Enacting the Different Voice: Christa Klages and Feminist History

This article examines Margarethe von Trotta's first film, The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1977), as an exemplary document of late 1970s feminist thought. It asserts that von Trotta's narrative can be understood in light of the early work of Carol Gilligan on gender and moral development, and goes on to argue that von Trotta uses this notion of a gendered moral code to critique and recuperate a Christian ethical stance through her characterizations. The article also re-evaluates the (German) reception of von Trotta and her film. (JKW)