German Experts?

[tombstone]

I am writing an Urban Fantasy that deals with WW 2 and German history. Any German history experts out there?

[alisonbeightol]

Not an expert but studied quite a bit in college and read about it a lot. Also my UF deals with a person from WWII germany

[tombstone]

I am not so much worried about language so much as having my characters feel authentically german, as well as my world. Have you found your German character troubling at all Alison?

[alisonbeightol]

Very. I have had periods where I don't want to submit my manuscript because of him. But I think it's me. I did quite a bit of research for him so I could get to know him a bit better. However I don't think anyone truly knew him. If you want me to read pages I'd be more than happy to. Just PM me.

[tombstone]

Thanks, I will remember that . . . right now I am still in early stages of the book, not quite ready to have people read pages yet. Might I ask what your book is about?

[EvaBrick]

Hi tombstone!

Generally speaking, Germans have an odd sort of humour... "bathroom" jokes go over well... they also think it's funny when people hurt themselves. They're very efficient and they like nice things... fancy watches, cars, etc. Germans like folk music and love to sing in loud groups. Because of the nature of the German launguage, they sound bossy when they speak English. For example, they'll say, "We demand that our customers park where we tell them," instead of "Customers are free to use the designated parking area."

Hope that helps.

Source: Meine Großmutter ist deutsch.

[longknife]

I'm certainly no "expert" but spent 9 years in Germany and Austria, learned German at the Defense Language Institute.
EvaBrick gave some good comments. But, Germans vary a great deal due to which part of Germany/Prussia they come from. And, there are some strong regional biases. I was there before the fall of The Wall so cannot talk about those who lived in the east.

Generally, I found Germans to be very formal with strangers or even those outside their social circle. But, within the family, they are quite open and fun-loving.
Austrians, on the other hand, while German, are far more laid back and receptive.

In both societies, class/status plays a huge part in interaction.

[tombstone]

I so appreciate everyones comments. thanks.