German Studies Lecture Series with Sarah Bowden

Dr. Sarah Bowden of King’s College, London, joined the German Studies Lecture Series on January 12, 2021. She presented a fascinating chapter from her upcoming manuscript on the nature of confession writing and performance in medieval Germany. Featuring readings in Middle High German and images of beautiful manuscripts, Dr. Bowden argued that confessional texts in the vernacular present a dazzlingly novel use of the German language, a literariness driven by the creativity of writing about sin. In Dr. Bowden’s words, her aim is "to foreground the way in which recognition of sinfulness, both personal and human, functions as an impetus for the writing of texts as well as formal, linguistic and intellectual creativity.”

Dr. Bowden will be teaching a seminar at Stanford on Medieval German Literature in Spring Quarter.