Summer School in St. Peter from 15 - 17 May 2014
An Antihero?
Alternatives to Heroic Models in the Modern and Pre-Modern Periods
Who is called an antihero and when? What characteristics are attributed to him? In order for him to be called as such, does an antihero need the hero as antithesis or is he seen as more than just the antagonist of a literary or film protagonist? Are these attributes merely the negation of the heroic, or is it more than that? Are there actual historical persons who are considered antiheroes or is this solely a literary and cinematic phenomenon? In what definite historical moment does such an antihero reveal himself?
These were the questions the doctoral students and their guests discussed in May 2014 at the Summer School of the Integrated Research Training Group (IGK). After deciding on and announcing the theme of this conference, the members of the IGK selected their guests from among the many applicants and also chose three keynote speakers. In the focused environment at Haus Maria Lindenberg above the town of St. Peter in the Black Forest, the group developed concepts for exploring the antihero and endeavored to structure the complexity of the phenomenon.
A thematic issue of the e-journal titled Faszinosum Antiheld (Engl.: Antihero: The Fascination) released on 3 January 2015 introduces interested readers to the wide spectrum the topic presents.