Alker, Marietta Alice

The nineteenth century Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau used
strange associations of words and ideas which are reminiscent
of the bizarre combinations of realism and fantasy the surrealists
used at the beginning of the twentieth century. Categories of
surrealistic devices are set up, and surrealistic paintings and
the poetry of Lenau are discussed using these guidelines.

Various cultural distortions and biases are present in German
language textbooks and they could influence the student's conception
of the target language and culture. Current first and second level
German language textbooks used in high schools, community colleges,
and universities in Florida were studied. The results showed that
most cultural distortions involve bisexual and anti-artistic biases.
Compared to older German language textbooks, today's materials
manifest less bias and contain a greater variety of cultural selections.
Since cultural distortions and biases could hinder the teacher's
attempt to introduce the student to a well-rounded understanding of
the German language and culture, several techniques could be applied
to compensate for biases: 1. The teacher should call the student's
attention to the generalizations and stereotyping found in the books.
2. The teacher should design his or her own material to be devoid of
chauvinism. 3. Students should be encouraged to read German newspapers
and magazines to be able to draw their own conclusions according
to their abilities and maturity.