Redefining Reality: Friedrich Wolf as Communist Movement Rhetor

Abstract

This dissertation examines the dramatic works of Friedrich Wolf from the time of his joining the German Communist party in 1928 until his flight from Germany in 1933. Because Wolf sought to spread the Communist message with these works, this study will use methodology from the study of social movement rhetoric to divine the extent to which the playwright crafted a complete message, i.e., presented a complete and coherent Communist redefinition of society, in them. This analysis reveals that Wolf provided a thorough redefinition of present events and situations, yet he failed to adequately redefine the future, inasmuch as he did not present a plan to overcome this problem nor provide an image of the future utopia which would exist after that plan succeeded. This dissertation furthermore provides insights into factors both political and literary which influence Wolf's suasory focus and shortcomings.