Narrative Fates of Frankenhausen, 1525

Abstract

The article discusses the Battle of Frankenhausen, 1525, which has been the subject of various artistic and literary transfigurations over the centuries. In particular, after briefly reconstructing the conflict between the interpretations of historians, the essay analyses a single literary account of the battle, from Luther Blissett’s novel Q. From here, it moves on to some general considerations on the battle, always disputed between two perspectives: a general one, which makes it a “procedural event” within the manoeuvres of war; and a particular one, which restores its character of a tangible and “instantaneous” event. As Blissett’s work shows us, in these times we need to look at conflicts from a particular perspective, from the inside, to discover the real face of battles, thus gaining the ability to understand how the world fights.