Ernst Hardts Mittelalter

The Middle Ages are booming in contemporary culture, but medieval material was already very popular after 1900: This study uses the successful drama "Tantris der Narr" by Ernst Hardt to develop an approach to the productive reception of the Middle Ages after the turn of the century. For "Tantris" and the subsequent medieval plays, Hardt’s approach, especially with regard to the female characters and their psychology, is examined with regard to the tension between updating and medieval reference. Hardt's work proves to be a blueprint for other popular dramatizations of medieval material and has relevance for contemporary medievalism in literature and philology.