The Myth of Charlemagne in the History of Premodern German and Dutch Literature

FAIN: FT-61426-14

Albrecht Classen
Arizona Board of Regents (Tucson, AZ 85721-0073)

This project will trace the development of the myth of the Germanic/Frankish ruler, Charlemagne, crowned Roman emperor in 800, in the history of German literature from ca. 1100 to ca. 1600. While the historian Klaus Oschema recently undermined the modern and rather popular assumption of Charlemagne having been the founder of the concept of Europe (Bilder von Europa, 2013), people are still, and perhaps more than ever before, striving for investing in this myth for political purposes. Only a few generations after Charlemagne's death in 814, both medieval France and medieval Germany rose out of the Frankish empire. On both sides the reference back to Charlemagne as their respective founder and forefather was of greatest significance. However, the image of Charlemagne changed throughout the time. Being a member of an international research team of medievalists, I have been charged with writing the book on the concept of Charlemagne in medieval German literature.

Associated Products

The Myth of Charlemagne: From the Early Middle Ages to the Late Sixteenth Century (Article)
Title: The Myth of Charlemagne: From the Early Middle Ages to the Late Sixteenth Century
Author: Albrecht Classen
Abstract: This is a study about the myth formation regarding Charlemagne in theoretical and cultural-historical terms. The concept of myth is examined in light of the role which this Carolingian Emperor plaid throughout the entire Middle Ages, esp. in medieval German and Dutch literature and the arts.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://www.charlemagne-icon.ac.uk/further-reading/
Primary URL Description: scholarly articles on the topic of Charlemagne reception
Access Model: open access on webpage
Format: Other
Publisher: webpage of the Charlemagne Society, Bristol and Edinborough: http://www.charlemagne-icon.ac.uk/further-reading/

Reading Medieval European Women Writers: Strong Literary Witnesses from the Past (Book)
Title: Reading Medieval European Women Writers: Strong Literary Witnesses from the Past
Author: Albrecht Classen
Abstract: Despite a modern tendency to describe medieval women as suppressed and marginalized, a critical reading of relevant texts by female poets/writers demonstrates that women all over Europe in the premodern era enjoyed considerable freedom to express themselves and to contribute to the literary discourse of their time. This book brings together representative poets from Germany, England, France, Spain, Hungary, and Austria and thus develops an innovative pan-European perspective spanning from the tenth to the sixteenth century. Well-known writers are as much included as some rather little studied individuals, who all form part of a strong choir of female voices.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/25457?format=EPDF
Publisher: Peter Lang
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9783653067415
Copy sent to NEH?: No

The Innovative Perception of Space (Europe) in Late Medieval German Literature The Spatial Turn in Light of Eleonore of Austria’s Pontus und Sidonia (ca. 1450-1460) (Article)
Title: The Innovative Perception of Space (Europe) in Late Medieval German Literature The Spatial Turn in Light of Eleonore of Austria’s Pontus und Sidonia (ca. 1450-1460)
Author: Albrecht Classen
Abstract: The meaning of space with respect to human beings finds vivid expression in literary texts throughout world history. But even though literary protagonists travel on a regular basis and thus experience themselves and the reality around them quite dramatically, space remained a rather vague dimension far throughout the Middle Ages. By the fifteenth century, however, we recognize a noteworthy paradigm shift regarding the perception and relevance of space as a relevant entity determining the individual’s life, as reflected by poets and writers across Europe. After reviewing how most medieval poets dealt with space, this phenomenon is then discussed particularly in light of Eleonore of Austria’s Pontus und Sidonia (ca. 1450–1460), where the western world of Europe in its geo-political dimension emerges perhaps more clearly than ever before and where space in concrete geo-political terms matters significantly, setting a new tone which would lead over to the early modern age and facilitated an astounding popularity of this novel far into the eighteenth century.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11059-016-0347-8?wt_mc=Internal.Event.1.SEM.ArticleAuthorOnlineFirst
Primary URL Description: Neohelicon Journal article
Access Model: Subscription / Purchase
Format: Journal
Publisher: Springer Netherlands

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