Description
Book SynopsisMaura E. Hametz is Professor of History at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Her research explores the history of Trieste and the northeastern Adriatic regions since the late 19th century with emphasis on the intersections of politics, culture, economy, law, religion, gender, and ethnicity and nationalism. Her major works include
In the Name of Italy (2012) and
Making Trieste Italian, 1918-1954 (2005), and she co-edited
Jewish Intellectual Women in Central Europe, 1860-2000 (2012).
Heidi Schlipphacke is Associate Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. Her research focuses on the German Enlightenment and its critique, kinship and family structures, post-war German and Austrian literature and film, and queer and gender studies. She is the author of
Nostalgia After Nazism: History, Home and Affect in German and Austrian Literature and Film (2010).
Trade ReviewGiven the general lack of academic research on the ‘Sissi’ phenomenon, this volume fills a scholarly void, going beyond the often hagiographical historical accounts and appropriation of her image to interrogate what has been going on beneath such surface manifestations … The editors have judiciously selected trans-disciplinary approaches that go beyond the marketing of an image to excavate how and why [Sissi’s] memory and attendant mythology retain their hold on people the world over … This volume … stands out for the quality and consistency of its individual chapters and contains a comprehensive bibliographical apparatus that will be useful to scholars, students, and interested readers alike. The editors are clearly well read in theory and cultural history, bringing nuanced perspectives to the wide range of essays collected here. Handsomely presented with no lacunae, it is part of the exciting series ‘New Directions in German Studies’ from Bloomsbury and is a valuable addition to Austrian studies, broadly defined. * German Quarterly *
Excellent and engaging…It is a collection best read, in my opinion, from cover to cover, for this is the only way to fully appreciate how well its chapters cohere around its fragmented and protean subject. * Journal of Austrian Studies *
Many anthologies suffer from unevenness in the quality of the contributions, but not this one— each of the individual chapters is compelling and largely unique, with only minor overlap across several contributions. The editors are to be congratulated on compiling such a readable, accessible volume that considers this fascinating topic so thoroughly. * Feminist German Studies *
From Trieste to Beijing, these riveting essays analyze the highly situational character of our obsessions with the restless Empress. From her renowned hair and waist to the rigid control she exercised over her public image, these essays show how Elisabeth’s imagined personality has served us as a screen for a surprising range of fantasies, from 1950s femininity to the contemporary queer and subversive. * Pieter M. Judson, Chair, Department of History and Civilization, European University Institute, Italy *
Empress Elisabeth of Austria embodied the contradictions of monarchical rule in life and death. Revered yet deeply unhappy; a figure of national imagination yet profoundly rootless; bathed in splendor yet bodily starved. Despite or perhaps because of that incongruity, she remains a projection screen of imperial longing, reminding us of inextricable links between history, memory, and nostalgia in the realm of the former Habsburg Monarchy.
Sissi’s World grapples in novel ways with the complex tensions reflected in the figure of Empress Elisabeth. * Matti Bunzl, Director, Museen der Stadt Wien, Austria *
This remarkable collection of essays on the memory and myth of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, known as Sissi, is a long-awaited compendium of research and contextualization that ranges far beyond the popular hagiography to offer wholly fresh analysis of the subject as a complex woman, enlightened royal, and uniquely enduring and influential cultural icon. Editors Maura Hametz and Heidi Schlipphacke have drawn together international scholars, transdisciplinary aspects, and diverse critical approaches for a superbly executed expansion of literature on Elisabeth – as she was in her world and as she continues to find resonance in ours.
Sissi’s World is essential reading that will inspire serious investigation on the subject for some time to come. * Robert Dassanowsky, President Emeritus of the Austrian Studies Association and Professor of German and Visual and Performing Arts, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA *
Its perceptive analyses, global reach, and interdisciplinary scope make
Sissi’s World an impressive accomplishment. […] [T]he volume offers much fascinating material, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Austrian culture and gender studies. -- Elisabeth Krimmer, University of California, Davis, USA * Goethe Yearbook *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: "Sissi": The Convergence of Memory and Myth
Maura E. Hametz (Old Dominion University, USA) and Heidi Schlipphacke (University of Illinois Chicago, USA) I. Memory 2. Encounters: Ulrike Truger,
Elisabeth –
Zwang – Flucht – Freiheit, 1998/99
Christiane Hertel (Bryn Mawr College, USA) 3. The Remains of the Stay: The Corporeal Archive of Empress Elisabeth in the Hofburg
Beth Ann Muellner (College of Wooster, USA) 4. Sisi Redux: The Empress Elisabeth and Her Cult in Post-Communist Hungary
Judith Szapor (McGill University, Canada) and András Lénárt (National Széchényi Library, Hungary) 5. A Place for Sissi in Trieste
Maura E. Hametz (Old Dominion University, USA) and Borut Klabjan (European University Institute in Florence, Italy) 6. Empress Elisabeth and the Painting of Modern Life
Olivia Gruber Florek (Delaware County Community College, USA) 7. Karl Lagerfeld and the Elisabeth Myth
Carolin Maikler (Independent Scholar, Switzerland); Translated by Marieanne Gilliat-Smith 8. Sissi, the Chinese Princess: A Timely and Versatile Post-Mao Icon
Fei-Hsien Wang and Ke-chin Hsia (Indiana University Bloomington, USA) II. Myth 9. Melancholy Empress: Queering Empire in Ernst Marischka's
Sissi Films
Heidi Schlipphacke (University of Illinois at Chicago, USA) 10. Sisi: A Double Reflection on a “Queer Icon"
Susanne Hochreiter (University of Vienna, Austria) 11. Imagining Austria: Myths of “Sisi” and National Identity in Lilian Faschinger’s
Wiener Passion Anita McChesney (Texas Tech University, USA) 12. Cocteau’s Queen: Sissi between Legend, Spectacle, and History in
L’Aigle à deux têtes Elizabeth Black (Old Dominion University, USA) 13. Fat, Thin, Sad - Victoria, Sissi, Diana and the Fate of Wax Queens
Kate Thomas (Bryn Mawr College, USA) 14. Sisi in the Museum: Exhibits in Vienna and the US
Susanne Kelley (Kennesaw State University, USA) Notes on Contributors Index
