Antihero: the Fascination
DOI 10.6094/helden.heroes.heros/2015/01/01
Ann-Christin Bolay – Andreas Schlüter 5
Antihero: The Fascination
1. quantitatively: In a Google search of over 5 mil- lion scanned books with over 500 billion words The difficulty of analysing heroic figures is some- (Sarasin 154) one can determine the frequency where between that of a Herculean labour and a in which ‘antiheroes’ appear (cf. Sarasin 164). Sisyphean task. And it is not any easier to get a The rise in the frequency of ‘Antiheld,’ ‘antihero’ grasp of antiheroes. Currently there are no ex- and ‘antihéros’ may not be identical in the cor- 3 tensive studies on the phenomenon ‘antihero’,1 pus of each language but they are similar if its genealogy or the extent of its usage, which one draws on the graphic realization of the data is why we are entering rather uncharted terri- produced by Google [Image]. The chosen seg- tory with this edition of helden. heroes. héros. ment from 1900 to 2008 shows that the term was In this uncharted territory many questions have almost entirely non-existent in the corpora until th been raised: Do antiheroes always need heroes the mid-20 century when in the 1960s its usage as opponents? In being called an antihero, is it surged simultaneously in all three languages, merely a matter of negating the heroic? Are they plateauing in the 1970s. The term’s usage has like heroes in that they disturb order, transgress- not waned since. The apparent attractiveness of ing norms and behaving competitively? Are they antiheroes can also be read in expressions of figures that are primarily understood and formed swarm intelligence: The online Urban Dictionary, through their reception, i.e., through their narra- in which anyone can add their definitions of Eng- tive and medial construction and promulgation? lish terms, reads in one entry from October 25, Do they require a following or even a community 2005: the ‘anti-hero’ is “much more int[e]resting” of admirers? Where are those elements consti- than traditional heroes because, as another au- tutive for heroes modified and where do specifi- thor commented on July 10, 2004, “[q]uite sim- cally antiheroic habitus patterns develop? ply, antihero[e]s rock” (Urban Dictionary). The The authoritative lexica help little in defin- popular enthusiasm for this term is especially ing this term. In the largest dictionaries of this observable in literature and film (cf. Ofenloch). e-journal’s three languages, the lemma ‘antihero’ But how can we determine what constitutes is not often found, and when it is, the definition an antihero? We attempt this via negation (cf. is often brief and seldom offers any satisfactory Bröckling in this issue). According to Niklas Luh- description: The ‘Antiheld’ is a figure “die sich mann negation costs time and energy: the inher- durch Anpassung und Ausgeliefertsein vo[m] ent negation in ‘antihero’ a priori creates greater … Helden unterscheidet” (Wahrig, Krämer and complexity while the positive term remains com- Zimmermann 272); the ‘anti-hero’ “the opposite parably easier to define (Luhmann 201). Never- or reverse of a hero” (Simpson and Weiner 525) theless, the positive term does serve as a stabile and the ‘antihéros’ “[un] [p]ersonnage n’ayant foil of reference for any negation because the aucune des caractéristiques du héros tradition- sense is in no way lost through the negation but nel” (Robert 590).2 In light of the inherent inde- merely transformed (ibid., cf. Brombert 1). With terminacy of the heroic, these unspecific opposi- regard to the figures of the hero and antihero this tions provide no clarification. means even if antiheroes have begun to triumph Despite this finding antiheroes are ubiquitous over heroes in contemporary popular culture and in Western societies today, leading one scholar the positive concept of ‘hero’ has been forced to describe the present as the “age of the anti- into the background, the hero remains a defining hero” (Klapp 97). This rise can also be observed prototype even despite its negation.
helden. heroes. héros. Ann-Christin Bolay, Andreas Schlüter
6 Are we then forced back to the definition of the they become morally reprehensible, ridiculous hero in order to decipher the matrix of the anti or absurd. In imagining a ‘borderline figure’ who hero because it is total negation of the hero? makes the boundary between heroic and anti- We propose in this issue that not every nega- heroic qualities and behaviour fluid, it becomes tion of the heroic results in the antiheroic: in- clear, however, how fast the shift can occur from stead of considering him as the expression of one categorization to the other: constructing the all indeterminate negation of the heroic, which antihero is always dependent on the categoriz- only leads to a blanket generalization (Luhmann ing subject and his context. 205), only those figures will be designated anti The articles in this issue have been written heroes that are antithetical to the heroic in a from the perspectives of various disciplines and very definite sense. We propose developing look at different medial, temporal and spatial phe- this definite negation (cf. ibid.) from the prefix nomena. Hence, they do not provide a complete ‘anti-’, which has been greatly influenced by its picture or simple implementation of this exposi- usage in the Christian tradition (van Tongeren et tion. Some do build on this attempt to define the al. 57): for compounds with this prefix, the Anti antihero while others consider marginal aspects. christ set the precedent. The Antichrist is not simply a non-Christian or pagan but a figure who stands eye to eye with the positive original figure of Christ (Hartman 20). Both share the excep- 2. tional sphere of sacred-transcendent; both use extraordinary abilities in contentious situations The three papers of the first chapter approach that are distinguishable only through their clas- the antihero by outlining a definition; looking for sification as divine or demonic. Similarly, we also (literary and) historical manifestations or distin- propose when defining the antihero that he be guishing him from similarly connoted and relat- distinguished from the indeterminate, general- ed figures. With the goal of SURVEYING THE ized negation of the hero, i.e. the non-hero. Ac- FIELD the papers focus on certain phenomena cordingly, the antihero must be involved in the that are alternatives to the heroic. From the heroic sphere to the extent that he – in the ‘de- perspectives of sociology, literary studies, liter- monic’ sense – leaves the realm of profane eve- ary history and philosophy, they approach this ryday life, the leisure-time lack of motivation, and previously unexplored terrain and determine enters the sphere of the exceptional, in which he various starting points for the exploration of is able to perform the extraordinary with remark- the antihero. While Ulrich Bröckling attempts able skills and means. to typologically differentiate three basic modali- We intend to link this sphere of supernatural ties of heroic negations and contrasts the pos- or, rather, exceptional effectivity with the term sible figural manifestations in tabular form,Nora ‘fascination’, which we regard as a fundamental Weinelt examines the contradictory nature of element of the heroic. From the Ancient Greek the terms ‘hero’ and ‘antihero.’ She connects baskánein, ‘fascination’ means the ‘evil eye’ that the appearance of the antihero to an increas- captivates its target bewitching and harming him ing subjectification of the heroic and notes the but also able to positively win him over (Wein- differences between the figures of the antihero gart, Degen, Richter in this issue). In this origi- and the non-hero. Dietmar Voss characterizes nal sense of the word, the antihero possesses a the antihero as a problematic type whose unique ‘visual charm’ drawing attention to himself and currency has become especially pronounced in stirring emotions without being immediately un- the modern age – as a critical alternative to the derstandable. As ‘fascination,’ the antihero al- Antique heros and to the heroic concepts of the th ways stands in relation to a counterpart, an ob- 20 century. server or object of the charm. Therefore, effect, The second chapter expands on these theo- interaction, function and reception are central to retical perspectives in select case studies. The understanding this term. six papers serve to take CORE SAMPLES of In evaluating the antihero’s deed there is, the field and approach various figurations of however, a fundamental difference to the hero. the antihero from the Late Middle Ages to the While the hero’s deed generally has a positive present. Each investigates manifestations of the connotation because it serves a good purpose antiheroic in the analysis of concrete figures from (even if it is an act of violence), the deed of the history, literature and film. Alice Spinelli dis- antihero is subject to moral and ethical criticism. cusses the varying appraisals of a figure like that The heroic habitus and deed become twisted; of the antihero Astolfo in the romance epics from
helden. heroes. héros. Antihero: The Fascination the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. She also Two brief papers, one by Reinhard Nachtigal 7 shows how Astolfo’s name encourages his styli- and Konstantin Stenin about a rediscovered zation as an antihero. Amélie Richeux identifies Russian novel that bears some similarities to a notable manifestation of the antihero, the mor- Heinrich von Kleist’s Marquise von O… and al deviant, in her paper on French criminological the other by Martin Dorka Moreno on Neil case narratives. She explains the reinterpreta- MacGregor’s London exhibition, his radio pro- tions a criminal experienced in the discourse re- gram on BBC and his book Germany: Memories garding competency and criminal liability in the of a nation, conclude the issue. 19th century. Andreas J. Haller examines two historical figures from the Wild West focusing on Ann-Christin Bolay is a research assistant on the literary reception of their fatal relationship. Project B8 of the Collaborative Research Center He demonstrates how closely connected heroic 948 at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg and is and antiheroic behaviour are to one another. currently working on Heroisierungsstrategien in Jörn Münkner compares the protagonists of a der Biographik des George-Kreises. German and a Polish novel from the post-war Andreas Schlüter is a research assistant on period with regard to their roles in the historical Project C2 of the Collaborative Research Center context. He shows the collision of these figures 948 at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg and with the societal expectations made of them to is currently working on Wandel des Heroischen act heroically. Two final papers have taken the bei adligen Militärs in England und Frankreich antiheroine as the object of their study. Stefanie (1580–1630). Lethbridge analyses the protagonist of the liter- ary and film trilogyThe Hunger Games in her di- 1 The masculine generic is used in this issue of the e-journal. alectical role between victimization and heroiza- Unless otherwise noted, both male and female denotations tion. Combining both male and female qualities, are intended. Katniss Everdeen challenges traditional heroic 2 For the prevalence of such definitions see Brombert 1f. concepts. Heike Schwarz characterizes the pro- and Wulff 7. tagonist in Woody Allen’s filmBlue Jasmine as a 3 The surprising, sharp rise in French since the 1990s re- psychopathological antiheroine at odds with her- quires further explanation. self and society’s expectations of her. Her great- est opponent is the imperative of the American dream. In the third chapter, again, three papers con- Works Cited clude the approaches to the figure of the antihero by exploring the peripheries of the antiheroic. „Anti-Hero“. 10. Juli 2004, 25. Oktober 2005. In the sense of setting BOUNDARIES to the Urban Dictionary. 10. April 2015.
helden. heroes. héros. Ann-Christin Bolay, Andreas Schlüter
8 Klapp, Orrin: Opening and Closing. Cambridge: van Tongeren, Paul u. a. „anti“. Nietzsche-Wör- Cambridge UP, 1978. terbuch. Band 1: Abbreviatur – einfach. Hg. Luhmann, Niklas. „Über die Funktion der Nega- Nietzsche Research Group (Nijmegen). De tion in sinnkonstituierenden Systemen.“ Positi- Gruyter, Berlin u. a. 2004: 49–75. onen der Negativität. (Poetik und Hermeneutik, Weingart, Brigitte. „Blick zurück. Faszination als 6). Hg. Harald Weinrich. München: Fink, 1975: ‚Augenzauber‘.“ „Es trübt mein Auge sich in 201–218. Glück und Licht“. Über den Blick in der Litera- Ofenloch, Simon. „Antihelden als Superhelden. tur. Festschrift für Helmut J. Schneider zum 65. Superhelden als Antihelden. Die Pseudo-Co- Geburtstag. (Philologische Studien und Quel- micfilme der Darkman-Reihe und Hancock.“ len, 221). Hg. Kenneth S. Calhoon und Helmut Comic.Film.Helden. Heldenkonzepte und me- J. Schneider. Berlin: Schmidt 2010, 188–205. dienwissenschaftliche Analysen. Hg. Barbara Wulff, Hans J. „Held und Antiheld, Prot- und An- Kainz. Wien: Löcker, 2009: 17–33. tagonist: Zur Kommunikations- und Texttheorie Robert, Paul. „Antihéros“. Le Grand Robert de la eines komplizierten Begriffsfeldes. Ein enzyklo- Langue Française. Band 1: A – Char. Hg. Alain pädischer Aufriß.“ Weltentwürfe in Literatur und Rey. Paris: Le Robert, 22001: 590. Medien. Phantastische Wirklichkeiten – realis- tische Imaginationen. Festschrift für Marianne Sarasin, Philipp. „Sozialgeschichte vs. Foucault Wünsch. Hg. Hans Krah und Claus-Michael im Google Books Ngram Viewer.“ Wozu noch Ort. Kiel: Ludwig, 2002: 431–448. Sozialgeschichte? Eine Disziplin im Umbruch. Hg. Pascal Maeder, Barbara Lüthi und Thomas Mergel. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2012: 151–174.
Image. Graphic representation of the results from the survey of the databank for ‘Antiheld,’ ‘antihero,’ and antihéros’ in the German, English and French corpora of the Google NGram viewer, moving three-year average (default setting), 21 April 2015.
helden. heroes. héros.