Mythenkorrekturen - Zu einer paradoxalen Form der Mythenrezeption

The concept of corrected myths is not (yet) established in literary studies. This volume introduces this concept and demonstrates its power using exemplary interpretations. It is the case that in numerous literary works, knowledge of a conventional mythical connection is assumed, but then, at a particular point, the traditional narrative is negated – Candaule’s wife was not beautiful, the Sirens did not sing, Oedipus was not surprised by the news (Brecht) etc. The corrections always occur at a significant point, so that the intervention casts a new light on well-known narratives, but in principle does not affect the core of the myth.
The present volume examines the forms and functions of such corrected myths. For this, relevant works of European literature are studied and their interpretation related with considerations of Antique myths, Christian corrections of myths, new mythology and the correction of myths from existentialism to post-modernism. The spectrum of texts examined is kept as wide as possible to allow for a broad conception of correction. The texts include those from authors such as Heiner Müller, Thomas Brasch, Christa Wolf und Volker Braun and by Shakespeare, Goethe and Kleist.


Bernd Seidensticker ist Professor für Klassische Philologie an der Freien Universität Berlin. Martin Vöhler ist Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter im Sonderforschungsbereich „Ästhetische Erfahrung im Zeichen der Entgrenzung der Künste“ an der Freien Universität Berlin. Wolfgang Emmerich ist Professor für Neuere deutsche Literaturgeschichte und Kulturwissenschaft an der Universität Bremen.