The marionette as image of illustration in Heinrich von Kleist: a return to Über das Marionettentheather (1810)

Abstract:

We propose reading the short story Über das Marionettentheater (1810) through the dimension of illustration, a dimension marked by the communication between text and image. The visual dimension of Kleist’s text shows that, although of verbal existence, the puppet is an active image around which the text organizes itself, creating new visualities for the exercise of reflection. To this end, we use Renée R. Hubert’s (1988) study on the importance of this text for 20th century surrealist illustrators and Carina Zanelato Silva’s (2018; 2019) reading of the paradox in Kleist. We seek to contribute to understanding Kleist as an artist whose work dialogues with the visual arts.

Keywords:
marionette; Kleist and the visual arts; illustration