By pursuing an ecocritical reading, The Forest in Medieval German Literature examines passages in medieval German texts where protagonists operated in the forest and found themselves either in conflictual situations or in refuge. By probing the way the individual authors dealt with the forest, illustrating how their characters fared in this sylvan space, the role of the forest proved to be of supreme importance in understanding the fundamental relationship between humans and nature. The medieval forest almost always introduced an epistemological challenge: how to cope in life, or how to find one's way in this natural maze. By approaching these narratives through modern ecocritical issues that are paired with premodern perspectives, we gain a solid and far-reaching understanding of how medieval concepts can aid in a better understanding of human society and nature in its historical context. This book revisits some of the best and lesser known examples of medieval German literature, and the critical approach used here will allow us to recognize the importance of medieval literature for a profound reassessment of our modern existence with respect to our own forests.
Acknowledgements Introduction and Theoretical Reflections: The Forest as an Epistemological Challenge in the Middle Ages Chapter One: Hartmann von Aue's Concept of the Forest: The Arthurian Adventure in the Forest and the Consequences Chapter Two: The Forest as Staging Ground for the Heroic Protagonist: Glory and Demise in the Nibelungenlied Chapter Three: The Forest in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Works: The Passage from the Arthurian Court to the Grail Kingdom Through the Forest Chapter Four: The Forest in Gottfried von Strassburg's Tristan and in Alternative Tristan Versions Chapter Five: The Forest in Der Melerantz von Frankreich by The Pleier Chapter Six: The Forest as the Transitional and Transformative Space in Konrad von Wurzburg's Partonopier und Meliur Chapter Seven: The Ambivalence of the Forest: Exile or Safe Haven? The Destiny of the Female Protagonist Refracted in the Forest: Elisabeth von Nassau-Saarbrucken's Koenigin Sibille Chapter Eight: Forest in Thuring von Ringoltingen's Melusine: Dark Spaces, Mysterious Origins, Meaningful Connections: The Forest and the Establishment of Dynasties Epilogue Bibliography Index
