Austria´s Schiller

Friedrich Schillers 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 Schillers 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 Austrian reception of Schiller as a classic of German literature had its roots in a delayed enthusiasm in the second half of the century. While there are numerous relevant studiesexamining the ideological functionalisation of Schiller in Germany, they are almost entirely lacking within the Habsburg Monarchy. The Schillerfeier of 1859 in Vienna in the context of political and social crises appears as a distinct phenomenon, in which the collective aspirations and illusions of the German-Austrian bourgeoisie are reflected. The interdisciplinary research project is dedicated to the following tasks: It shall be the first research on the Viennese Schillerfeier of 1859, thereby creating a methodical link between theatrality and culture of remembrance examining previously overlooked forms of political staging in various festive spheres and situations. It is also an aim to question a change of perspective of reception control regarding the later unveiling of the Schiller monument in 1876 and the Schillerfeier of 1905. The innovative aspects of the project lie on the one hand in a contribution to the lacking fundamental research on the Austrian reception of Schiller in the 19th century. On the other hand, yet unexamined archive material should be analysed for investigating the staging of the festivities. Therefore, questions regarding Austrian identity, and the historiography of Austrian literature and theatre will also become evident. The project shall be carried out at the Institute for Theatre Studies at the FU Berlin (15 months, Supervision: Prof. Matthias Warstat), that for years has had a focus on the interplay and convergence of theatricality and festive culture, and related reflections including challenging the idea of cultural identity. Cooperations with the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, the Goethe- und Schillerarchiv and the Literaturarchiv Marbach should lead to research visits. During a return phase at the Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies (9 months, University of Vienna, Supervision: Prof. Stefan Hulfeld) research will be concluded. The aim of the project is to issue a study on the Austrian reception and functionalisation of Schiller in the 19th century.

Friedrich Schiller's popularity during the 19th century is characterized by a political by political entities coopting the poet at bourgeois memorial celebrations. Especially the festivities on the occasion of Schiller's 100th birthday in 1859 signify the highpoint of this worship. They assumed the character of mass demonstrations and appeared like an utopian imagination of a bourgeois and national unity, that had failed in the political reality. The Austrian reception of Schiller as a 'classic' of German literature had its roots in a delayed enthusiasm in the 19th century. While there are numerous relevant studies examining the ideological functionalisation of Schiller in Germany, they are almost entirely lacking for the Habsburg Monarchy. The 'Schillerfeier' of 1859 in Vienna in the context of political and social crises appears as a distinct phenomenon, in which the collective aspirations and illusions of the German-Austrian bourgeoisie are reflected. Therefore, the interdisciplinary research project was dedicated to the following objectives. On the one hand, it analysed the Viennese 'Schillerfeier' of 1859. For this purpose, a methodical link between 'theatrality' and 'culture of remembrance' was created. The festivities in and outside the theatres were considered and described as 'cultural performances,' and the research focused on the generating processes of production and performance. Literary scholarship on Schiller's reception that concentrated on the relationship between text and reader as well as on intertextuality in the writing process was complemented by a theatre studies perspective that analyses the image of Schiller as it was portrayed and developed through theatrical performances and cultural festivals. The study thus dealt with forms of reception that hitherto have been considered as 'popular' or 'trivial' although they were also responsible for the canonisation of Schiller's works as the continuous interest of intellectual elites. On the other hand, it aimed to question a change of perspective regarding the later unveiling of the Schiller monument in 1876 and the 'Schillerfeier' of 1905. The project was carried out at the Institute for Theatre Studies at the FU Berlin (Host: Prof. Matthias Warstat), that for years has had a focus on the interplay and convergence of 'theatricality' and festive culture. Findings at the 'Goethe- und Schillerarchiv' provided unexplored archival sources. The 'return phase' was executed at the Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies at the University of Vienna.