A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'

In the extensive tradition of adaptations of the Medea myth in German-speaking literature Paul Heyse’s novella Medea (1898) has been often overlooked. However, the fact that it is the first text to introduce the tragic heroine from classical mythology as ‘black’ gives it particular relevance. This c...

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Main Author: Bartel, Heike
Format: Article
Published: Wiley 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31078/
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author Bartel, Heike
author_facet Bartel, Heike
author_sort Bartel, Heike
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description In the extensive tradition of adaptations of the Medea myth in German-speaking literature Paul Heyse’s novella Medea (1898) has been often overlooked. However, the fact that it is the first text to introduce the tragic heroine from classical mythology as ‘black’ gives it particular relevance. This contribution provides an analysis of the text with emphasis on Heyse’s portrayal of the Medea/Wally character at the interface of late nineteenth-century discourses about race, colonial politics, female sexuality and social class. Die deutschsprachige Literatur weist eine lange Tradition von Adaptionen des Medea-Mythos auf, in der Paul Heyses Novelle Medea (1898) jedoch häufig übersehen wird. Die Tatsache, dass dieser Text der erste ist, in dem die tragische Heldin der griechischen Mythologie als ‘Schwarze’ dargestellt wird, verleiht ihm jedoch eine besondere Bedeutung. Der folgende Beitrag liefert eine Analyse des Textes mit Schwerpunkt auf Heyses Darstellung von Medea/Wally im Schnittpunkt der Diskurse um Kolonialpolitik, Rasse, weibliche Sexualität und soziale Klasse am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts.
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spelling nottingham-310782020-05-04T20:23:36Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31078/ A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea' Bartel, Heike In the extensive tradition of adaptations of the Medea myth in German-speaking literature Paul Heyse’s novella Medea (1898) has been often overlooked. However, the fact that it is the first text to introduce the tragic heroine from classical mythology as ‘black’ gives it particular relevance. This contribution provides an analysis of the text with emphasis on Heyse’s portrayal of the Medea/Wally character at the interface of late nineteenth-century discourses about race, colonial politics, female sexuality and social class. Die deutschsprachige Literatur weist eine lange Tradition von Adaptionen des Medea-Mythos auf, in der Paul Heyses Novelle Medea (1898) jedoch häufig übersehen wird. Die Tatsache, dass dieser Text der erste ist, in dem die tragische Heldin der griechischen Mythologie als ‘Schwarze’ dargestellt wird, verleiht ihm jedoch eine besondere Bedeutung. Der folgende Beitrag liefert eine Analyse des Textes mit Schwerpunkt auf Heyses Darstellung von Medea/Wally im Schnittpunkt der Diskurse um Kolonialpolitik, Rasse, weibliche Sexualität und soziale Klasse am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Wiley 2011-01 Article PeerReviewed Bartel, Heike (2011) A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'. German Life and Letters, 64 (1). pp. 56-70. ISSN 1468-0483 Medea Classical Mythology Myth Reception Paul Heyse German Literature http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0483.2010.01519.x/abstract doi:10.1111/j.1468-0483.2010.01519.x doi:10.1111/j.1468-0483.2010.01519.x
spellingShingle Medea
Classical Mythology
Myth Reception
Paul Heyse
German Literature
Bartel, Heike
A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'
title A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'
title_full A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'
title_fullStr A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'
title_full_unstemmed A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'
title_short A Medea called Wally: race, madness and fashion in Paul Heyse's novella 'Medea'
title_sort medea called wally: race, madness and fashion in paul heyse's novella 'medea'
topic Medea
Classical Mythology
Myth Reception
Paul Heyse
German Literature
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31078/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31078/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31078/