Rene Schickele and Alsace: Cultural Identity between the Borders PDF
Preview Rene Schickele and Alsace: Cultural Identity between the Borders
René Schickele and Alsace Cultural Identity between the Borders Áine McGillicuddy C I S 11 Cultural Identity Studies Peter Lang Born into a German-French bilingual environment, the once renowned German-language author René Schickele (1883–1940) grew up in the Alsace region − today located in eastern France − during its annexation to the German Empire when links to French culture were frowned upon. In the aftermath of the First World War the situation was reversed when Alsace was reclaimed by the French Republic. In both these phases of its troubled history, Schickele insisted on the importance of Alsace’s right to retain its double cultural heritage between the borders of its powerful rival neighbours and on its potential, as mediator between France and Germany, to promote peace in Europe. These issues are addressed in a critical discussion of a range of Schickele’s works. His controversial wartime drama Hans im Schnakenloch affords a wry but penetrating insight into issues of identity in Alsace under German rule up to the war, while his socio-political essays and a novel trilogy, Das Erbe am Rhein, were written against the backdrop of the malaise alsacien and life under French rule. The historical background to the work is examined in detail as it is intimately bound up with the issues of cultural identity that Schickele explores in his writings. Áine McGillicuddy is a lecturer in German Studies in the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies, Dublin City University. www.peterlang.com René Schickele and Alsace Cultural Identity Studies Volume 11 Edited by Helen Chambers PETER LANG Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien Áine McGillicuddy René Schickele and Alsace Cultural Identity between the Borders PETER LANG Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche National- bibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: McGillicuddy, Áine, 1970- René Schickele and Alsace : cultural identity between the borders / Áine McGillicuddy. p. cm. -- (Cultural identity studies ; 11) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-3-0353-0063-5 (alk. paper) 1. Schickele, René, 1883-1940--Criticism and interpretation. 2. Identity (Psychology)--Cross-cultural studies. 3. German literature--France--Alsace-- History and criticism. 4. Alsace (France)--In literature. I. Title. PT2638.I22Z778 2010 838’.91209--dc22 2010042494 ISSN 1661-3252 ISBN 978-3-0353-0063-5 © Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2011 Hochfeldstrasse 32, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland [email protected], www.peterlang.com, www.peterlang.net All rights reserved. All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems. Printed in Germany For Tim and Anna Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Questions of Nationhood and Cultural Identity in France, Germany and Alsace (1870–1914) 15 Chapter 2 The Wartime Drama Hans im Schnakenloch 63 Chapter 3 Alsace between the Wars – Politics and Cultural Identity 141 Chapter 4 Schickele and Inter-War Alsace – Selected Essays and the Novel Trilogy Das Erbe am Rhein 187 Conclusion 261 Bibliography 265 Index 285
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