Klassik als Kulturelle Praxis. Funktional, Intermedial, Transkulturell ed. by Paula Wojcik et al.

Abstract

Reviewed by: Klassik als Kulturelle Praxis. Funktional, Intermedial, Transkulturell ed. by Paula Wojcik et al. Marissa Schoedel Paula Wojcik, Stefan Matuschek, Sophie Picard, and Monika Wolting, eds. Klassik als Kulturelle Praxis. Funktional, Intermedial, Transkulturell. Spectrum Literaturwissenschaft, vol. 62. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2019. 577 pp. What a classic! What is the first thing you associate with the word classic? The classic in question could be a book, film, or even a play or design aesthetic. Classic can refer to so many things and, without context, one is left guessing as to what, precisely, the classic referent is. This edited volume strives to create several working definitions of the elusive term "classic." The term is especially tricky in the German-speaking context, where the term can be used to refer to a specific literary period: Weimarer Klassik. In both English and German, the classics can also refer to classical studies (i.e., the study of classical antiquity) and the ancient world in general. The volume does not focus on any literary period in particular but rather emphasizes the need to make the terms classic and classical contemporary rather than treating them as a fixed point in time. Classics are a ubiquitous aspect of everyday life, which Wojcik et al. note has lead to the semantic overloading (Überfrachtung) of the concept Klassik. Semantic ambiguity is primarily what hinders the creation of a single working definition. As the subtitle would suggest, the ultimate goal is a multitude of functional, medial, and transcultural definitions rather than one vague, imprecise one. The volume's six subsections are a testament to its interdisciplinary and comparative focus. Section 1 considers the current state of the term "classic" and its [End Page 391] contemporary uses. The transition of classic works to new forms of mass media such as radio and television are examined in section 2. The theme of section 3 is cultural icons as a form of classic. Section 4 focuses on intermediality as a means of mediation. The final two sections deal with cultural appropriation in both intermedial (section 5) and intertextual terms (section 6). Canonical German authors most certainly make a good showing in the volume, but the forms in which internationally canonical texts such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Die Leiden des jungen Werthers appear in are what make it a necessary addition to the Spectrum Literaturwissenschaft series. The explorations of how classics have evolved as they are adapted to radio, film, comic strips, graphic novels, and reimagined novels proves that classics do not inherently need to be boring or tired. On the example of Goethe's oeuvre alone, everything from mashup novels to rapped recitations of Erlkönig are cited as evidence of classical works having clearly moved beyond their static texts of origin to become a body of works centered around the aforementioned canonical point of origin. Transnational interpretations and adaptations of classics is another focal point, which demonstrates the wide reaching, indeed global, impact of canonical classics and their expansion to different media. The currently popular forms of comics and graphic novels have proved a fruitful venue for modern interpretations of well-known classics. Comic adaptations discussed include Beckett's Waiting for Godot, Conscience's Löwe von Flandern, the profane comic anthology Chopin New Romantic, and a manga of Choderlos de Laclos's Les Liasons Dangereuses. The increased representation of authors with multiple cultural identities (e.g., Turkish German, Iranian German) has also broadened transnational and transcultural perspectives within the German context. In the case of Ilse Nagelschmidt's essay "Vom Klassiker zum Kultbuch. Goethes Werther und Feridun Zaimoglus Liebesmale, scharlachrot," intertextuality and transnationalism are simultaneously at play. Adaptations studies further show how transcultural and multilingual adaptations of classics bring these texts to broader audiences beyond the confines of the original's language of origin. Such works are not mere translations as can be seen in the examples of the comics mentioned in the previous paragraph. Parodies of classics are another form that transcends national and cultural boundaries. Because of its comparative bent and interrogation of the specific brand of "classic literature" championed in school and university curricula, this volume will be of interest to literary scholars and students alike...