Literaturgeschichte im Zeichen des Rassenwahns: Nordmythos in Perversion

The myth of the North, which stems from the 18th century, was in the Sturm und Drang [Storm and Stress] literary movement a manifestation of protest against the feudal culture and the increasing German nationalism. In the time of Romanticism the myth lead to the rejection of thinking about money and about gaining profits since it was conceived of as a pre-capitalist utopia. Thus, it was always perceived as a manifestation of social criticism. This state of affairs changed after the myth had been included in the fascists’ racist ideology, which in the context of the ‘Nordic thought’ caused its instrumentalization in the sense of folk ideology. The myth consequently degenerated because of its inhuman aggressiveness.