Hesitant Heroes

by Ziolkowski, Theodore

• ISBN13: 9780801442032
• ISBN10: 0801442036
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-01
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr

Summary

"Why, Theodore Ziolkowski wonders, does Western literature abound with figures who experience a crucial moment of uncertainty in their actions? In this highly original and engaging work, he explores the significance of these unlikely heroes for literature and history." "From Aeneas - who wavered momentarily before plunging his sword into Turnus's chest - to Hamlet, Orestes, Parzival, Wallenstein, and others, including Kafka's Josef K., Ziolkowski demonstrates that characters' private uncertainty reveals a classic opposition of binary forces."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Theodore Ziolkowski is Class of 1900 Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature at Princeton University.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Introduction: The Paradox of the Hesitant Hero	1	(8)
1. Aeneas, or Hesitation in Hesperia	9	(25)
The Context	9	(3)
The Problematic Ending	12	(5)
To Kill or Not to Kill	17	(5)
Inhibition: The Pause That Represses	22	(4)
The Historical Analogy	26	(8)
2. Orestes, or Anguish in Argos	34	(20)
The Curse of the Atrides	34	(2)
Orestes' Hesitation	36	(7)
The Consequences	43	(2)
The Dramatic Context	45	(4)
The Historical Dimension	49	(2)
The Trojan Dilemma	51	(3)
3. Parzival, or Silence at Munsalvaesche	54	(20)
Parzival's Hesitation	55	(7)
The Mysteries of Munsalvaesche	62	(2)
The Sequel	64	(3)
The Hesitation Re-Viewed	67	(3)
Fin-de-siecle Concerns	70	(4)
4. Hamlet, or Anomy in Elsinore	74	(22)
Hamlet, Aeneas, Orestes	74	(3)
Preliminaries	77	(5)
Hamlets "Antic Disposition"	82	(3)
The Rotten State	85	(3)
Time out of Joint	88	(8)
5. Wallenstein, or Evasions in Bohemia	96	(23)
The Background	98	(4)
Wallenstein's Delay	102	(6)
Wallenstein's Hesitation	108	(7)
War as Paradigm	115	(4)
6. Wavering Heroes, from Scotland to Spain	119	(21)
The Wavering Hero	120	(7)
The Hegelian View	127	(3)
Romantic Varieties	130	(4)
Modern Modifications	134	(6)
Conclusion: Continuities	140	(7)
Notes	147	(14)
Index	161