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Luther and the Reformation of Public Discourse

Cable, Timothy J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1276890073

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, German.
This thesis traces the link between Martin Luther and the Enlightenment by examining Luther's thought in the context of advances in communication technology. In response to traditional Luther studies, which have tended to be freighted with theological presuppositions and traditional modes of interpretation, I base my study on a close-reading of Luther's "Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen" ("On the Freedom of a Christian") and use my reading of this text to argue that the advent of printing caused humans to change the way they see themselves, in that communication via print seems to call for a distinction between public role and private individual. To examine the political implications of this new concept of human identity, I compare "Freiheit eines Christenmenschen" to Immanuel Kant's "Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklaerung?" ("An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?") and argue that the roots of the Enlightenment reach back as far as Luther. Finally, using Heinrich von Kleist's novella "Michael Kohlhaas" as a parable of what both Luther and the Enlightenment wrought, I examine the broader consequences of Luther's concept of public discourse and its relationship to Enlightenment thought.
Edgar Landgraf, PhD (Advisor)
Geoffrey Howes, PhD (Committee Member)
66 p.
German literature
Public Discourse; Reformation; Enlightenment; Martin Luther; Immanuel Kant; Heinrich von Kleist; Von der Freiheit eines Christenmenschen; Was ist Aufklaerung; Michael Kohlhaas

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cable, T. J. (2010). Luther and the Reformation of Public Discourse [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1276890073

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cable, Timothy. Luther and the Reformation of Public Discourse. 2010. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1276890073.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cable, Timothy. "Luther and the Reformation of Public Discourse." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1276890073

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1276890073
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© 2010, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.