| CODE | GRM5112 | |||||||||
| TITLE | The Popular Reception of a Classical Author: The Case of Friedrich Schiller | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | German | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Together with Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Friedrich Schiller (1759 -1805) epitomizes the literary and cultural movement known as the “Weimarer Klassik” – the German Classicism of Weimar -- which culminated in their friendship and close literary collaboration during the years 1788-1805. This period is considered by many as the "golden age" of German literature. The study-unit shows how (a) Schiller's canonized classical works and (b) the "Schillerkult" (the passionate and respectful veneration which characterized both his academic and popular reception over the centuries), were for a long time appropriated, used and misused by various factions and opposed political movements to promote their own political ideologies. Schiller is not only the famous author of numerous poems, plays and essays that belong to the canon of German literature. Already towards the end of his life, and especially after his death, the German-speaking peoples, living in the chaotic "patchwork quilt of principalities" (Uwe A. Oster) in a Germany which did not yet exist as a nation, started treating him like a god. He was seen and portrayed as a lofty idealist and an outstanding moral authority, and at the same time the standard-bearer of both liberal sentiment and German patriotism. In the absence of a political leader able to direct the democratic movements among Germans yearning for unity, freedom and justice, this leadership role was repeatedly assigned to the author Schiller. He was depicted as the symbol of the ethical ideals and aspirations of citizens who were not yet united politically but who felt that they shared the essential common linguistic and cultural qualities and values to form a nation (hence the idea of a "Kulturnation"). Many saw him as a moral leader and, at the same time, the herald of the forthcoming unified nation -- in every respect an overwhelming national hero. As Gerhard Ueding put it, Schiller was turned "into that marble statue of superhuman proportions behind which the poet himself could not but disappear". On the other hand, no German author was so unashamedly used and misused for partisan purposes as Schiller. During the 19th century and in the first decades of the 20th century, liberals, patriots, militant nationalists and extremists showered exorbitant praise on the author and his works, constantly strengthening the "Schiller cult" and "Dichterverehrung" (adoration of the poet) among all classes of German society . Concurrently, the fame and unqualified respect that Schiller's figure enjoyed -- and it was often precisely this popular, received image that made him so untouchable -- was exploited by the different factions, all of whom appropriated his idealism and avowing that it supported precisely their respective cause. Study-unit Aims The study-unit focuses on Schiller's dramatic fragment DIE MALTHESER. The action of the planned tragedy centres on the heroic defence of Fort St. Elmo during the Great Siege of Malta of 1565. In it Schiller wanted to explore in depth fundamental themes such as the difficulties of judgement and the agony of choice. However, because of its idealistic topic (a small group of resolute men who sacrifice what is dearest to them for a "noble cause" in which they ardently believe), DIE MALTHESER was particularly open to manipulation of the type mentioned above. Taking DIE MALTHESER and its reception as a concrete example, the study-unit will discuss how an author's work can be distorted, at times beyond recognition. The abuse of Schiller and his works reached its peak during the Nazi dictatorship, the most notorious example being Hans Fabricius' book "Schiller als Kampfgenosse Hitlers" (Schiller, Hitler's Comrade in Arms) of 1932. DIE MALTEHSER is at the centre of other publications of the period, notably Walter Linden's essay ‘Schiller und die deutsche Gegenwart' (Schiller and today's Germany) of 1934. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: recognise how the standing of a popular, highly respected, indeed venerated classical author (in the sense of the German term "Dichterverehrung" -- the worship/adoration of a poet), much admired for his noble, ethical ideals, was exploited by different groups to their advantage. By focussing on DIE MALTHESER, the student will be guided to follow the diverse (at times drastically conflicting) interpretations which various interest groups gave to a small and relatively unknown, unfinished work by Schiller. The student will be confronted with what Prof. Lesley Sharpe, one of the leading Schiller experts in the U.K., called “the terrible usability of Schillerian texts for political propaganda"; this should lead to a discussion of the characteristics of the texts themselves (which allow for this kind of usability) and the theories and strategies underlying the diverse interpretations. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - analyze the strategies with which the canonical works AND the personality of such an acclaimed classical author as Schiller could be exploited and, particularly, how even respected critics contributed (not necessarily intentionally) to this exploitation; - reflect critically on the nature of literary works AND the esteem enjoyed by their authors that can be manipulated according to the requirements of the respective age and the ideologies of different interest groups; - move on to relate to other works of literature AND their authors to demonstrate, critically, how they may be equally susceptible to distortion and manipulation by those who want to promote their own interests. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings Bradford, Ernle, The Great Siege: Malta 1565 (London: Penguin, 1964) OR the German version: Der Schild Europas. Der Kampf der Malteserritter gegen die Türken. - Cortis, Toni (ed.), The Maltese Cross: Background to an Opera on the Mystery of Schiller’s DIE MALTESER (Malta: Malta University Publishers, 1995). - Freller, Thomas, 'The Epitome of Europe' - Malta in der Reiseliteratur (Frankfurt am Main: Lang, 2002), especially Vol. 2, pp. 771--812. - Friggieri, Albert, 'Friedrich Schiller DIE MALTHESER (The Knights of Malta)', pp. 3—83 (Translation of Schiller’s dramatic fragment – Parallel text German-English), in Cortis (ed.), 1995. - Friggieri, Albert, 'Schiller’s DIE MALTHESER', pp. 85—110, in Cortis (ed.), 1995. - Mallia-Milanes, Victor, ‘Fra Jean de la Valette 1495-1568 – A Reappraisal’ in Cortis (ed.), 1995, pp.117–29. - Martinson, Steven D. (ed.), A Companion to the Works of Friedrich Schiller (Rochester NY: Camden House, 2005). - Reed, T. J., Schiller (Oxford: Oxford University Press). - Richter, Simon (ed.), The Literature of Weimar Classicism = Camden House History of German Literature, Vol. 7 (Rochester NY: Camden House, 2005). - Riley-Smith, Jonathan S. C. (ed.), The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995). - Sharpe, Lesley, Friedrich Schiller: Drama, Thought and Politics (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1991. - Vertot, Abbé René Aubert de, The History of the Knights of Malta (London, 1728), repr. as a facsimile edn in two vols (Malta: Mid Sea Books, 1989), translated from the French original, Histoire des Chevaliers Hospitaliers de - Saint Jean de Jérusalem, appellés depuis les Chevaliers de Rhodes et aujourd’hui Chevaliers de Malthe (Paris: Rollin, Quillau et Desaint, 1726) – especially Volume 2, pp. 173ff. Books XII and XIII. Use the 1989 repr. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | |||||||||
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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