Ian F. Roe

Coding and Word Order of Sentences with Dummy- es in a Valency Dictionary for English-Speaking Learners of German

A problem in the formatting and coding of entries in a valency dictionary for learners of German is the need to reflect the flexibility of German word order without having recourse to a multiplicity of potentially confusing symbols. In sentences with dummy- es and postponed nominative subject or subject clause, failure to code and indicate the position of the subject may be vital (even if the subject might otherwise be omitted in coding), as errors of the type * Jetzt besteht es kein en Grund, daran zu zweifeln frequently occur. This paper summarises the way the problem has been addressed in earlier valency dictionaries and in a number of standard grammars of German before suggesting strategies for coding and layout with the aim of compiling entries that are easy to understand but which help learners to avoid these and related errors.

Franz Grillparzer : a century of criticism

Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872) was the leading Austrian dramatist of the nineteenth century; his plays were and are frequently performed at the famous Burgtheater in Vienna. However, his works have always eluded easy definition; he himself acknowledged that his plays were shaped by many different literary influences. Critics agree only that he is a fascinating synthesis of contrasting elements, and recently the modern aspects of his work have been stressed, such as his questioning of moral absolutes and his refusal to offer easy solutions. The psychological realism of his character portrayal and the subtleties of his language also reveal Grillparzer as a writer whose stylistic characteristics foreshadow those of modern literature. In this first comprehensive survey of the critical literature devoted to Grillparzer, Dr Roe highlights the main critical debates and provides a chronological account of the developments, through misunderstanding or neglect, to his political appropriation by the Nazis, and the recent domination of sociological and psychoanalytical schools of thought.