170508 UE Theatricality and Identity Politics (2022S)

The course deals with the connections between theatricality and commemorative culture using the example of the Austrian reception of Friedrich Schiller. Friedrich Schiller’s popularity in the 19th century is characterized by a political usurpation of the poet at bourgeois memorial celebrations. Especially the festivities on the occasion of Schiller’s 100th birthday in 1859 signify the highpoint of these honourings. They assumed the character of mass demonstrations and seemed like a utopian imagination of a bourgeois and national unity, that had failed in the political reality. The festivities which were celebrated throughout Europe and even in parts of North America on the one hand reflect the contemporary political and social crisis. On the other hand, they shed light on the collective desires and illusions. Based on the great Schiller-festivities in 1859 the impact on Austrian history of literature and theatre will be discussed. Therefore, adaptions of Schiller’s dramas, biographical plays, parodies, commemorative speeches, etc. will be read. They will give us an idea of the multifaceted picture of a German classic.