This book examines the defining trends in German politics history and thought between the
Napoleonic wars and 1848 and reflects on how they shaped the verbal and visual satire of the
age. Taking issue with the idea that German satire before 1848 is too fragmented for a coherent
large-scale study the author draws widely on the spheres of literature history and philosophy
to inform his work. In particular he focuses on the all-important notion of the world order
of what constitutes the rightful path of history and of mankind - a question with which German
thought at the time was profoundly concerned. Whether clothed in the garb of orthodox theology
or post-Enlightenment philosophy various (and often conflicting) ideas as to the proper way of
the world were fundamental in shaping satirical word and image in the first half of the
nineteenth century. Drawing on a wide range of satirical print and polemic the author traces
these ideas through the rise and fall of Napoleon the ideological battles of Hegelianism and
Christianity the growth of German liberalism and the evolution of Germany's national figure
der deutsche Michel. In doing so he throws new light on an interesting and often neglected
corpus of German art and literature. The book is richly illustrated with over 100 contemporary
prints 16 of them in colour.
