German Studies Association and Johns Hopkins University Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to German Studies Review. http://www.jstor.org German Studies Association Struwwelhitler: A Nazi Story Book and Schicklgrüber Author(s): Dorothea McEwan Source: German Studies Review, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Oct., 2002), pp. 511-532 Published by: on behalf of the Johns Hopkins University Press German Studies Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1432599 Accessed: 04-11-2015 09:55 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Struwwelhitler-A Nazi Story Book and Schicklgriiber Dorothea McEwan The Warburg Institute, University of London Satirizing a Satire When satiregets satirizedtwo things happen:the satire,itself a light-heartedtake on serious matters,is treatedin the same way-fun is made of the object of its mockery.*When Struwwelpeter, that"classic"of childhoodreadingis satirized,it producesa smile on the readers'faces and it invites comparisonwith the original, which in itself was alreadya funread.One stepfurther - a comparisonof two satires with each otherandthe originalsourceshow the malleabilityof the originalsource or its archetypalusage. The universal appeal of Struwwelpeter,the book about childishbadhabitsandtheirpunishment,is obvious to the publishinghouse- it has been throughsome thousandeditions since its more than 150 years of existence. Struwwelhitler (illustration1: Title page of Struwwelhitler), on the otherhand,the critique of contemporaryevents in 1941, and Schicklgriiber(illustration2: Title page of Schicklgriiber) in 1943, have, of course,been nowhereso widely circulated; the reason is clear: the subtext of a children's book is ambiguous in its many messages, rangingfrom repressionthroughterrorto shock and potentialtrauma. Pedagogicliterature is aboutlearningwhatis andwhatis not allowed, whatis right and what is wrong, and what urges need to be hidden,controlled,and suppressed. In contrast:political parodyis not so much aboutpunishingas aboutridiculing.It cannot punish, it does not have the apparatus to punish the enemy, but it can pull out all the stops to deridea pompous leader,to deprecatean ideology, to make fun of oppressive behavior. Nursery education and political vilification follow the samemodel:first,badbehavioris shown;then,theevildoeris shamed,his misdeeds become publicly known together with the penalty which awaits him if the bad behavioris not abandoned; finally, he is forgiven if he abandonshis bad behavior; if not, he is annihilated. To those who know the originalStruwwelpeter or at least know aboutit, there This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) is a further significance when reading derivative parodies: the satire not only ridiculesbut also suggests thatthe object is no more to be takenseriously thanthe child; what the readeris faced with in text and images is not criticism between equals but condescendingpatronizing. The function of literatureand funny pictures for children, a picturebook for children,withits "anti-hero,"1 is morethaneducation,itis also entertainment. Fairy tales in word andpictureare a meansof socialization,which make the worldorder visible in blackandwhiteandgrosslyexaggerated. Thebadmanis reallyevil andthe good,initiallyweakbuteventuallyjustified, alwayswins.Groups andgroup culture, by ridiculing theloserandexalting theupright andconventional,always employcaricature, exaggeration, boasting,anddenigration also as a prophetic means,as a didacticmeans of raisingfamilymorale.Heinrich Hoffmann, a medicaldoctorin Frankfurt amMain, wrote with a raisedindex finger, as it were, but achievedsomethingunusualfor a Germanwriter:he wrotewith a light touch,he produceda didactictourde force of drawingand narrative, as if transforming a torture chamberinto a place of fun, into storieswhichyoucanonlylaughabout. Theextensiveliterature onemblematic devices fromclassicaltimesonwards in thevisualfield,withtheirstereotypical imagesforthe expression of feelings, stories, and symbols, provided a model for pedagogical literature. Fromearly on, apartfrom this use for fun, the didactic message with its pious tone provedto be eminentlysuited for political satire,the interactionof pedagogic andpoliticalmessage whereeverythingis in starkcontrastandthe political"child" orbully or,indeed,tyrantunambiguously bad.2 Transposed intotheworldof adults, the Struwwelpeterbook lends itself not to educating the uneducated, but to exposing the pretensionsof those who thinkthey are clever, those in authorityin general and in particular,the hated politicians, who were like the children, silly people in need of constraint and correction. This was the beginning of the astonishing careerof politicalStruwwelpeter parodies. Whether theyweresuccessful in their effect depends, of course, on one's definition of success. In the two case studiesof Struwwelhitler andSchicklgriiber, the readeris not dealingwith didactic aids to bringingup childrenbut with propaganda stereotypesintendedto influence throughridicule. In these two political parodies,unlike in the original where the child is usually weak vis-a-vis the worldof authority, Hitlerwas himself authority, but treatedas if he were a naughtychild. Thefirsttranslation intoEnglish,TheEnglishStruwwelpeter, or PrettyStoriesand FunnyPicturesappeared asearlyas 1848,in a versionwhichkeptcloselyto theGerman original.Apparently it was so popularthat,as Bartonremarked, it became"a semi- proverbial jest in English" anda "freak of acclimatization" transposed intoanEnglish setting,withEnglishnamesfor all the characters.3 Amongthemanymalefactors withStruwwelpeter-traits,DerMilitdr-Struwwelpeter (Berlin, 1878), ThePolitical Struwwelpeter by HaroldBegbie (London,1899), and Swollen-headedWilliamby E. V. Lucas (text) and G. Morrow(pictures)(London, 512 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan 1914)fit the moldof thepoliticalparodies. InthelattertheGerman Emperor, William II, stands,"withhydrocephalic head,handsdripping withblood, spurs,saberandthe insigniaof military domination-cannonsandwarships equivalent to the scissorsand combinHeinrich Hoffmann's drawing - on thepedestal,"4 Bombenpeter (Bombpeter) by K. E. Olszewski(Munich,1915)is a German condemnation of Grand PrincePeter of Serbia,who was agitating againstAustria-Hungary withRussia'ssupport. Struwwelhitler andSchicklgriiber belong in this category.AuthorRobertSpence and illustrator Philip Spence succeededturningStruwwelpeter into Struwwelhitler, keepingto the originalten-chapter format,producinga parodyin rhymingcouplets mimicking theGerman originalabsolutely admirably andpresenting a visualprogram firmlybasedon it. The second Nazi parody,Schicklgriiber, publishedin 1943, also preserved the originalformat,with its three-stagemodel: bad behavior,warningor prophecy,and the ensuing result of disobedience. It is very well demonstrated by the storyof "Gretchen" in the originalGerman;she is presentedas a child who has nothingto do, does not wish to occupy herself with her needlework,and thus gets silly ideas. Once she has set out on the pathof misdemeanor,she cannot stop until disaster occurs. Had she only desisted or regrettedin time, taken Father's good advice to heart,the disasterwould never have come about! The three-stage model:thoughtlessdisobedientaction,warning,andconsequent catastrophe, means thatin every storythereare know-allswho play the partof the admonisher, therestrainer, thewise person,in a wordthegrown-up. InStruwwelpeter they are the domestic cats; in Struwwelhitler they are the British-American cats; Gretchen plays with a toy gun, not heedingthe wailingof the cats (illustrations 3 and 4: "TheDreadfulStoryof Gretchenand the Gun").In Schicklgriber,the "Dreadful Storyof Gretchen andtheGun"(illustrations 5 and6) is set in Romania, personified as a peasantwomanstanding in frontof the richoilfields.Ion Antonescu,the Romanian dictator, suffersthesamefateasGretchen, theoilfieldsandwiththemthewholecountry go upinflames- andNorthern Transylvania is incorporated intoHungary, theswastikas fluttering gailyontopof theoil rigs.TheGerman speechrhythm, bytheway,is superbly captured in the English: It reallyalmosttakesthe bun Whatfoolish Antonescu'sdone! He was advisedin formeryear, "Roumania, don'tinterfere! To strictneutrality aspire! And neverplay with Nazi fire!" Democracieshadoftentold her "Howon earthcouldthey upholdher (Theirattitude not dog-in-manger) If she contrived to play with danger?" But Antonescuheedednot, 513 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) Andtimelywarningwas forgot. The peasantfolk all heard And whispered just a word, (Beneaththeirbreath Forfearof death) Roumanian equivalent Of"***" and "***" is what they meant. Struwwelhitler Struwwelhitler [illustration 7: "Struwwelhitler. A NaziStoryBook"]wasthebrainchild of PhilipandRobertSpence,who produced the imageandtextrespectively. Thebook was printed by the newspaper TheDaily Sketch,whichadvertised the sale of thebook to support thecharity WarReliefFund.Withthemoneymadeby eachsale,one shilling andsix pence,orthepriceof a meal,radios, games,andwoolenclothingwerepurchased andprovided forthetroopsandclothing,bedding,andfood forthevictimsof airraids. Whetheror not Swollen-Headed Williamin 1914 or Struwwelhitler in 1941 added "propaganda value in strengthening the Britishresolveto defeatGermany in the two worldwars,"5 bothtextswerewittytranspositions, metamorphoses, caricatures of the enemy.Struwwelhitler was soldfora goodcauseandreadfora goodlaugh.Howmuch money was raisedandhow manycopies were sold is not known.It is a fact thatthe frequent textualreworkings, theupdatings, thecontextualization nearlyalwaysappear muchmoreelastic andmodernthanthe reworking of the illustrations. Normallythe drawings depended stillheavilyon theoriginals andwereverymuchin theidiomof the mid-nineteenth century, theoriginal Struwwelpeter style,withthenotable exceptionof Schicklgriiber. Whether thevisualadaptation of Struwwelhitler orthelinguistic reshaping impacts more,is a mootquestion. Together theyachievedridiculing of theenemy,anda victory over the evildoers,albeitin fantasytermsonly, was secured.Struwwelhitler andtwo yearslaterSchicklgriiber did not set out to changethe mindof anybodyin Germany. Theywerepublished for a Britishreadership, not so muchto educate,butto preachto the converted. Thusunlikeleafletdropsof propaganda material overenemyterritory, publicationslike Struwwelhitler and Schicklgriiber with their message thatjustice always triumphs,were more a means of raisingmorale at home than a means of converting orfrightening theGermans. Thestorieswerelikesermons, existingtorenew and deepen"theties of commonfaithandcommonvalues thathold the community together... witha fatuoussenseof superiority ...byreinforcing thestereotype anygroup has of itself andof the others."6 Schicklgriiber A completelynew anti-Hitler versionof Struwwelpeter was publishedin Calcutta in 1943in a smalledition,some 1500copies,andasfacsimileeditionin 2000. Itwascalled 514 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan Schicklgruber (illustration8: "Schicklgriiber. Some Cautionary Tales of Modem Times"),produced by Robert Colling-Pyper andtheillustrator Margaret Stavridi.7 This bookalsowasproduced to raisefunds.TheIndian RedCrossappealed formoremoney and supplies for the hospitals in Bengal in 1943. Colling-Pyper,a well-known businessman in Calcutta, who was alsomadon thetheater, anda friendof his,Margaret Stavridi, wife of Alick Stavridi, a civil engineerattached to the EastIndiaRailwayin Calcutta,who was a theatrical designerbefore her marriage, first got togetherin a schemeforentertaining theForces,BESA,TheBengalEntertainments fortheServices Association,in 1942.Onedayhe askedherif sheknewStruwwelpeter as he wantedto do a warparody usingit. Stavridi hadonlyrecently beenmarried andhopedfora family so hadtakenherchildhood booksto Indiain 1939andhadanold copy. Colling-Pyper had alreadyadvertisedfor one withoutany response.He was well known for his doggerelverses and found a numberof Nazi characters to fit the characters in the originalbook, except for St. Nicholas, the children'ssaint. Stavridisteppedin and suggestedthatthe BBC Announcer shouldbe brought intothe story,to turnit into an antiracist text.Itwouldhavebeeninteresting to see whattheimpactwas if theGerman oppositionto Nazismhad succeededin circulating such a satire. Iamverygrateful toMargaret Stavridi forherkindness inexplaining thecircumstances inwhichtheversionwasproduced. Shemaintained thattheideaof usingStruwwelpeter was entirelythatof R. Colling-Pyper. "Itwas fun for us with no sinisterpropaganda motives"8 and"What wasabitof funforusmadea littleforRedCrossFunds."9 Colling- Pyperaskedher to do the illustrations keepingdirectlyto the layoutof the original. Stavridi hadonlynewspaper photographs to helpherwithlikenessesas shedidnothave a copy of "Struwwelhitler" beforeher,only the Englishversionof "Struwwelpeter." Thetitle"Schicklgriiber" waschosenbecauseit wasthenameof Hitler' s grandmother, Anna-Maria Schicklgruber,and of Hitler's illegitimately bomfather AloisSchicklgruber. Theillegitimate descentwould- in theirview - show upHitler'slow station in life;the nameinitselfwasconsidered ridiculous, andwiththeUmlauton theu mademoreexotic fortheEnglishreader. Also, thenumber of letterscorresponded exactlyto thenumber of letters of Struwwelpeter. According to Stavridi, toEnglisheyes itlookedso muchlike the original. Thetransposition intoa warparodywas verysuccessfulas Colling-Pyper cleverly turned thejuvenile characters intoNaziactors - Hess forthesillyboy withhisumbrella or the originalfat boy Goringas Casparnot wantingthe news. However,it was not addressed to the Indianmilieu:it hadnothingto do with India,it was aimedat British troopsandeducatedIndians. Colling-Pyper wrotethe verseskeepingas closely as possibleto the originalstory line.Itwas Stavridi's firstattempt atpoliticalcartoons, thoughmanyof herdesignshad been humorousand she was alreadydrawingpicturesfor the Services' newspaper Victory. InStavridi' s ownrecollections: "Theverseswereso funnyandso aptit wasnot difficultto follow the layoutof the originalHoffmannillustrations," even if getting photographs of the leadingfigures,Nazi and Allied, was the greatestdifficultyshe 515 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) encountered. Thacker's Press,thepublishers andbookshopfirm,weremostinterested buttheywerenotprepared to helptheRedCrosscauseby producing a five-colorprint. Colling-Pyper in a generous gesture, paidforthefirstissuehimselfbutthisin itselfwas partlythe cause of such a limited edition--probablynot more than 1500 copies. Unfortunately the publicityfor charitieswas in the handsof Peterde Peterson,the directorof the largest advertisingcompany in Calcutta,the J. WalterThompson Company. He allowedhis antipathy towardsColling-Pyper to affectthe publicityfor thecause,so thatlargefirmsinjuteandsteeldidnotcontribute to thecostofpublication. Only one smallparagraph referring to the workappeared in the gossip columnsof a leadingpaperwritten by anEnglishlawyer,SidneyIsaacs,a regular contributor, under the pseudonymof "TheDitcher," a friendof M. Stavridi's,who was shockedat the behavior of theadvertising firm.Hecalledthebook"acleverparody," whichwill appeal to bothold andyoung"whoareblessedwith a sense of humor,andtheirappreciation of thisdelightful nonsensewill be all thegreater in thattheprofitsfromsales (atRs. 2- 8 percopy) areto be given to the Red Cross."10 Schicklgriiber seemed dogged by ill luck quite apartfrom personalspite. The Vicereine,LadyLinlithgow, hadkindlyofferedto writethe foreword. Thacker Spink hadsuggestedthata postershouldbe designedto be putup in theirshops.M. Stavridi produceda very funny poster,captioned"HitlerHelps the Red Cross,"showing a gallantly bowingHitler, raisinghis cap,anddonating a largebillintothecollectionbox of aredcrossnurse. A copyof thebookandtheposterweresentto Delhi.Unfortunately the High Command in Delhi vetoedthe posteron the groundsthatIndianswouldnot have understood thejoke intendedin the cartoon.11 Thus,the Calcuttaversionwas a new interpretation of badbehaviorperpetrated by the archbaddyandhis cronies in the original.It was a warningagainstCaesars, in the interpretation of Jacob Burckhardt against"simplificateurs terribles."The witch doctorfromAustriaandhis propaganda men, the Nazi organizersof German resentmentagainsteverythingnon-German, the semi andpseudo artistHitler,and the parvenusthrownup by the brownflood proveda lethalbrew,explosive enough to shatterGermanyand Europeand the entire world. The bankrupt literaryfigure JosephGoebbels, fat Goring,Mussolini, Ribbentrop, the hangers-onandflunkies, they all appearin Schicklgriiber.Stavridistressed neithershe nor Colling-Pyper had ever seen a copy of Struwwelhitler. The treatment of the arch-baddies is quite different in Schicklgriiber from Struwwelhitler,as can be seen in a detailed comparisonof the ten chapters.What is so remarkableis that the two different versions, Struwwelhitlerand Schicklgriiber,follow the original format, but, of course, Schicklgriiberwas not influenced by its predecessor.Some chaptersare more convincing in one version and less so in the other.This ultimatelydoes not matter.What is surprisingis thatSchicklgriiberused the same story to producea critique of the enemy,who, seen from the angle of India, must have looked somewhat less threateningthan when seen from the angle of the white cliffs of Dover.Even so, theleadingcharacters in theSchicklgriiber versionwereeverything 516 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan one expects fromenemies, with theirairof superiority, theirbungledattempts,and underhand efforts at diplomatic deals with so-called neutral countries. In Struwwelhitler, the first poem anddrawing,showing abominableHitler,the fixed gaze, the blood spurtingfrom the fingers, the hairstandingon end, is not designed to scare children:it is Terrorpersonified, which will turnback on Hitler himself (illustration9: "Justlook at him!"). Justlook at him! Therehe stands Withhis nastyhairandhands. See! The horridblood dropsdrip Fromeach dirtyfingertip; And the sloven, I declare, Never once has combedhis hair. The final rhyme, which is nothing short of inspired,displays the fragilityof this seeminglyall-powerful tyrant: Piecrustnever could be brittler Thanthe wordof Adolf Hitler. In Schicklgriiber, the introductory poem runs(illustration10: "Justlook at him!"): Justlook at him! See him stand! Blood dripsfromhis upraised hand See! His face with features harsh And his stupidsmallmoustache; Hatedman!Frompole to pole None has such a blackenned[sic!] soul! Soundhis doom on trumpandtuba! Bloodstained monsterSchicklgruber! Comparing Text and Images How essential is good communicationin propaganda literature? The ten chapters in both anti-Naziversions forecastdisasterif warningsarenot heeded. The stories of misdemeanorsaremodels of inevitableprocesses which makeit possible to read the next moves of the enemy - you know the outcome,utterruinanddestruction for both, the girl Gretchen in "The Dreadful Story of Gretchen and the Gun" in Struwwelhitlerand the whole country Romania in "The Dreadful Story About Roumaniaand the Nazis" in Schicklgriiber: both go up in flames. Three stories suffice to demonstratethe agenda of anti-Nazi propaganda.In Struwwelhitler, we see in the firstpictureof the firstchaptercruelAdolf rantingand raging, venting his hatred first on malcontents in his own ranks and breaking 517 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) international treaties.The secondpictureshows his crueltyto his own people. Inthe final pictureAdolf has to take to his bed andUncle Sam gives him bittermedicine - the U.S. have revokedtheirneutralityin 1941 andFritz,the poormaltreated dog, seats himself in Adolf's chair,his "thirsthe slakes"and "eatsAdolf's cakes." InSchicklgriiber, "TheStoryof CruelAdolf"followsthemisdemeanors of theboy calledFrederick in the originalandlends itself to parodying Hitler.Adolf is seen in various manifestations-as playgroundbully in Tarzanattitude,in SA uniform tauntingtwo men, a Jew and a Frenchman lying on the ground,andin SS uniform crackingthe whip over a womancrying.Frederick, whomistreats hisdog,butgetshis come-uppance becausethe dog triumphs over him, is transposed intothe storyof the campaign against theSovietUnion,when"oldcomrade (gooddog)Joe"Stalindoesnot allow Hitlerto invadebutcounterattacks: "frostbite causedhim to retire." In Struwwelhitler, "TheStoryof the Nazi Boys,"the firstpictureshows the Nazi pacts with the Soviet Union 1939 and 1940, which were brokenin 1941. Towering Comrade JosephStalinhadno time for these naughtyboys andputsthemall into his inkpot,thegreatpatriotic war,fromwheretheyemergeredas Bolsheviks(illustration 11:Stalinputsthe naughty boys intothe inkwell.).Thepunishment is apt,butthe end is notconvincing, to emergeredastheBolsheviksdoesnotsoundmuchaspunishment; the Schicklgriberversiondealswiththis storymuchmoreskillfully:the one episode whichis mostconvincingly transposed intothepoliticalrealities of WorldWarIIis the "Storyof the Propaganda boys" with the BBC announcer as the good guy, who is professionally impartial andcantherefore pointoutthebadhabitsof thebadguys, the German Propaganda Minister Goebbels, Foreign Secretary andMussolini'sson-in-law Count Ciano, and the JapanesePrime MinisterTojo Hideki. Their anti-Churchill propaganda landsthemintheradiosetof theAnnouncer whoallowsthemto spread their slanderous attacks butexposesthemasliarsandcheats(illustration 12:BBCAnnouncer putsthenaughty liarsintoa giantradioset).Thisepisode,normally belovedby parents andchildren alike,as goodbishopNicholashastherightto admonish thenaughty boys andthenaughty boysmeettheirdeserved punishment,is veryskillfullyusedhereby the introduction of the BBC Announcer as the one who punishesthe badandrewards the good. The metamorphosis of the figurewouldhavepleasedAby Warburg, the expert on ideas of cultural exchangewho, in fact,had writtenaboutthe transposition of the figureof Nicholasin the firsteditionof the RussianStruwwelpeter, when Nicholas, originallythe good bishop who loved children,was turnedinto an ogre, a wizard, sporting the samenameas the not too well loved tsar.12 In Struwwelhitler, the "Storyof the ManthatWent Shooting" is modeledon the storyof therabbit thatpinchesthehunter's gunandcauseshimquitea bitof discomfort - the classicalstoryof theunderdog triumphing overthe high andmighty.Mussolini ashunter andGreece,not asrabbit,but asgoat,refer tothecampaign bytheDuceagainst Greece in 1941, which ended in a counteroffensiveand British troops securing bridgeheads in Creteandin Piraeus. InSchicklgriiber, the"Story of theManwho went outEmpireBuilding" refersto Mussolini'sinvasionof Ethiopiain 1935/36.Ethiopia 518 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan was liberated by the Britishtroops,ably assistedby Indianauxiliaries andEthiopian irregulars/ guerillas,in 1941. Finally, both books conclude with the "The Story of Flying Rudolf." In Schicklgriiber,the solo flying adventureof Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess, who parachuted intoScotlandon 10 May 1941,totallyoverestimates his own negotiation powers andmisjudgesthe political situation.The drawingsof the aviator,muscles bulgingandtheproudlittle aircraft in thebackground, the landingin frontof a kilted Scotsman and a Highland castle, are much more funny than the drawings in Struwwelhitler, which merely tell the facts, Adolf and Rudolf setting out together and, after his flight, Rudolf hovering over a cloud-filled landscape. Talk of "vorauseilender Gehorsam,""precipitate obedience"! Critical Interpretation The blueprintsof etiquette- or lack of it, of kindness - or lack of it, of accepting parentaladvice - or rejecting it, the stories of naughty Peter and silly Gretchen receivedthe satiricaltreatment andnot in the settingof childhood,butin the setting of deadly combat.By identifyingbad behaviorof the enemy with bad behaviorof the children from the Struwwelpeterversion, by yoking the fate of the naughty children with the forecast of the fate for the evil enemy, the storyline became instantly understandable.How much did enjoyment of the parody depend on acquaintancewith the original?Did this limit the readership/audience?Or was it thatthejuxtapositionof topics andimages provedso powerfulthatthe presenceof the source was intuitively sensed? Otherpoliticalparodieshave followed the two anti-Naziversions,for instance Tricky DickandHisPals, 1974,ridiculing Richard Nixonas"Lookatthischildso clean andslick,He's calledObnoxious TrickyDick!"and,nodoubt,moremightfollow.The sheer numberof scenariosthat can be pressed into the Struwwelpeter format,the seemingly endless supply of politicianswho effortlesslymetamorphose into cruel ogres,seemsinexhaustible. Themethod itself,parodying theenemy,wasnotinnovative. However, the treatment,the textual and visual programsthe anti-Nazi versions received, has gusto and enthusiasm.The two versions,originatingout of the same context, a global war, are surprisingly similaralthoughthey could not have been produced in moredifferent settings.Buttheillustrators andwriters grewupin thesame cultural environment, thatis why,in thefirstplace,theyknewabout theoriginal version of thechildren's book.To them,thetransmission of textandimageswas theimportant creativeandfruitfultask.Unfortunately, the meritsof the book were not reflectedin sales and impact.The merefact thata textualandvisualreworking was put in hand, showedtheenduring qualityof theformat. It is infinitelystretchable, theflux andflow of transposition ortranslation, of newpictures andnewroles,is in animpermanent state. A few yearson intothewarandthesettenchapters wouldhavemockeddifferent twists andturns of thewar.Butsuchis themalleability of politicsandhistory, thatgood artists andwriterscan parodydifferent politicalscenariosfollowinga trusted formula. 519 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) The two political parodies, Struwwelhitler and Schicklgriber, share the same enemy, Hitler and the clique of Nazi henchmen. It is fascinating to observe the reproduction of the melody of the German language in both parodies. The English rhymed doggerel versions skillfully mirror the German. The images, imaginative reworkings of Struwwelpeter, are sometimes near-identical. One can, of course, say the topic lends itself to similar treatment, whether it was done for the amusement of the British public or the British population in India.The similarities between Struwwelhitler and Schicklgriber are striking. The artists for both versions used the cartoon and illustration techniques well known at their time. It is difficult to judge which one is "better,"which one makes the reader smile more. The images in the Schicklgriiber version, while still using the pictorial programof the original Struwwelpeter to tradeon the readability of the story, have moved away from the original sufficiently to take on a life of theirown. The execution of the drawings is superb.It is, a masterstrokeof genius producing a parody of the original text, a masterly reworking of the images, and a raspberryto the master race. * In memory of MargaretStavridi, 1906-2001. Lecturein Club 43, London, 26/02/2001. 1 Robert and Philip Spence (alias Dr. Schrecklichkeit), Struwwelhitler.Eine englische Struwwelpeter-Parodieaus dem Jahre 1941, aus dem Englischen in freier Ubertragung von Wolf Dieter Bach und mit einer Ubersetzungvon Dieter H. Stindel, with a prefaceby the editor Karl Riha (Cologne: Informationspresse-c.w.leskeverlag, 1984), 7. 2 Cf. also D. McEwan, "Struwwelhitler:A Nazi Story Book," Children's Literature, Bulletin of the John Rylands UniversityLibrary76/ 3 (Autumn 1994): 221-35. 3F.J. HarveyDarton,Children's Booksin England.Five Centuries of SocialLife(Cambridge: UniversityPress, 1932), 250. 4 Klaus Doderer, "Panoptikumder Struwwelkopfe" (Collection of Shock-heads), in Struwwelpeter-Hoffmann. Texte,Bilder,Dokumentation, Katalog; G. H. HerzogandH. Siefert, eds, (Frankfurt-am-Main: Heinrich-Hoffmann-Museum, 1978), 30 (author'stranslation). 5 David Blamires, "Some Germanand English Political Travestiesof Struwwelpeter," in Connections: Essays in Honourof Eda Sagarraon the Occasionof Her 60th Birthday,Peter Skrine, Rosemary W. Wallbank-Turner, andJonathan West,eds.(Stuttgart: Hans-Dieter Heinz, 1993), 27. 6 ErnstH. Gombrich, "Magic,Myth,andMetaphor: Reflectionson PictorialSatire," in L'Art et lesRevolutions: Conferencesplenieres, XXVIIe CongresInternational d'Histoirede L'Art (Strasbourg: Societe alsaciennepourle d6veloppement de l'histoirede l'art, 1990), 39. 7 Robert Colling-Pyper and MargaretStavridi, Schicklgruber(Calcutta:Thacker's Press and Directories Ltd., 1943 [Facsimile publication:Andernach:Kari-Verlag,2000]). 8 1 am very gratefulto MargaretStavridifor her communicationon 3 January2001. 9 M.Stavridito D. McEwan, 15 December 2000. 10 Excerptfrom the review, signed by "TheDitcher,"no date, no name of newspaper,copy of original. lI I am grateful for having been allowed to quote from M. Stavridi's notes, copied for me by William Kaczynski, London, December 2000. 12 "AbyWarburg unddie Figurdes Nikolaus im 'RussischenStruwwelpeter,"' GermanLife and Letters L/3: 354-64. 520 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan -?" ::fT' ... :. -;"i- DE __~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i-i}{ ..... i~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ..;.... >5 l)otShtiiehWi ?, i.... ir.'i ... ? a: '. .... ;;~~~~ii t;.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ i??~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,~ ~~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~C .... Illustration1: Struwwelhitler, cover illustration1941 edition 521 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) chicklariib By Robert Colling-Pyper Margaret Stavridi InOM rM SALtr OT M rWIL IE GIV TO THE N a U nn Illustration2: Schicklgriiber,cover illustration1943 edition AL. PlWFm 522 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan (- 3. THE DREADFUL STORY OF GRETCHEN ,,, AND THE GUN JN I r i 4 ^5^ i k }o h thami mann mu sry e cill iG C iahm (fMblMih irlt HeWtwo by Mnen&b hNW em to -ll And tigl fthwI.Mirpwt ed by it Niwm a thi ro dw ets taid A "lnW wman chnswl tom bftd. And k I h pItam hLd mb the bimv hw Jwa cwrMnrcl It - h kht fy*. And wouid wmi touch H. "Neow" he e.e "'11 giin aem bosha tr .arpuie And qamn. at stM .- woe al 6buam T. ipc"v guu" d la a , an t debow T" ThI PIIIS)Cns hbra t his And Maid "Oh, n*ugy,n.lthmr Man. a. nn, 'wry w m ouKh 'We bte ymf m)n hr'l ~m, v~,q wrong 3.m luks. Meow ! M o I Mow! Mio Vow till h burt if mo. dA. am. Bll i ew wMI t;d ImlrM iln 4dif .hr iLd gisa. it was to mn ! SLu hmled it tmundmd mtund bhast, Amd fbigtcoed uver)body owl: tSr aid hI Ddlv Ihked i a- Amnd semcmmifd o isI i?!t, Mo! The uPmv-cM as* sie And sdhy bcui. to eie a- "*? fiM mW *m-m lSb gS will butI.n -Mrw ! L- U ldy n Me 't MW! Ve'Valbumn o tdeft you do wm, Illustration3 : Struwwelhitler,The Dreadful Story of Gretchenand the Gun r; ;;;p- ; L - 523 \ .;;i" -10 I ;V&- --- ---4.7 I This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) -rThen lrk I with awEba sded faulh "r beug blew up a"d sbirm I- b; .Hw ure. f hbi, Ib~ d~l La br Vhik D!ly Mls=ta.U l ad mby s ert. ' So ak* -a buwt urih all b e cl dm And arra?,w * bkuws udW"*^ ?d; Till dl had MKShiftl MT t ir s~acep4 b aap V 1l-IN.'s A,d |PDoU bead, Nhe411 det wa &ar.'.tne Mhesotpn abr g.wussi. ASd alU Lhr. .M cats w4 besde The nemntfgt mbet, wilt tey cied '*Mnow I Mm .! SdeewI NMf. t And sert her right. we Uod e LM fm GmcLn r Eh seit a e o im 'They m^ a lf tle paed - a. ra...srzwLItn a Illustration4: Struwwelhitler,The DreadfulStory of Gretchenand the Gun 524 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan 525 DREADFUL STORYABOUT ROUMANIA AND THE NAZIS i al, n it. lmowmk bLat iw Win omibt A.MMn W,M i a.t dml- fo_se r. To atkt sairid a*e! And awte ptay ith N Ci &l!" DeuuwmMi bet Ewm d b,r *iuw n tb aht Sky mphkdd be (Tha as u sodttn dr-1 CTheir4nHJCW n~W A0#./-nN0n Am *mrbf mb my atale9 & Artesm A ftlU Af- Mlg own"ming ... Igt , rho. piw lanthdl mvid And rhiad rt a sumS m: _f" fit d et ) Aw 4w *I Awh d i AeneamSi ai t sa: TAr PM a ..A Drsm u.n W&u& ,BitlwI howa.m sn agide "4re'Ib A fir t s -' a. W M.c F. ro j in i u hd amusng OW. -- n- iw ;fi Fir f_ide v -* ad _a mm _m bi mm#* C"Nmim _lim- _ ~~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~t~o CyrPr tC -firl~. Illustration5: Schicklgriiber,The DreadfulStory about Roumaniaand the Nazis This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 526 German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) AMrrhe teok p ile ad mAFf TA Jkl the PeIIn a Iommt: Wo ,w. oaW "Wr, me tuie e No s to A i4--.'w tU d /m lbnft A 'A tue *ot v - w-a, jW' 5-r9iw facMr _ wo rw ^b flsiwiH d*' drilbde t-mml. ArkW honr hbr bpram an rA Aftd matig (OW kl a.i ii Led ofltkr fJthe Inol aJ ,Ad n&wdmb utkw. - hOe am WWcra ~ wa ALau m ter S.! WAnl lrBiegh tNUdmd dp iJs o4 lt V. fMiir f e hemi di eir ai Illustration6: Schicklgriiber,The Dreadful Story aboutRoumaniaand the Nazis This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan 7 i -~ IN t- p-i p II ' , ', : STRUWW'ELHITLER A NAZI STORY BOOK W,ici the vtaildrrn. h,we been good, Th'rt ia, be ii ndrrnood, Crwm at ill.i, iWJ. w at /ingit. C(m"l it uS utRiaLlI tiehb, Ipying. Wlhen their irtwirtli Par., nidt Mls, rfirandnamslnu , ari Gntdlpa,ip C.aE'In (Cfimdlmiltllt. irt, Tr mlftr Thal therr Afyan *sta-k i pace. They shl.l Ihare the prciv thinl KIupp YVn3a ik n kirlndLbrndng, And the blesinftf, only Ihmn ! BrougHi bh Sutenme,FritL, nd Thynmn, 3 Wh,u will wclcOnsqf all vuw am inf ^ Wih.l vlstu afrtd fn gFr nmd Onl t a tah shell ywk ( Ai ltia preitv pk-t:e book, Illustration7: Struwwelhitler,opening poem 527 i L3^7 -5011 This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions German Studies Review 25/3 (2002) L W 'i SCHICKLGRUBER < CAUTIONARY TALES f MODERN TIMES W, r Vo nermr bmd M -M. a - i _ _.mM T, ? t o Ir mf m Mi't _m 1 ^ .gT _p- t~AM^ of oM4? am*a. OFM"" Wv md N. alm one own, *_ I i IFI w ri M A. l A"t e A kr - __ Illustration8: Schicklgriiber,Some CautionaryTales of Modem Times 528 _^*ELt? I X This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Dorothea McEwan 1. STRUL..WWELHITLER _ Ju h klk a hlml t hen he tarnd rLb,hi. ruy tt ..d bunm d S, l r.l.tM hr blMd drApni 4r Prm Ech d:.ntY Ikny , up. ASd ebe lgfe9wCI 4tdrie, Nt.t* oa -. wudsh ibahit. Thitn *ha o4 uf Ad1if laskr. .. - .. . .. . '".... --. -1;71-- .._- _,, t (I, Illustration9:Struwwelhitler, Just look at him! 529 Et- 'iK _ 7 ?I -j This content downloaded from 128.6.218.72 on Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:55:21 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions