Not Just Seagull Droppings: Diving to the Depths of the Danzig Trilogy
2/06/08
Kevin Dinning
Mentors: Mary Blew
Background:
I recently read the novella Cat and Mouse by Gunter Grass for my FLEN
323, German Literature in Translation class taught by James Reece.
Mostly I have been interested in the Danzig Trilogy for only a short
time. My initial intrigue into
the Danzig Trilogy stems from a lack of knowledge about German Literature and
Third Reich, but it has progressed to asking many questions about Grass’s
motives and the state of German affairs during World War II.
My limited research so far tells me that Grass did write about events
that possibly came from his own life, and there are many similarities, at least
in Cat and Mouse, to Grass’s own history.
Current Project:
What I need to do now is continue reading the Danzig Trilogy.
I have finished the novella Cat and Mouse, and now need to read
the other two parts of the trilogy, Dog Years and The Tin Drum.
I will also be reading many articles on World War II Germany, The Danzig
Trilogy, and Gunter Grass.
Along with the Danzig Trilogy, I
feel it would be neglectful not to also read Gunter Grass’s autobiography,
Peeling the Onion.
Plan for the Next Two Months:
My goal this semester is to provide a thorough analysis and comparison to the
novels in the Danzig Trilogy and their importance to the time period of World
War II and Gunter Grass.
First, I need to conclude the reading of all the novels, including Grass’
Autobiography. Second, I will try
and read as much useful secondary information about my topic as is possible.
I will use this reading and research as a basis for my written response
to the Danzig Trilogy.
Presenting Work:
I am focusing on a written response in the form of an essay as my product for
this project. I would certainly
present the path I took in reading the novels and the essays to the class, as
well as probably giving a quick overview of the historical relevance of
the novels.
Tentative Bibliography:
Grass, Gunter. Cat and Mouse. Orlando: Harcourt, 1991.
Grass, Gunter. Dog Years. Orlando: Harcourt, 1965.
Grass, Gunter. Peeling the Onion. Orlando: Harcourt, 2007.
Grass, Gunter. The Tin Drum. Pantheon, 1999.