Individual in a New Society: A Study of Selected «Erzaehlungen» and «Kurzgeschichten» of the German

The individual in a new society is a dominant theme in the literature of the German Democratic Republic. This study investigates the presentation and portrayal of the individual in his relationship to his work, his collective, and other aspects of socialist society in a number of selected «Erzählungen» and «Kurzgeschichten» written in the GDR between 1965 and 1972. Part A deals with the role of work, the collective, and the theme of change. Part B concentrates on three groups of individuals commonly portrayed: The emancipated woman, the outsider, and the «positive» hero.