The Cult of the Romantic Hero: Literature and Memorials
Abstract
: In the West the cult of the remains and relics of heroes is a tradition that can essentially be traced back to Ancient Greece. Nevertheless, when analyzing the re-emergence of the hero cult during a period as decisive in modern European history as the nineteenth century we should not restrict ourselves to the study of ancient tombs and memorials as archaeological artefacts alone. This paper will thus approach the cult of the Romantic hero from the perspective of cultural history, drawing on the literature and art inspired by historical figures that were the object of this new veneration. Taking Pierre Nora’s characterization of places of memory or lieux de mémoire as a starting point, this paper will reveal some of the links, from the literary to the artistic, that were used to encapsulate and project the glorification of Romantic heroes. An obsession with building tombs and memorials took root in the Romantic age, becoming the most visible manifestation of political strategies designed to convert memory into history. In examining the cases of Horatio Nelson, Antoine de Guillaume-Lagrange, John Moore and Napoleon, this paper underscores the value of focusing on the glorification of the figures being remembered – of their lives and actions – through literature and the first funeral rites, and on the structures and artworks that housed their remains and preserved their memoriesReferences
[1] C.M. Antonaccio, “Contesting the Past: Hero Cult, Tomb Cult, and Epic in Early Greeceâ€, American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 98, No. 3 (Jul., 1994), pp. 389-410.
[2] C.M. Antonaccio, An Archaeology of Ancestors: Tomb Cult and Hero Cult in Early Greece. Boston-London: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Inc., 1995.
[3] M. Arad, “Q&A with 9/11 Memorial Architect Michael Aradâ€, dwell, March, 2013 [Online] Available: http://www.dwell.com/post/article/qa-911-memorial-architect-michael-arad [accessed: 03/08/2013]
[4] C.P. Arnaud, Recueil de tombeaux des quatre cimetières de Paris, avec leurs épitaphes et inscriptions…, Vol. II. Paris: Imprimerie de J.L. Chanson, 1825.
[5] J. Assmann, Das kulturelle Gedächtnis. Schrift, Erinngerung und politische Identität in frühen Hochkulturen., München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 1992.
[6] G. Blix, “Heroic Genesis in the "Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène"â€, Yale French Studies, Nº 111, Myth and Modernity (2007), pp. 107-128.
[7] J. Boardman, The Archaeology of Nostalgia: How the Greeks Re -created their Mythical Past. London: Thames and Hudson, 2002.
[8] J.-C. Bonnet, Naissance du Panthéon. Essai sur le culte des grands hommes. Paris: Fayard, 1998.
[9] R. de Castro, “Na tomba do xeneral inglés Sir John Mooreâ€, in Follas Novas: versos en gallego. Madrid-Habana: La Ilustración Gallega y Asturiana-La Propaganda Literaria, 1880, pp. 114-118.
[10] J. S. Curl, The Victorian Celebration of Death, Newton Abbot: The History Press, 1972.
[11] J. S. Curl, A Celebration of Death. An introduction to some of the buildings, monuments, and settings of funerary architecture in the Western European tradition. London: Constable, 1980.
[12] M. Dansel, Au Père Lachaise. Son histoire, ses secrets, ses promenades. Paris: Fayard, 1981.
[13] M.K. Deming, “Le Panthéon révolutionnaireâ€, in Le Panthéon symbole des révolutions. De l’église de la nation au temple des grands hommes, B. Bergdoll, ed. Paris : Picard, 1989, pp. 97-150.
[14] M. P. Driskel, “Le tombeau de Napoléon, Louis Visconti créateur et administrateurâ€, in Louis Visconti, 1791-1853. Cat. Exp. F. Hamon et Ch. MacCallum, eds. Paris: Délègation à l’Action Artistique de la Villle de Paris, 1991, pp. 168-180.
[15] M.P. Driskel, As Befits a Legend: Building a Tomb for Napoleon, 1840-1861. Kent, Ohio, and London: The Kent State University Press, 1993.
[16] R. Etlin, “El espacio de la ausenciaâ€, in Una arquitectura para la muerte. I Encuentro Internacional sobre los cementerios contemporáneos, Sevilla 4/7 Junio 1991. Sevilla: ConsejerÃa de Obras Públicas y Transportes, 1993, pp. 177-189.
[17] R. Ford, Handbook for Travellers in Spain, and Readers at Home. Vol. II. London: J. Murray, 1845.
[18] L. GarcÃa Vega, “Momentos estáticos y estéticos de RosalÃa de Castro en el espacio urbano de A Coruñaâ€, Ãngulo Recto, Vol. 4, Nº 1 (2012), pp. 83-100.
[19] P. Garside, “Popular Fiction and Nacional Tale: Hidden Origins of Scott's Waverleyâ€, Nineteenth-Century Literature, Vol. 46, Nº 1 (Jun., 1991), pp. 30-53.
[20] M. Z. Guscin, Moore, 1761-1809. BiografÃa de Sir John Moore. A Coruña: LibrerÃa Arenas, 2000.
[21] A.D. Hook, “Jane Porter, Sir Walter Scott and the Historical Novelâ€, Clio, 5:2 (1976: Winter), pp. 181-192.
[22] D. Irwin, “Sentiment and Antiquity: European Tombs, 1750-1830â€, in Mirrors of Mortality. Studies in the Social History of Death, J. Whaley, ed. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011, pp. 131-153.
[23] M. Jaeger, “Cicero and Archimedes' Tombâ€, The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 92 (2002), pp. 49-61.
[24] T. Jencks, “Contesting the Hero: The Funeral of Admiral Lord Nelsonâ€, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct., 2000), pp. 422-453.
[25] E. de Las Cases, Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, ou journal où se trouve consigné, jour par jour, ce qu'a dit et fait Napoléon durant dix-huit mois; par le comte… Paris: L’auteur, 1823 (Fifth edition, 1840).
[26] S.G. Lindsay, “Mummies and Tombs: Turenne, Napoléon, and Death Ritualâ€, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 82, Nº 3 (Sep., 2000), pp. 476-502.
[27] M. Marrinan, Painting Politics for Louis-Philippe. Art and Ideology in Orléanist France, 1830-1848. Yale: Yale University Press, 1988.
[28] M. Marrinan, Romantic Paris: Histories of a Cultural Landscape, 1800-1850. Standford: Standford University Press, 2009.
[29] J. Moore, A Narrative of the Campaign of the British Army in Spain, commanded by John Moore… London, 1809.
[30] S. Murphy, The Gift of Immortality: Myths of Power and Humanist Poetics. London: Associated University Presses, 1997.
[31] G. Nagy, “The Epic Hero†2nd ed. [on-line version] Available: http://chs.harvard.edu/publications/. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies, 2006.
[32] P. Nora, Dir., Les lieux de mémoire, vol. 1. Paris: Gallimard, 1997.
[33] M. Ozouf, “Le Panthéon. L’École normale des mortsâ€, in Les Lieux de Mémoire, P. Nora, Dir. Paris: Gallimard, 1997, vol. I, pp. 155- 178.
[34] F. Price, “Resisting 'the spirit of innovation': The Other Historical Novel and Jane Porterâ€, The Modern Language Review, Vol. 101, Nº 3 (Jul., 2006), pp. 638-651.
[35] O. Rader, Grab und Herrschaft. Politischer Totenkult von Alexander dem Grosen bis Lenin. München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 2003.
[2] C.M. Antonaccio, An Archaeology of Ancestors: Tomb Cult and Hero Cult in Early Greece. Boston-London: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers Inc., 1995.
[3] M. Arad, “Q&A with 9/11 Memorial Architect Michael Aradâ€, dwell, March, 2013 [Online] Available: http://www.dwell.com/post/article/qa-911-memorial-architect-michael-arad [accessed: 03/08/2013]
[4] C.P. Arnaud, Recueil de tombeaux des quatre cimetières de Paris, avec leurs épitaphes et inscriptions…, Vol. II. Paris: Imprimerie de J.L. Chanson, 1825.
[5] J. Assmann, Das kulturelle Gedächtnis. Schrift, Erinngerung und politische Identität in frühen Hochkulturen., München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 1992.
[6] G. Blix, “Heroic Genesis in the "Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène"â€, Yale French Studies, Nº 111, Myth and Modernity (2007), pp. 107-128.
[7] J. Boardman, The Archaeology of Nostalgia: How the Greeks Re -created their Mythical Past. London: Thames and Hudson, 2002.
[8] J.-C. Bonnet, Naissance du Panthéon. Essai sur le culte des grands hommes. Paris: Fayard, 1998.
[9] R. de Castro, “Na tomba do xeneral inglés Sir John Mooreâ€, in Follas Novas: versos en gallego. Madrid-Habana: La Ilustración Gallega y Asturiana-La Propaganda Literaria, 1880, pp. 114-118.
[10] J. S. Curl, The Victorian Celebration of Death, Newton Abbot: The History Press, 1972.
[11] J. S. Curl, A Celebration of Death. An introduction to some of the buildings, monuments, and settings of funerary architecture in the Western European tradition. London: Constable, 1980.
[12] M. Dansel, Au Père Lachaise. Son histoire, ses secrets, ses promenades. Paris: Fayard, 1981.
[13] M.K. Deming, “Le Panthéon révolutionnaireâ€, in Le Panthéon symbole des révolutions. De l’église de la nation au temple des grands hommes, B. Bergdoll, ed. Paris : Picard, 1989, pp. 97-150.
[14] M. P. Driskel, “Le tombeau de Napoléon, Louis Visconti créateur et administrateurâ€, in Louis Visconti, 1791-1853. Cat. Exp. F. Hamon et Ch. MacCallum, eds. Paris: Délègation à l’Action Artistique de la Villle de Paris, 1991, pp. 168-180.
[15] M.P. Driskel, As Befits a Legend: Building a Tomb for Napoleon, 1840-1861. Kent, Ohio, and London: The Kent State University Press, 1993.
[16] R. Etlin, “El espacio de la ausenciaâ€, in Una arquitectura para la muerte. I Encuentro Internacional sobre los cementerios contemporáneos, Sevilla 4/7 Junio 1991. Sevilla: ConsejerÃa de Obras Públicas y Transportes, 1993, pp. 177-189.
[17] R. Ford, Handbook for Travellers in Spain, and Readers at Home. Vol. II. London: J. Murray, 1845.
[18] L. GarcÃa Vega, “Momentos estáticos y estéticos de RosalÃa de Castro en el espacio urbano de A Coruñaâ€, Ãngulo Recto, Vol. 4, Nº 1 (2012), pp. 83-100.
[19] P. Garside, “Popular Fiction and Nacional Tale: Hidden Origins of Scott's Waverleyâ€, Nineteenth-Century Literature, Vol. 46, Nº 1 (Jun., 1991), pp. 30-53.
[20] M. Z. Guscin, Moore, 1761-1809. BiografÃa de Sir John Moore. A Coruña: LibrerÃa Arenas, 2000.
[21] A.D. Hook, “Jane Porter, Sir Walter Scott and the Historical Novelâ€, Clio, 5:2 (1976: Winter), pp. 181-192.
[22] D. Irwin, “Sentiment and Antiquity: European Tombs, 1750-1830â€, in Mirrors of Mortality. Studies in the Social History of Death, J. Whaley, ed. Abingdon: Routledge, 2011, pp. 131-153.
[23] M. Jaeger, “Cicero and Archimedes' Tombâ€, The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 92 (2002), pp. 49-61.
[24] T. Jencks, “Contesting the Hero: The Funeral of Admiral Lord Nelsonâ€, Journal of British Studies, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct., 2000), pp. 422-453.
[25] E. de Las Cases, Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, ou journal où se trouve consigné, jour par jour, ce qu'a dit et fait Napoléon durant dix-huit mois; par le comte… Paris: L’auteur, 1823 (Fifth edition, 1840).
[26] S.G. Lindsay, “Mummies and Tombs: Turenne, Napoléon, and Death Ritualâ€, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 82, Nº 3 (Sep., 2000), pp. 476-502.
[27] M. Marrinan, Painting Politics for Louis-Philippe. Art and Ideology in Orléanist France, 1830-1848. Yale: Yale University Press, 1988.
[28] M. Marrinan, Romantic Paris: Histories of a Cultural Landscape, 1800-1850. Standford: Standford University Press, 2009.
[29] J. Moore, A Narrative of the Campaign of the British Army in Spain, commanded by John Moore… London, 1809.
[30] S. Murphy, The Gift of Immortality: Myths of Power and Humanist Poetics. London: Associated University Presses, 1997.
[31] G. Nagy, “The Epic Hero†2nd ed. [on-line version] Available: http://chs.harvard.edu/publications/. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies, 2006.
[32] P. Nora, Dir., Les lieux de mémoire, vol. 1. Paris: Gallimard, 1997.
[33] M. Ozouf, “Le Panthéon. L’École normale des mortsâ€, in Les Lieux de Mémoire, P. Nora, Dir. Paris: Gallimard, 1997, vol. I, pp. 155- 178.
[34] F. Price, “Resisting 'the spirit of innovation': The Other Historical Novel and Jane Porterâ€, The Modern Language Review, Vol. 101, Nº 3 (Jul., 2006), pp. 638-651.
[35] O. Rader, Grab und Herrschaft. Politischer Totenkult von Alexander dem Grosen bis Lenin. München: Verlag C. H. Beck, 2003.
Published
2015-09-01
How to Cite
SáNCHEZ-GARCÃA, Jesús Ãngel.
The Cult of the Romantic Hero: Literature and Memorials.
Култура/Culture, [S.l.], n. 10, p. 21-34, sep. 2015.
ISSN 1857-7725.
Available at: <http://journals.cultcenter.net/index.php/culture/article/view/146>. Date accessed: 01 mar. 2026.
Section
English Articles
Keywords
Romanticism, nineteenth century, heroes, cult, tombs, memorials
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