Preface

PREFACE Each Women in German Yearbook has expanded the boundaries of our field a little more, and the present volume is no exception. Several of the papers collected here make new connections between feminist Germanistik and other fields, while others continue the process of rediscovery and reinterpretation that is essential to a feminist re-vision of criticism and the canon. Feminist linguistics, an area too little studied by Germanists, especially in the U.S., is represented here by contributions from Luise F. Pusch, its leading practitioner in the FRG. Pusch was our invited guest at the 1985 Women in German conference. Her work articulates, in both content and form, a radical vision encompassing far more than its immediate object, sexist usages in the German language. We are also pleased to present two papers that explore the potential of écriture féminine for German literary and film criticism , Ricarda Schmidt's critique of Hélène Cixous's "Sandmann" interpretation, and Renate Fischetti's adaptation of Luce Irigaray's work for a feminist reading of "Ticket of No Return." In a different vein of film criticism, Jan Mouton grounds her analysis of mother figures in German women's film in American psychoanalytic research. Analysis of sexual stereotypes--one of the first critical strategies developed by feminist literary scholars almost two decades ago—is the basis for Charlotte Ärmster's rereading of Katharina Blum. The category of criticism dubbed "spadework" by Annis Pratt in the early 1970s is also well represented here. Renny Harrigan and Lynda King have uncovered neglected writings from the twenties and thirties that provide a fresh look at literary reflections of societal change (Harrigan) and a portrait of one author, Hermynia zur Mühlen, writing to try to effect societal change. Helga Madland has studied 18th-century journals to discover parallels between the manipulation of women by the media then and now. Linda Worley's analysis of Louise von Francois's "odd woman" fiction and Sigrid Brauner's ix "Hexenjagd in Gelehrtenköpfen" both expand on studies published in volume 3. The two contributions that conclude the present collection aim to introduce Yearbook readers to very recent literature. Susan WendtHildebrandt has contributed an interview with West German feminist Herrad Schenk. Not unlike Luise Pusch, who has published autobiographical prose in addition to her scholarly books and papers, Schenk resists categorization, alternating between research and teaching in her academic field, sociology, and creative writing. Dorothy Rosenberg has prepared a bibliography of GDR women writers whose works are of interest for feminist scholars . Volume 4 marks a turning point for the Women in German Yearbook; at the October 1986 Women in German conference, we voted to make the Yearbook part of membership in WIG, rather than a publication to be purchased separately, as in the past. This decision represents a commitment to our members as well as to the profession as a whole on behalf of feminist research in the field of German studies. In closing, I wish to thank Marianne Burkhard, who is retiring as Yearbook editor after co-delivering four volumes. We are fortunate to have had her experience and expertise, for without them the journal simply would not be what it is. On a personal level, as a neophyte coeditor this past year, I have learned much from Marianne's good-humored unflappability when confronted with the mix-ups and delays that are probably inevitable in a venture involving so much unpaid work by so many people. Thanks, Mariannel You've earned a respite. Marianne and I invite you to join us in welcoming Helen Cafferty of Bowdoin College, the new coeditor beginning with volume 5. Jeanette Clausen Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne with Marianne Burkhard University of Illinois January 1987 ...