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Max Frisch II: Go away and return home in the work and the life of Max Frisch
Max Frisch II: Vom Weggehen und Heimkehren in Werk und Leben
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:19:11
Abstract
In the way water flows towards the Ocean Max Frisch saw a hidden invitation to follow his own inner watercourse way, to give in to his longing for wide open skies and distant horizons. He once called this feeling “homesickness for foreign lands.”Based on his texts and the stations of his life, it is to be shown here how he himself and some of his characters were molded by these emotions.
Objective
During his whole life the Sea held a special fascination for Max Frisch. Quite early on, he saw in the way water flows towards the Ocean a hidden invitation to follow his own inner watercourse way, to give in to his longing for wide open skies and distant horizons. He once called this feeling “homesickness for foreign lands.” Based on his texts and the stations of his life, it is to be shown here how he himself and some of his characters were molded by these emotions.
Content
It is March 1946, early in the day. A man is sitting on the square in front of the Basler Münster. With his eyes he follows the Rhine, “as it flows by in a silvery bend”. This quiet observer is Max Frisch. Years of enclosure are behind him; a mere ten months have passed since the end of World War II. The view abroad, across the border, where a threat had been lurking for so long, appears now in a new perspective; and unexpectedly this same view transforms also his own accustomed surroundings. With surprise, the diary-writer looking at the familiar Muenster experiences “the sudden sense of being in a foreign town”. Long suppressed images and feelings now well up and crowd into consciousness. Longing for foreign lands means longing for home – and vice versa. Such opposing views have left traces in the life and work of Max Frisch.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- DS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Max Frisch II: Vom Weggehen und Heimkehren in Werk und Leben
mit Lesungen, s. separater Anschlag
|
|
1 h weekly |
| colloquium | Max Frisch II: Vom Weggehen und Heimkehren in Werk und Leben |
|
1 h weekly |
Offered In
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Compulsory Electives GESS (Categorically all students at ETH Zurich are required to obtain 8 credit points (ECTS) within the frame of this elective course program throughout their studies; 6 credit points during the bachelor and 2 for the master. Some of the lectures are part of other departments’ curricula. Further information can be found in the course catalog or at the particular student offices.)
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