Drescher, Michael Rodegang
Poets of Protest

Mythological Resignification in American Antebellum and German Vormärz Literature.

Narratological readings of Hawthorne, Gutzkow, Brown, and Heine reveal the literary democratization of mythologies. - Michael Drescher analyzes national mythologies in American and German literature. He focuses on processes of mythological resignification, a literary phenomenon carrying significant implications for questions of identity, democracy, and nationalism in Europe and America. Precise narratological analyses are paired with detailed, transnational readings of Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter", Gutzkow's "Wally, die Zweiflerin", Brown's "Clotel, or the President's daughter", and Heine's "Deutschland. Ein Wintermärchen". The study marries literature, mythology, and politics and contributes to the study of American and German literature at large. 311 Seiten mit 20 Abb., broschiert (American Culture Studies; Vol. 18/transcript Verlag 2017)