Review

Author(s): Winder McConnell

Review by: Winder McConnell
Source: MLN, Vol. 100, No. 3, German Issue (Apr., 1985), pp. 680-683
Published by: Johns Hopkins University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2905545
Accessed: 28-11-2015 06:27 UTC

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/
info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Johns Hopkins University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to MLN.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 138.73.1.36 on Sat, 28 Nov 2015 06:27:15 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
680 REVIEWS

Wagener gives short shrift to the lyric and what he terms the "outright
tastelessness" of the gallant poets, but this matter is clarified in George
Schoolfield's essay surveying poetry in the baroque period.
This anthology deserves to become a standard reference work because
of its breadth and the authors' ability to present lucid and incisive per-
spectives on the complexities of German baroque literature.

Ball State University LATHROP P. JOHNSON

W. T. H. Jackson(t), The Hero and the King: An Epic Theme.

New York: Columbia University Press, 1982. viii + 141 pages.

"No epic could be composed unless, in some way, it embodied the con-
frontation between the hero and the king" (p. 138). So concludes this study
by the late W. T. H. Jackson, a book which should lay the groundwork
for more extensive examinations of a theme which the author believed
integral to the "determining of epic structure" (p. vii). Jackson offers a
wide spectrum of examples, derived from the Iliad and the Odyssey,the
Aeneid, Beowulf, the Nibelungenlied, the Chansonde Roland, and El Cid. Each
of these epics, he maintains, evinces, in its own way, the dichotomy be-
tween the declining ruler (or pseudo-rulers, as in the case of the Odyssey)
"faced with a younger man bent on establishing a reputation" (p. vii). The
means, and even the motivation of the latter may be diverse, but the
pattern remains consistent. The conflict between the personalities of the
established king and the intruder-hero, or their respective values, is
common to all of the epics studied.
Jackson's analyses of these conflicts will raise any number of questions,
some of them anticipated by the author. On p. 5 he states that "[t]here is
no major epic in which the hero is not in some sense an exile." This may
be stretching the meaning of the word a bit far. Siegfried is no exile, even
if he is a foreigner (p. 5). It might be contended, however, that his
"otherness," owing to his sojourn in the Otherworld (later referred to by
Jackson as the "underworld") and his apparently unsuccessful attempt to
become fully reintegrated into the society he left behind, sets him notably
apart from other men. He is, most certainly, an intruder, but his intrusion
is not limited to Worms.
Jackson recognizes that "[t]he status of Roland in the Chansonde Roland
is even more difficult to reconcile with that of an exile" (p. 6), although
"his opposition to Charlemagne and hence to the ruling establishment" is
considered to be "a characteristic which he shares with all the exiles we
have mentioned" (p. 7). It is not really important, however, to establish
that all the heroes in question are exiles, but simply to demonstrate that
there is something in their nature which creates the conflict between them
and the weak kings upon whom they intrude from without.

This content downloaded from 138.73.1.36 on Sat, 28 Nov 2015 06:27:15 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 M L N 681

The study is inextricably linked with the problem of the weak, decadent,
or irresponsible king in literature. Agamemnon, as Jackson claims, is only
"the first in a long line of epic kings who are unable to carry out their
functions" (p. 13). (The same might be said, of course, of certain kings in
medieval romance, including Arthur.) The problem of kingship is some-
thing which all of the epics discussed deal with in some manner or another.
A strong, resolute king would preclude many of the "intrusions" from
without, but such figures are a rarity in the epic landscape. Both Dido
and Aeneas, for example, are guilty of giving up kingship "for sexual
indulgence" (p. 19). In the Nibelungenlied, a more determined Gunther
might have avoided the image of an impotent has-been (at least in the
first half of the epic). His consistent lack of resolve, beginning with his
incapacity to deal adequately with Siegfried when the latter first arrives
in Worms, sets the stage for a conflict with the intruder-hero which cul-
minates in the carnage of the final cantos of the epic.
One may feel that Jackson is a bit too severe in his judgment of
Hrothgar, King of the Danes, in Beowuif He may not be in a position to
"defend his people" (p. 29) against the Otherworld monsters, and one
may concur that it is indeed time for him to step aside and let a younger
man fill his place, but it is difficult to agree with the statement that
"Hrothgar is afraid of the consequences of Beowulf's success" (p. 31), at
least in the sense intended by Jackson. Beowulf is not Siegfried. At no
time does he convey the impression that he would lay claim to Hrothgar's
throne or his territories. The Danish king may be physically tired, but the
advice which he imparts to Beowulf concerning the danger of pride is
indicative of the fact that with age he has also acquired wisdom. Hrothgar,
unlike so many other king-figures in literature, plays a key role in the
spiritual development of the younger hero. He functions not as part of a
dichotomy between decadent king and intruder, but rather in a comple-
mentary capacity. As his example of Heremod illustrates, the greatest
danger to both the individual and society may come from within, not from
without.
The reader can sympathize with Jackson's consternation over the nature
of Siegfried in the Nibelungenlied. Who, or what, is he, in essence? "It is
never possible to be sure whether this warrior, the greatest in the north-
west Germanic tradition, is really what tradition says he is and what he
imagines himself to be or whether he has been corrupted by the ethic of
romance and is concerned not with the great political questions of kingship
and public policy but only with individual prowess and fame and the
winning of his lady by love-service" (p. 40). "The Conflict between Hero
and King," as Jackson entitles the first 109 pages of his study, could not
be more poignantly illustrated than in the relationship that prevails be-
tween Siegfried and Gunther. One may agree that Siegfried must die
because he is "a constant danger to the Burgundian court, to King
Gunther," and to Hagen (p. 46). Opinions may vary, however, on whether

This content downloaded from 138.73.1.36 on Sat, 28 Nov 2015 06:27:15 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
682 REVIEWS

Siegfried is really "a true hero" and Gunther "a true king" (p. 52). If
awareness of one's role in society or of one's impending fate, that is to
say, the spiritual factor, is in any way considered integral to a hero's
stature, Hagen is assuredly worthier of the appellative than Siegfried, and
his de facto leadership of the Burgundians as they journey to the court
of Attila and in their final hours, tends to cast Gunther into a subordinate
role while his liegeman fulfils the obligations of a Germanic warrior-king.
An important observation is that "'[h]eroic' action is ... inimical to a
stable society, even though a majority of individuals may support it" (p.
70). Of Roland in the Chanson de Roland, Jackson maintains that he is "the
representative of self-centered, 'heroic,' and destructive behavior" (p. 63),
while Ganelon, Achilles, and Turnus in the Aeneid pursue a course that is
"destructive, based as it is on a personal, anti-social attitude" (p. 69). The
epics which constitute the cycle of Guillaume d'Orange portray the hero
as "an intensely physical person, greedy in his appetites, terrible in his
rages, uninhibited in his speech, and violent in his actions" (p. 77). What
emerges in many instances is not simply the image of a young intruder-
hero who is determined or destined to usurp the power of an older,
decadent monarch, but rather a basic destructive dichotomy between two
forces which has the potential of destroying society per se. "Only in the
Cid can we say that society takes on new life.... The Cid wishes to enter
into the old society, not shatter it or even reshape it" (p. 92).
Jackson devotes the final twenty-eight pages of his book to a commen-
tary on "The Conflict and the Nature of Epic." Based on his analyses of
epics ranging from the Iliad to El Cid, the author's claim that the hero-
king conflict is "a determining factor in the structure of the works" (p.
111) appears justified. The hero brings movement, more often than not
of a malevolent nature, to an otherwise static society which, because of its
impotent king, enjoys, at best, a precarious stability. More attention might
have been accorded the relationship of several of these heroes to the
Otherworld (see p. 132), but this, in itself, as David Blamires has dem-
onstrated in his study on Herzog Ernst, could easily provide enough ma-
terial for another book. Jackson's concluding remarks include an astute
allusion to the fact that "[i]n general the epic is pessimistic about succes-
sion" (p. 137). He is aware, of course, that this is not the case in El Cid
and the Odyssey,but an extensive examination of how this idea manifests
itself in the remaining works might make it possible to arrive at more
substantial criteria for determining the nature of "heroic epic" as a genre.
The value of this little book lies in the manner in which the author has
drawn together diverse sources to underscore his belief that "the essential
structure of epic poetry is determined," in a universal sense, by the op-
position of the intruder-hero to the static king (p. 138). The arguments,
presented in a succinct, unconvoluted style, are largely convincing, al-
though the inclusion of the Odysseyand El Cid among the works considered
may evoke certain reservations among medievalists (including the present

This content downloaded from 138.73.1.36 on Sat, 28 Nov 2015 06:27:15 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 MLN 683

reviewer) concerned with establishing a more reliable generic definition

for "heroic epic."

Universityof California at Davis WINDER McCONNELL

Christa Kamenetsky, Children'sLiteraturein Hitler's Germany.

Athens: Ohio University Press, 1984.

What is one to make of a book from a major university press on children's

literature in Hitler's Germany which identifies:
a) Stefan George [presumably] as "Heinrich George" (22);
b) The "Reichsschrifttumskammer" as the "Reichsliteraturkammer"
(32, 237);
c) The S.A. as "Schutzstaffel" (201, 356);
d) The "Reichsarbeitsdienst" as the "Reichsarbeiterdienst" (21, 22,
354);
e) "Gemeinnutz geht vor Eigennutz" as "Gemeinnutz geht ueber Ei-
gennutz" (40);
f) The Nazi writer Karl Springenschmid as "Karl Springerschmidt"
(170);
g) Die Insel Felsenburg [presumably, since its author, J. G. Schnabel, is
not identified] as "Insel von Felsenburg"(3); and
h) Der Ring des Nibelungen as "Der Ring der Nibelungen" (further con-
firming the error by its translation: "Ring of the Nibelungs") (96)?
Due to space limitations, I cite here only a very small sample of only
one category of mistake: those which look almost like typographical errors,
but which, in their accumulation, begin to cause some doubts about the
scholarly quality of the book. Purposely excluded from this list is another
category of error-in this book there are something like a hundred of
these-which liberal benefit of doubt might more properly ascribe to poor
editing and proofreading than to ignorance.
It is possible, given enough bad luck, that these failings-like its pro-
nounced stylistic infelicity-might also have occurred even in an otherwise
excellent book, where such things would then fade to the level of mere
annoyance. Alas, that is not the case either. Here there is both smoke and
fire: small problems and large problems. The following example is typical:
On pages 302 and 303, in the very last chapter, certain data about
publishing trends in the Third Reich are introduced which seem to over-
turn completely the argumentation (though lack of clear argumentation
is one of the book's problems) of the preceding 300 pages. For 300 pages
we are allowed to think that the Nazis proceeded efficiently and ruthlessly
with their Gleichschaltungof the children's book industry: the authors, the
schools, the libraries, the publishers. Yet now, in the last chapter, we learn
for the first time that the best-selling children's books in Hitler's Germany

This content downloaded from 138.73.1.36 on Sat, 28 Nov 2015 06:27:15 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions