Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was one of the most prominent political figures of the 20th century. To most people, he is known as the charismatic British wartime leader who defied and defeated fascism. But Churchill was also a gifted writer. Through his multi-volume memoirs and historiographical writings, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1953, he exerted a considerable influence on later generations’ views of himself and his time.
In this class, we will discuss two of the most acclaimed biographies written about Churchill, namely Martin Gilbert’s Churchill: A Life. Penguin, 1991 (ISBN: 978-1-804-94939-9) and Andrew Roberts’s Churchill: Walking with Destiny. Penguin, 2018 (ISBN: 978-0-141-98125-3). We will address the following questions: How are these biographies composed? What kind of information and documentary material do they offer? How do they entertain, produce insights and attach significance to Churchill’s life? And which ideological orientations can be identified in the texts? This will lead us to a questioning of claims to facticity and authenticity that are traditionally made by biographers. In the context of other medial representations of Churchill, we will also consider how political biographies participate in the commemoration of the national past and serve needs of identity formation.
Assessment/requirements:
Übung: test at the end of term
Seminar: 12-page research paper
- Kursleiter/in: Uwe Gerd Klawitter