Schlosses and the Scent of Pine: Images of Austria and Germany in the English Historical Romance and Gothic Romance since 1945

Abstract

Images of Europe and Europeans in popular literature are dominated by stereotypes. Russians are passionate but unpredictable, and so, by implication, is Russia itself. Italians are open and voluble but unreliable. The French are charming but deceitful. Germans are diligent but narrow-minded. The British are honourable but stiff. And how could it be different? Popular literature depends on images that can easily be comprehended by the reader, that do not demand any strenuous thinking and differentiating. As a result, such novels offer interesting material for the study of attitudes between neighbours within Europe and ultimately towards the idea of a united Europe. Popular novels are often set abroad, because the foreign setting lends an exotic and exciting touch. In historical romances, this exoticness is further raised by the difference between the reader’s present and the period depicted. This double distancing effect — in time and in space — further encourages the use of stereotypes, because no reader of this kind of fiction is really interested in the accuracy of the descriptions; most are happy to encounter easily recognizable images that fit with their expectations. Indeed, historical romances thrive on a blend of ‘realism’ and fantasy. Helen Hughes speaks of ‘the combination of verisimilitude and fantasy which gives such texts their “realism”’.1KeywordsFairy TalePopular LiteratureHistorical RomanceGerman SettingBritish AttitudeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.