Overview

This study addresses the question of artistic identity and the myth of the artist as it has been shaped by the artists themselves. While the term artist is to be understood in a broad sense, the focus of this study is the literature of the Romantic tradition. Identity is largely perceived as a construct, and a central hypothesis of this book concerns its aesthetic value and the ways it creates dominant narratives of self-perception that produce powerful myths. The construction of the artist’s identity, be it collective or personal, rests on a series of aesthetic praxes. Caught between the mythic idealisation of poetic genius and its social devaluation, the Romantic artist seeks to create a place for himself, and in doing so, he engages in his own mythmaking. This process is studied in an interdisciplinary perspective, approaching texts and writers from different traditions. The study analyses various typologies of the artist, numerous mythmaking strategies as well as several postural techniques; all of which have sketched major direct or indirect fictional self-portraits in the European tradition.

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9781032314143

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Reviews

"""This book by an excellent comparatist is a remarkable study in sociopoetics. Addressing the fundamental question of artistic identity, it is a splendid work of reference to draw upon for anyone interested in the culture and aesthetics of the romantic era."" Alain Montandon, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature (CELIS/UCA) ""This comparative study, impressive in scope, traces the emergence of the notion of modern artistic identity in European Literature. Theoretically informed, as well as providing subtle analyses of original literature, this brilliant book sheds new light on our fascinating literary past."" Dimitris Kargiotis, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Ioannina ""Elena Anastasaki’s monograph is comparativism at its best – an interdisciplinary study on artists and geniuses, as well as (self-)stylisation and (self-)mythification of poets and poetic figures during the Romantic period in Europe."" Elke Sturm-Trigonakis, Professor of Comparative Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki/Greece"

Author Information

Elena Anastasaki is Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at the Department of Language and Intercultural Studies at the University of Thessaly (Greece). She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the Universities of Kent and Paris 8.

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