Lincoln Representations

In a nation thriving on stories, what the founding fathers according to historian Arthur M. Schlesinger once regarded as the structural characteristics of the Presidency unity, secrecy, decision, dispatch, superior source of information has, over the last 238 years, translated into the individual characteristics of a chosen charismatic leader. In other words, the political institution once drafted at the 1787 Constitutional Convention was turned into an individual character sketch saturated with symbolic markers that make the American President a singlehanded protector of national unity. The historicity and contingency of this image of the symbolic father of the nation, however, has been concealed by a long tradition of representing the American President as a national icon in popular culture and political discourse. National achievements, historical turning points, and the memory of particular presidential characters have become the building blocks of any representation of a historical or fictional President.   As Hollywood, in fact, seems to have a penchant for capturing the life and quality of past Presidents, this course will be devoted to deciphering populare culture's emotional image of Abraham Lincoln. Not only will we have a look at the roots of the president's iconic media afterlife in films such as Birth of the Nation (1915) or Abraham Lincoln (1930). We will also critically assess Lincoln's saint-like figure in most of Hollywood's pre-studio and studio era productions, from The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln (1924), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), or Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), to more contemporary productions such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012), Lincoln (2012) and White House Down (2013).   Please buy a copy of each of the following books: • Seth Grahame-Smith: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [recommended edition: ISBN 978-1455510184] You may start reading during the semester break. Further texts will be provided in class.   Anglistik - Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaft Beachten Sie, dass Sie diesen Kurs nach den Prüfungsordnungen ab 2011 nicht besuchen dürfen, wenn Sie die für dieses Modulelement laut Fachspezifischen Bestimmungen und Modulhandbuch notwendigen Voraussetzungen noch nicht erfüllen. 2 CP or 3 LP SL: regular, active participation AND successful completion of the final exam 5 CP: 2 LP / 3 LP SL PLUS researching a bibliography with at least 10 different sources (min. 6 print sources) on one of the topics from the syllabus; deadline: July 15, 2016 3 LP PL or 7 CP: written term paper (3.500-4.500 words) to be handed in by August 18, 2016; topic must have been discussed during my office hours prior to July 20, 2016 [7CP = 2 LP / 3 LP Studienleistung AND 3 LP PL] Universität Siegen SoSe 2016 Dr. Hartwig Marcel