Der Baum als Symbol fuer das Selbst in der modernen Literatur (German text, Annette von Droste-Huelshoff, Bertolt Brecht)

The Tree plays an important role in modern literature as a symbol for the self. In its capacity as a symbol both for unity (The Tree of Life) as well as for the loss of unity (The Tree of Knowledge), the image of the tree has proved itself an ideal vehicle for poetic insight into the essential nature of humanity and the crisis of the Western individual. The symbolic potential of the tree-gestalt is demonstrated in the analysis of two main literary examples in which this symbolism, shown to be deeply rooted in mythology and religion, is of pivotal importance. These are "Die Judenbuche", a novelle by Annette von Droste-Hulshoff and "Baal", an early play by Bertolt Brecht.