Caduta dell’epos e rinascita della tragedia: Paul Ernst e il Nibelungenlied

From an initial phase of rediscovery, characterized by a comparison with ancient Greek epic poetry and the attempt to present it as poem of national identity for the German people, the Nibelungenlied has been the object of many renowned dramatic versions. At the height of this trend, just as the work was being co opted by Nazi propaganda, the playwright Paul Ernst noted the decline of the epic poem, and with the theoretical support of György Lukács, re-examined the Nibelungenlied through a revisitation of classic Greek drama. Through an analysis of his theoretical essays and preparatory material for the tragedy Brunhild (1909), the present paper examines Ernst’s work providing not only a further reappraisal of the reception of the Nibelungenlied, but also a specific case study illustrating some of the most crucial aspects of literarische Moderne: linguistic issues, the function of myth, classical antiquity, the decline of epic poetry and the weight of Nietzsche’s legacy.