Repositori URV

Identifier: TDX:553

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX553

Authors:
Schmähling, Klaus-Peter

Abstract:
The thesis contains 546 pages and deals with satirical poetry in German language between 1871 and 1890 - a period so far widely neglected in anthologies, history books and scientific publications. It attempts to demonstrate that contrary to common opinion a very lively, widespread culture of satirical poetry did exist in these two decades, and that satirical poems at that time actually covered a wide variety of different and even quite individual satirical styles. Having chosen a concept of satire that followed the usual kind of definition as given in the encyclopaedias of the second half of the 19th century - i. e. satire understood as a kind of public mock-game and as such a combination of criticism and entertainment (chapter 2) - , a textual body of 134 satirical poems was established in order to get a textual basis for interpretation. Three quarters of the texts of this new anthology presented in the annex of the thesis either had never been published in books before (and was found in old newspapers and magazines) or is currently not available in other than antiquarian books.The main four chapters of the thesis describe the communication culture with satirical poems seen from different perspectives: Chapter 3 is about the reception of satirical poetry in these two decades. Contrary to popular belief satirical poetry played a more important role in public communication than ever before. Concentrating in the culturally leading cities of the time (Berlin, Vienna, Munich), but also very widespread in the small towns and every socio-cultural ambience, a multitude of satirical supplements or magazines existed never seen before as far as quantity and variety is concerned. While women were supposed to read other types of poetry, reading satirical poems undoubtedly formed