Defeated in World War I, living in a troubled and insecure peace, Germans under the Weimar Republic were a ready audience for fantasy writers who envisioned victorious wars of revenge or German renewal through wondrous technology. Largely ignored by the literary establishment, these writers created an immensely popular mass literature, the Zukunftsroman (futuristic novel), that was a potent ingredient in the simmering stew of resentment, frustrated nationalism, political irrationalism, and economic distress underlying the ...
Read More
Defeated in World War I, living in a troubled and insecure peace, Germans under the Weimar Republic were a ready audience for fantasy writers who envisioned victorious wars of revenge or German renewal through wondrous technology. Largely ignored by the literary establishment, these writers created an immensely popular mass literature, the Zukunftsroman (futuristic novel), that was a potent ingredient in the simmering stew of resentment, frustrated nationalism, political irrationalism, and economic distress underlying the Nazi rise to power. In Fantasy and Politics Peter S. Fisher explores the popular culture of the Weimar Republic. He identifies common motifs and themes in the work of thirty fantasy novelists, sets them in the context of political events and ideas, and examines their popular influence. German fantasy novels, he demonstrates, provide invaluable perspectives on the ideological and psychological roots of the Weimar Republic's highly emotionalized politics, especially some of its uglier racist and Messianic strands. The Zukunftsroman was primarily the province of German right-wing ultranationalists, who were able to tap the emotional wellsprings of Weimar thought and fill the explosive spiritual vacuum at its core. However, at the opposite end of the political spectrum, socialist visionaries either exhorted their readers to brace themselves for a final battle with capitalism or wrote pacifist warnings of the terrors of modern warfare. The preference for the world of fantasy over reality, Fisher contends, was paralleled by an inclination to value action over thought and emotion over reason. The Weimar Zukunftsroman , he concludes, reveals a cultural drift toward irrationalism that manifested itself politically in the call for dictatorship.
Read Less
Add this copy of Fantasy and Politics: Visions of the Future in the to cart. $10.00, good condition, Sold by First Class Used Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rockaway Beach, MO, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of Wisconsin Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Signed by Author 289 pages including index. Inscribed, daded (June 15, 2004) and signed by author of fep. There are no other marks or writing in the book. Numerous black and white photographs. Wear to the edges and the corners. Top corner front cover has crease. No reading creases on the spine. Spine is tight and there are no loose pages. Cover colors are bright.
Add this copy of Fantasy and Politics: Visions of the Future in the to cart. $225.17, good condition, Sold by Phatpocket Limited rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham Abbey, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1991 by University of Wisconsin Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some stamps and wear, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
