Der Schnitt gegen den Feind : Polemische Praktiken bei Edgar Allan Poe, Karl Kraus, John Heartfield

Abstract

This article deals with the transformation of polemical literature and art in the age of modern mass media and concentrates on the conceptualization of enmity, the aims of the attack, and the choice of weapons. It uses Edgar Allan Poe, Karl Kraus and John Heartfield as examples to illustrate the following argument: while earlier polemical writing was guided by principles of argutia and epigrammatical sharpness and borrowed its metaphors from the courteous sphere of the duel, modern polemicists employ ›cut and paste‹ methods, attacking the enemy by cutting up his or her own works or media representations. They fragmentize and rearrange newspaper articles and images to bring about the self-destruction of the author’s work. This shows how polemicists adapt their technique to the materials circulated by the press. Thus, rhetorical attacks are transformed into »pratiques de papier« in which the metaphorical sword and dagger are replaced by scissors: a tool that degrades the enemy by cutting up and collaging his or her words and images.