Die deutsche reisebeschreibung uber Paris zu beginn der Franzö sischen revolution 1789-1792

Author

Renate Hufft-Basham

Date of Award

12-1987

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major Professor

David E. Lee

Committee Members

Henry Kratz, John Osborne, Paul Barrette

Abstract

The dissertation is a contribution to the area of German travel literature in the 18th century. Specifically it deals with travel descriptions about Paris during the early years (1789-1792) of the French Revolution. Pour works that reflect the revolutionary events to a substantial degree were examined: Joachim Heinrich Gampe's Briefe aus Paris zur Zeit der Revolution geschrieben, Gerhard Anton von Halem's Blicke auf einen Theil Deutschlands, der Schweiz und Frankreich bey einer Reise vom Jahre 1790» August von Kotzebue's Meine Flucht nach Paris im Wintermonat 1790 and Johann Friedrich Reichardt's Vertraute Briefe über Frankreich. Auf einer Reise im Jahre 1792 geschrieben. The dissertation consists of three parts: Part one gives a survey of the research of the development of travel literature in the iSth century with emphasis on the revolutionary years; part two consists of a biographical and bibliographical summary and an analysis of the works as individual units; part three identifies areas of interests that are common to the works.

It was found that next to the political events the theater in Paris constitutes the greatest common interest in the travel descriptions; other institutions, sights and events occupy the travellers to a lesser degree, and here mostly if a connection to the political events can be effected. Of limited importance were educational and social institutions and conditions, and work-related observations are almost totally absent. Further, it was determined that the perception of the revolution differs greatly among the travellers. For Campe the revolution forms the center of the travel experience and is seen as the fulfillment of a quasi religious expectation. In Halem's account a balance between a variety of experiences is reached and the revolution is interpreted as one of many culminating points in the history of human development. Kotzebue is the only one of the travellers who undertakes the journey without awowed political reason; his description is replete with self-centered comments and he rejects the revolution as a personal annoyance. For Reichardt, as for Campe, the political occurences dominate all other experiences; he finds the revolutionary developments politically alarming and personally overwhelming.

Recommended Citation

Hufft-Basham, Renate, "Die deutsche reisebeschreibung uber Paris zu beginn der Franzö sischen revolution 1789-1792. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1987.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/12076