Arminius the Liberator: Myth and Ideology

by Martin M. Winkler

Overview

Arminius the Liberator deals with the complex modern reception of Arminius the Cheruscan, commonly called Hermann. Arminius inflicted one of their most devastating defeats on the Romans in the year 9 A.D. by annihilating three legions under the command of Quintilius Varus in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, as it is generally if inaccurately called. This book traces the origin of the Arminius myth in antiquity and its political, artistic, and popular developments since the nineteenth century. The book's central themes are the nationalist use and abuse of history and historical myth in Germany, especially during the Weimar Republic and National Socialism, the reactions to a discredited ideology involving Arminius in post-war Europe, and revivals of his myth in the United States. Special emphasis is on the representation of Arminius in visual media since the 1960s: from painting and theater to cinema, television, and computer animation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190252915
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/03/2015
Pages:	382
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Martin M. Winkler is University Professor and Professor of Classics at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Adages

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction: History, Myth, Media
History as Myth and Ideology
The Fate of History in the Time of the Image

I. From History to Myth to Ideology
1. Origins of Myth: Arminius in Ancient Literature and in German Scholarship a. Ancient Historians and Poets b. Modern Historians
2. Backgrounds to Twentieth-Century Ideology a. Theme and Variations: Arminius from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Centuries b. Arminius' Largest Monument: The Hermannsdenkmal
3. Arminius in National Socialism a. From Nationalism to National Socialism b. Arminius Conscripted into "Break-Through Battle"
c. Arminius and Hitler d. Excursus: Hitler as Coriolanus

II. Ideological Victories: The Defeat of Varus on the German Screen
4. Nationalism at a Boil: Die Hermannschlacht a. Arminius' First Screen Appearance b. Patriotic Poetry at the Premiere c. "Hail Arminius! Savior of Germany!"
d. Contemporary Reactions e. Critical Assessment
5. National Socialism: Romans and Germans in Ewiger Wald a. Cinema for the Volk b. The German Forest Defeats Rome c. Homo cinematicus et ideologicus Views History

III. The Death and Resurrection of Ideology
6. Historical Myth on Screen in the 1960s: With and Without Ideology a. Romans and Barbarians b. The Liberator Liberated from Ideology: Il massacro della foresta nera
7. Against Ideology: History Exorcised a. Anselm Kiefer and the Cleansing of Myth b. Claus Peymann: The Empty World c. Arminius on the Postmodern Screen: Die Hermannsschlacht d. Background: Hermann and Tacitus in German Humor e. Screen Comedy: Hermann the Bavarian and the Fall of Rome
8. After Ideology: History as Infotainment a. Home Schooling: History Lessons on Television b. Armin's Arminius: History for Kids c. Sir Arminius, the Toff
9. History Without Ideology: Media and Spectacle a. Parallel Heroic Narratives: Novels and Films b. Will Arminius Conquer the Screen Again?
c. Arminius Animated
10. Arminius in the New World a. George Washington as American Arminius b. Arminius and White Supremacy

Appendices
1. The Chief Ancient Accounts of the Defeat of Varus a. Velleius Paterculus, Compendium of Roman History 2.117.2-120.5
b. Florus, Epitome of Roman History 2.30 [4.12.29-39]
c. Cassius Dio, Roman History 56.19-22.2
2. The Lyrics of Die alten Deutschen
3. Paul Warncke, Vorspruch zum Hermannsfilm
4. The Main Texts of the Program Book for Die Hermannschlacht
5. Two Poems Addressing Hitler During His Election Campaign
6. The Nazi-Era Lyrics of Gab's darum eine Hermannschlacht?
7. Text Excerpts: Hermann and the Hitler Youth


Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"The book is very well organised, well written, nicely illustrated and a pleasure to read. It provides a comprehensive overview of ways in which the story of Arminius has been understood and transformed for many different purposes from the sixteenth century to today." — Peter S. Wells (University of Minnesota), Britannia Vol.48

"This is a fantastic compendium of material concerning Arminius, bound together with cogent argumentation and composed in a most agreeable style, and should be of interest for both its specific subject and its broader lessons concerning the transformation of history into myth... The text is lavishly illustrated with photographs, reproductions of film posters and programs, and still images from films, all of which complement the vivid discussion of their imagery and representation." — Matthew Taylor (Beloit College), Phoenix: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada.

"Overall, this is a fantastic compendium of material concerning Arminius, bound together with cogent argumentation and composed in a most agreeable style, and should be of interest for both its specific subject and its broader lessons con- cerning the transformation of history into myth." —Matthew Taylor, Phoenix

"The book is very well organised, well written, nicely illustrated and a pleasure to read. It provides a comprehensive overview of ways in which the story of Arminius has been understood and transformed for many different purposes from the sixteenth century to today. It leads the reader to think about other instances of heroes of the past, some more real than others, such as Boudica, King Arthur and Robin Hood, all of whom have been used and transformed over the centuries. ... W.'s book provides an excellent series of examples that can help us to think critically about the process of presenting the past." —Peter S. Wells, Britannia

"...the book will be a useful contribution to classical reception literature, but also to the history of ideas and the social history of propaganda, of which it is a study in its own right." —Richard Warren, The Journal of Roman Studies

"Professor Winkler's book offers an object lesson in the use and abuse of the 'national hero.' This study makes a large corpus of German scholarship more accessible to the anglophone world, and will no doubt be an important resource for scholars of history, reception, media and political science." —David Cuff, Ryerson University and York University

"Winkler's book is a very expansive and detailed study of Arminius himself, his life and achievements..." -Herbert W. Benario, Emory University

From the Publisher