"In the recent German literary movement we find a great many tendencies and a remarkable lack of unity." This was the introductory statement from which Klaus Mann developed his thesis of the youth movement of Germany, in Emerson Hall before an appreciative audience of considerable size last night.

After pre-war naturalism and the succeeding expressionism had disappeared, the young Germans found themselves without a unifying literary style. "Style is the result of a movement." Mr. Mann explained, "and in France the younger generation believed that search for a common goal was sufficient to create a movement, surrealism.

"The Germans however are stricter and need a more definite tendency than mere unity of purpose. It is best not to speak of those nationalistic and militaristic groups that unite in hatred of France; it is this group, strong in sport and materialism, that looks with distrust upon any movement tending to ward the liberation of thought and spirit."