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Rache als Narrativ des Terrors. Kleists Michael Kohlhaas und die Logik der Gewalt

Heinrich, Tobias (2019) Rache als Narrativ des Terrors. Kleists Michael Kohlhaas und die Logik der Gewalt. Monatshefte, 111 (3). pp. 400-414. ISSN 0026-9271. E-ISSN 1934-2810. (doi:10.3368/m.111.3.400) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:77233)

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Abstract

In his response to the attacks of 09/11, Baudrillard underlines that terrorism, erratic though it may seem, follows a logic of symbolic exchange. Terrorism, according to Baudrillard, is concerned with restoring the balance of good and evil renounced by Enlightenment thought. Narratives of revenge and retaliation serve as legitimations for acts of terror and amok. They thus evoke an affectively regulated sense of justice and voice a pre- or extra-juridical discourse. Such narratives negotiate constructions of violence, masculinity, and autonomy according to a logic of exchange. In this context, Kleist’s Michael Kohlhaas remains timeless, particularly in its attention to the discursive framing of the feud campaign. Reading Kleist’s text in view of current discourses on terrorism and amok reveals that the narrative pattern of revenge not only serves to legitimize acts of violence but also contributes essentially to constituting the very phenomena of terror and amok.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.3368/m.111.3.400
Uncontrolled keywords: Heinrich von Kleist; terrorism; Michael Kohlhaas; revenge
Subjects: P Language and Literature > PD Germanic philology and languages
P Language and Literature > PT German literature
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Tobias Heinrich
Date Deposited: 09 Oct 2019 09:51 UTC
Last Modified: 04 Mar 2024 16:33 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/77233 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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