Beatriz nach Zeugnissen ihrer Spielfrau Laura, on the regular reading list. As an interim procedure we will place this on reserve and bring it into the class by means of oral reports.

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The following chronology was prepared by Jan Brown-Lowe (Bloomington, Indiana). We would like to extend it beyond 1930 and expand on the period from 1848-1930 if possible. Please send your contributions for use in the next newsletter.

ZEITTAFEL DER DEUTSCHEN FRAUENBEWEGUNGEN

1848 - Revolution; Anspruch des bürgerlichen Standes auf politische Rechte; Einfluss auf Louise Otto-Peters, Redakteurin der Zeitschrift "Die Frauenzeitung" bis 1850.

Kommunitisches Manifest von Marx; standige Industrializierung Deutschlands

Zahl Männer zu Frauen in Fabriken 5:1

1850-1860 - politische Reaktion; Vereine von Dienstboten, Näherinnen und Krankenpflegerinnen gingen ein.

1851 - Gesetz gegen Zugehörigkeit von "Frauenpersonen, Geisteskranken, Schülern und Lehrlinge" zu politischen Vereinen.

1865 - Lette-Verein, Berlin. Unterstutzung von Kaiserin. Ziel: Ausbildung von Frauen im Proletariat und Mittelstand.

Der Allgemeine deutsche Frauenverein, Leipzig. Leitung von Louise Otto-Peters und Auguste Schmidt. Ziel: Wohltatigkeitsprogramm, Ausbildung, Forderung pol. Rechte.

Besprechung der Frauenfrage in den, sozialdemokratischen Parteien mit keinen bestimmten Ergebnissen; beeinflusst von bürgerlicher Auffassung der Frau.

1868 - Frauen als vollberechtige Genossen in der Internationale.

1869 - Debate in der Partei über Definition von Frauenarbeit - Verbot oder Forderung? Stellung zum Wahlrecht - für alle oder nur Männer?

1875 - Parteitag in Gotha; Wahlrecht fur "alle Staatsangehorige"

1877 - Lette-Verein und AdF erreichen Zahl von 25,000 Mitglieder. Weitere Erkenntnis der Probleme erwerbstatiger Frauen.

1878 - Ausnahmegesetz gegen die Sozialdemokratie bis 1890.

Bebels Frau und Sozialismus; Frauenfrage fest im Zentrum der Arbeiterfrage.

1884 - Engels Ursprung der Familie, des Privateigentums und des Staates; Kritik an persönlicherVersklavung der Frau.

1885-1890 - Möglichkeit einer Zusammenarbeit von beiden Bewegungen abgelehnt.

1887 - Lange; Petition für höhere Mädchenschule und ihre Bestimmung vor dem preussischen Landtag.

1890 - Klara Zetkin als anerkannte Vertreterin der Bewegung in der Partei. Redakteurin "Die Gleichkeit" - theoretisch.

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1890 - Lange; Allgemeine deutsche Lehrerinnenverein.

1892 - Begriff "Vertrauenpersonen" erlaubte Frauentatigkeit in der SPD.

1893 - Lange; erstes Gymnasium. für Mädchen
Internationaler Frauenkongress, Chicago.

1894 - Sozialdemokraten verlangten Wahlrecht fur Frauen im Reichstag; erfolglos.

Lange; Bund deutscher Frauenvereine
"Die Frau" unter Mitarbeit Lange und Bäumer.

1895 - 19% aller Frauen in Deutschland berufstätig.

1900-1914 intensiver Kampf für Wahlrecht

1907 - 30% aller Frauen in Deutschland berufstätig.

1908 - Zulassung Frauen auf Universitäten.
Ende des Verbots gegen Frauen in politischen Vereinen.

1914 - Kriegsausbruch; nationale Farbung beider Bewegungen.
Prozent der Frauen in Industrien stieg auf 152% in den Kriegsjahren.

1918 - Frauen durch allgemeine Arbeitslosigkeit sehr betroffen.

1919 - Erwerbung des Wahlrechts in der Weimar Verfassung.

1920-1930 - Zerspaltung beider Bewegungen, begrenter Einfluss. Auflösung unter kommenden Faschismus.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

This newsletter was prepared by Sara Pietsch, Evelyn Torton Beck, Biddy Martin, Viktoria Harwig, Christa Stutius, and Angelika Bammer.

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FRAUEN KOMMT HER

frauen kommt her, wir tun uns zusammen
frauen kommt her, wir tun uns zusammen
frauen kommt her, wir tun uns zusammen gemeinsam sind wir stark.

solang du allein, wirst du getreten
solang du allein, kannst du dich nicht wehren
solang du allein, musst du dich fügen
tag und nacht.

du sollst für ihn eine gute frau sein:
und seinen kindern eine gute mutter sein
du sollst vor allem die drecksarbeit zu hause tun
das alles nur aus liebe.

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Textbook: German Women Writers in Translation--progress report and important questionnaire

I have received a positive response on publishing an anthology of German women writers in translation. According to the prospective publisher, I need "informal assurances of course adoption from 25 to 35 teachers." The pub­lisher wants to know names, college affiliations, title of the course, and approximate number of students in each class. Therefore, I am asking coali­tion members to indicate their interest in the proposed anthology at the bottom of this sheet on the form provided. I would also appreciate your contacting women's studies institutes on your campus or colleagues in your department.
I propose three possible approaches to such a text and am open to further sug­gestions or alterations. Please note that the anthology will contain biographical and bibliographical material plus notes, and will largely include literary selec­tions not previously available, from all German speaking countries. The possi­bilities I envision are:

1) Post World War II German women writers from East and West (primarily prose fiction and some poetry)

2) Women's Voices of the 20th century: (to include non-fiction as well): topical sections might include: Woman as hero; woman alone; the battle of the sexes*; women about women.
*the publisher especially liked this sub-topic

3) German women speak of their experiences: selections from women's diaries, letters, memoirs, journals (mainly 20th century?)

Please indicate which of the three possibilities you like best; or, if you have other suggestions, write them in the space provided. This informal adoption notice is not legally binding, but is meant to provide the publisher with some assurance of a market for this text. Projected size of book, 250 pages, esti­mated cost for paperback, between 5 and 6 dollars.

Suggestions and Comments:

Yes, I would use an anthology of work by German women writers in translation in my class. I prefer (1)__  (2)__  (3)__.

Name________________                                        College affiliation_________
Title of Course _________
Estimated enrollment_______________                                                           

Return to Naomi Stephan, Department of Modern Languages, Valparaiso Univer­sity, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383.