Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harvey, David

Keywords

Myth, German Nationalism, 19th Century

Area of Concentration

Economics

Abstract

This thesis sketches the developing interest in the role of myths in the construction of a German national identity in the writings of Johann Herder, Johann Fichte, Richard Wagner, and Friedrich Nietzsche. By properly situating these intellectuals in their historical and intellectual context, this thesis examines the way in which the four thinkers refined and mobilized a conception of myth as an essential aspect of the German national identity. Moreover, this thesis explores crucial continuities and recurring themes traversing the work of these four intellectuals, as well as some key differences and breaks. By means of this investigation, this thesis argues that within the nineteenth century German nationalist discourse, myth came to be understood as a decisive instrument of cultural normalization and, ultimately, political unification.

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