The novel tells this old story through Cassandra. As an East German citizen, she’s one of the few privileged to be able to travel outside of the DDR and the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War. Reviews. male propaganda, but Christa Wolf intends her rea ders to r ecognise, through the . In this telling, Cassandra transforms from a privileged and unaware royal daughter to rebellious witness who refuses to go along with the false rhetoric of war that her own family is perpetrating. I'm less impressed with the narrative, which is nowhere near as good as Medea. So I'm leaving this unfinished. Several months ago I finished reading the novella in this collection and I wrote a review. Responsibility: by Christa Wolf ; translated from the German by Jan van Heurck. Free shipping for many products! Listen to Kassandra by Christa Wolf on Deezer. the part i really enjoyed (n was here for in the first place) was the 'novel': cassandra's monologue in her final living hours, reflecting on her life / the war in troy. the part i really enjoyed (n was here for in the first place) was the 'novel': cassandra's monologue in her final living hours, reflecting on her life / the war in troy. Be the first to ask a question about Cassandra. The way the the author depicts the madness and visions did not help. A difficult and different book. Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law & International Law (MPIL) Research Paper No. Christa Wolf has written an excellent book that deals with the issues of the East/West German divide in an Ancient Greek setting. it's pretty apocalyptic right now too but no one is so grave about it. In Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, Cassandra says that she agreed to have sex with the God Apollo in exchange for the gift of prophecy, but when she went back on her promise and refused the Sun God’s advances, Apollo made sure that her prophecies would never be believed. I read, skimmed, and skipped ahead, so a page number is difficult to identify. The selected item is out of stock. As a citizen of East Germany and a committed socialist, Christa Wolf managed to keep a critical distance from the communist regime. It is an interesting look at politics and creation. With music streaming on Deezer you can discover more than 56 million tracks, create your own playlists, and share your favourite tracks with your friends. Deeply moved by the novel part of this book. Während Kassandra, die Seherin, auf dem Beutewagen des Agamemnon sitzt, überdenkt sie noch einmal ihr Leben. I expected to find the Cassandra narrative more interesting than the non-fiction commentary, but was surprised. The rest, as they say.... After Troy has been sacked, we learn from Aeschylus's The Oresteia that Cassandra's taken by Agamemnon back to Argos as part of his spoils from the war. ), Krise(n) der Moderne. While the narrative style of the novel is not my favorite style, the story does eventually become engrossing. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of. This edition includes four essay that give depth and feeling to the novel. Skipped the essays, I’m sure they’re great, but personally, I don’t need, nor want to read the genesis of how the story came about. Mit dem antiken Stoff ist die DDR-Gegenwart der Autorin Christa Wolf verflochten: Ob es um den Aufbau eines Spitzelsystems, um das Wettrüsten oder um Kriegspropaganda geht, stets schimmert der Ost-West-Konflikt durch. Can there be spoilers in a book about a Woman who could see the future but was never believed? Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers Christa Wolf hüpft in den Zeiten umher aber das macht nichts, denn so fügt sich die Geschichte langsam zusammen und es passt auch, da Kassandra ja kurz vorm Sterben ist und sich nochmals an alles erinnert, was sie erlebt hat. She wrote in her accompanying essay, “Before Cassandra opens her mouth we have learned, In 1980, the distinguished East German writer Christa Wolf took a trip to Greece along with her husband, Gerhard. Kerine Wint is a software engineering graduate with more love for books than for computers. I see merit in fragmented scenes and stream-of-consciousness writing, but had this not been required of me to read, I would've burnt it. "Cassandra" is a re-imagining of the Trojan War, as recounted by King Priam's daughter, Cassandra, a priestess whose destiny is to be able to predict the future, but never to be believed. [Christa Wolf; Jan van Heurck] -- 'Cassandra is fierce and feverish poetry that engages with the ancient stories while also charting its own path. End of World War II (1945)-- use of… We’d love your help. Phenomenally speaks on themes of privilege, complicity, and the police state that resonate very strongly today, in addition to giving a unique and female twist to the mythology. Kassandra. ‘Cassandra’ is the second Christa Wolf novel that I decided to read for Christa Wolf week which is part of this year’s German Literature Month. What she gives us as answer is this book made up of a historical novel and 4 essays about the character and her aspects as woman and myth. Rather disappointed after her other works that I've read. She finds herself spending time in the forest in a kind of utopian/feminist/egalitarian community where people have created a space between all of the killing and dying. From a Women's Studies point-of-view, this novel has a multitude of well-known female 'characters' from Greek mythology and Wolf has many new takes on what are considered the core facts of these myths. According to Greek mythology, Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo after she promised to become his consort. During a trip to Greece with her husband in the early 1980s, Christa Wolf (1929-2011) began reading Aeschylus The Oresteia during a flight delay. The story is incredible and moving and is a perfect example of good literature that is very political in some ways. I loved the imaginative language of this novel and Cassandra's perspective on her own struggles and mistakes. Abstract: Novel retells the story of the fall of Troy from Cassandra's point of view. The essays attempt to give a reader an insight into the author's working process, but these fail too for much the same reason: they don't necessarily show the reader how the author developed her novella, and also have no definitive s. While I admit the book is an interesting look and study on the re-imagining of a character, as a piece of fiction it fails in many ways. Can there be spoilers about the matter of Troy? In 1982 she was awarded a guest lectureship at the University of Frankfurt, where in May she delivered a series of five "Lectures on Poetics" relating to her Greek travels and studies. Wolf's story of Cassandra draws on several different veins of the Troy myth as well as references the Cold War. The belief that Troy won't fall helps to dupe the Trojans into bringing the famous gift horse inside the city's walls. The novel itself is gripping, and it alone probably would have been five stars from me. From a Women's Studies point-of-view, this novel has a multitude of well-known female 'characters' from Greek mythology and Wolf has many new takes on what are considered the core facts of these myths. Fascinated she pursued Fascinated she pursued Cassandra, the daughter of the Trojan King Priam and his wife Hecuba, a priestess who had to sacrifice her virginity and who could foresee the future but whose foretelling nobody would believe. [ that she couldn't continue to love him if he is going to become a 'hero' and a survivor-at-all-costs which she equates with the faction who have taken power and made her father the King a puppet. Christa Wolf tells us this book began with a question: Who was Cassandra before anyone wrote about her? Published August 18th 2008 by Suhrkamp (first published 1983. Kassandra by Christa Wolf, Christa Wolf, C. Wolf, unknown edition, i love her. On top of all this, the book reads as slow as molasses dripping from the bottom of the bottle, and it's hard to recall what you just read a few pages ago and does not lend itself to the put-down/pick back up again reading method. Novelist, short-story writer, essayist, critic, journalist, and film dramatist Christa Wolf was a citizen of East Germany and a committed socialist, and managed to keep a critical distance from the communist regime. Kassandra beruht auf der Geschichte der trojanischen Königstocher, von der Aischylos in der Orestie berichtet. This is so difficult to get through, and I have the balls to say that it's the writer's fault for not writing it well. Because we're so well-acquainted with those characters and their relationships to the gods, their motivations and the lessons learned from the destruction of Troy, for me the novel was the least interesting part of the book. by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Kassandra by Christa Wolf, Christa Wolf, C. Wolf, 1984, Farrar, Straus, Giroux edition, in English Her encounter with Cassandra began as she begins to read Aeschylus’s ‘Oresteia’ upon waiting for her flight to Greece at Berlin Schoenefeld airport. The story is incredible and moving and is a perfe. Swiss composer Michael Jarrell has adapted the novel for speaker and instrumental ensemble, and his piece has been performed frequently. What she gives us as answer is this book made up of a historical novel and 4 essays about the character and her aspects as woman and myth. Kassandra is een roman uit 1983 van de Duitse schrijfster Christa Wolf.De roman gaat over de Trojaanse Oorlog geschreven vanuit het perspectief van de mythologische figuur Cassandra.. Volgens Wolf is het idee voor Kassandra per toeval ontstaan, tijdens een reis naar Griekenland.Wolf woonde destijds in de Duitse Democratische Republiek en had als een van de weinige DDR-auteurs de … I have a distinct memory of first translating the Agamemnon and how difficult Aeschylus’s Greek is to unpack. I'm not the biggest lover of historical fiction, especially going this far back in time, and although I admired Wolf's writing and her feminist, antiwar message here, Greek mythology isn't something that I'm likely to return to any time soon. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. She wrote in her accompanying essay, “Before Cassandra opens her mouth we have learned: The war against Troy is over.” And furthermore, “Whose side is Aeschylus on, really?”. ?Kassandra, Kassandra The 1992 German documentary film, The Black Box (T. Trampe and J. Feindt), as of now the only film to explore the operations and legacy of the Stasi, the notori please sign up When Christa Wolf's Medea: Stimmen appeared in 1996, some critics accused the work of being little more than a pale repetition of the earlier Kassandra project. ?Christa Wolf, Voraussetzungen einer Erz?hlung: Kassandra Forgotten people know about each other. It has since been translated into a number of languages. I moved to Colombia and left the book in Canada, which delayed reading the last essay by several months, and I celebrated Black History Month, which meant that I set aside all literature by anybody who wasn't black, even if only for a month. Home » Germany » Christa Wolf » Kassandra (Cassandra). Christa Wolf has written an excellent book that deals with the issues of the East/West German divide in an Ancient Greek setting. This was a lesson plan I developed for Christa Wolf's novella Cassandra, which I was tasked with teaching during a graduate course on Greek Tragedy and its Legacy. Mit ihrem Ringen um Autonomie legt sie Zeugnis ab von weiblicher Erfahrung in der Geschichte. When she predicts the future her friends and family treat her as nothing more than a babbling and a raving mad woman. “I had gone back to being myself. Cassandra is most famous in Greek mythology for possessing the gift of prophecy but this unique gift came with one problem: no one ever believes her true predictions. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for KASSANDRA By Christa Wolf at the best online prices at eBay! Word Count: 269. The essays attempt to give a reader an insight into the author's working process, but these fail too for much the same reason: they don't necessarily show the reader how the author developed her novella, and also have no definitive structure in the writing. This text is an imaginative repositioning of the classical tragic figure Cassandra. It has since been translated into a number of languages. Complete summary of Christa Wolf's The Quest for Christa T.. eNotes plot summaries cover all the significant action of The Quest for Christa T.. ngl, i didn't Really finish the book bc i didn't get through all of wolf's essays. ?Cassandra, Cassandra da? As we know, the Iliad calls her the loveliest daughter of Priam, king of Troy. Translation of: Kassandra and Voraussetzungen einer Erzählung Cassandra -- Conditions of a narrative : Cassandra. Kassandra, an album by Christa Wolf on Spotify We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. I'm not the biggest lover of historical fiction, especially going this far back in time, and although I admired Wolf's writing and her feminist, antiwar message here, Greek mythology isn't something that I'm likely to return to any time soon. While I admit the book is an interesting look and study on the re-imagining of a character, as a piece of fiction it fails in many ways. Christa Wolf's stream-of-consciousness account of the mythological Cassandra, imprisoned and waiting to be executed by the vengeful Clytemnestra, is a fascinating study of an ancient world, of patriarchy, and of a universal humanity. Cassandra: A Novel and Four Essays by Christa Wolf, translated by Jan Van Heurck, presents the fall of Troy and its aftermath through the first-person point of view of Cassandra, a daughter of Priam and Hecuba, the king and queen of Troy. This work deals with the well known story of the Trojan War but through the first person viewpoint of Cassandra, the most famous of the Trojan royal family's many daughters, who was doomed to prophecy the fall of the city but to never be believed. Refresh and try again. I've read most of the essays, which I found interesting. In the process she explores women's relationship to the ‘Word'—that is, to language in general, and to the religious myths and histories which have defined women and their place in society. The four accompanying pieces describe the novel's genesis. tbh idk if you needed all of them there. Prolistujte stránky knihy, přečtěte si recenze čtenářů, nechte si doporučit … In the time since I have read the essays, though that has taken a good deal of time. tbh idk if you needed all of them there. She's killed along with him by the wife Clytemnestra who still grieves for her daughter Iphigenia, sacrificed by Agamemnon so the gods would give him wind to propel the Greek fleet to Troy. As an East German citizen, she’s one of the few privileged to be able to travel outside of the DDR and the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War. there's also always a lot t. ngl, i didn't Really finish the book bc i didn't get through all of wolf's essays. As an avid reader, writer, and fan of all things... To see what your friends thought of this book. Find Kassandra by Wolf, Christa at Biblio. Kassandra (Audio Download): Christa Wolf, Christa Wolf, Der Audio Verlag: Amazon.com.au: Audible It is told in a stream-of-consciousness style as Cassandra is held prisoner in Mycenae and she pieces together what has happened in the lead up to the fall of Troy. 1. Yes, it's confusing for the first 30 pages or so but as the puzzle pieces start to slide together, you'll quickly see that it's definitely worth it. . But the parts in the narrative in which Cassandra is speaking were a nice break because oftentimes she just rants and raves; the various “oi” and “oimoi” noises she makes are a welcome respite from the complex grammatical structures of Aeschylus’s sentences. Last Reviewed on June 19, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. also had no idea the eighties felt so apocalyptic. Mythos und Recht, Poetik und Politik in Christa Wolfs Kassandra-Projekt (Cold War, Gendered: Myth and Law, Poetics and Politics in Christa Wolf's Kassandra Project) (October 31, 2019). was charmed by the idea of a novel that doesn't feel complete if it doesn't have supplementary essays bound up with it, though.