Blinde Flecken. Zur Problematik übersteigerter Vigilanz in Hans Rosenplüts „Die Tinte“

Struwe-Rohr, Carolin (2022): Blinde Flecken. Zur Problematik übersteigerter Vigilanz in Hans Rosenplüts „Die Tinte“. In: Zeitschrift für Deutsche Philologie, Vol. 141, No. 3: pp. 399-414

Abstract

Pre-modern believers had to be vigilant at all times;continuously on guard against the appearance of diabolical manifestations, which were culturally (and, in particular, figuratively) shaped by reports of visions and written legends. Therefore, Christian examples called for a fundamental attitude of alertness. However, some tales show the precariousness of the identification and interpretation of devilish appearances and signs. On the basis of Hans Rosenplut's Die Tinte, in which a woman in a monastery is falsely believed to be the devil incarnate, this article examines the phenomenon of `fake devils'. In doing so, it will be demonstrated just how this form of hyper-vigilance with regards to possible devilish influences can be severely distorted by `blind spots'. The article seeks to describe this paradoxical phenomenon by using theoretical observations put forward by Kaja Silverman, focusing in particular on her distinction between screen, gaze and look.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Languages and Literatures > Department 1
• Subjects: 400 Language > 400 Language
• ISSN: 0044-2496
• Language: German