The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum

Due Date: 8th April 2005

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum

Long Essay

Question 2: Knowing about the writer of a literary text can shape significantly the way that it is read. Consider the effect of the writer’s context on your understanding of The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum.

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum is the product of a political and social genius: it is a

comment on Germany and society in general and is, as its author, Heinrich Boll would

have it described, “a pamphlet disguised as a novel” . It was written, not just to

entertain, but above all, to criticise the society in which it was produced. It is therefore

impossible to fully understand the major ideas and themes of the text, and even, to and

extent, the storyline itself without some knowledge of the milieu in which it was

composed. Being aware of the context in which The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum was

produced