Francis Joseph I

Emperor Franz Joseph – an Institution. The Emperor‘s Birthday in the
CAZ and NFP from 1903–1914
The following introductory seminar paper is concerned with the perception of
Emperor Francis Joseph I. and his reign in two regions of the Cisleithanian part
of the k.u.k. Monarchy at the dawn of the 20th century. In this closing epoch of
the Empire, the perceptions of the relationship between the Emperor and his
various German-speaking people can be reflected exemplarily by articles published in occasion of the emperor’s birthday on August 18th the Czernowitzer Allgemeine Zeitung and the Neue Freie Presse. They reveal an interesting insight
into the contemporary reception of the dying Monarchy and the Emperor, who
seemed to stiffen in his function in order to protect the declining glow of his
family’s heritage – an attitude which was laid out in heroizing as well as critical
views, as this paper will show.

The paper is an analysis of the way in which Bruno Schulz mythologizes Francis Joseph I, the emperor of Austria‑Hungary. The author puts an emphasis on the individual, nontraditional perception of Francis Joseph. The emperor is shown as “Gottähnliche Instanz”, demiurge and the figure that embodies the dualism of the monarchy. He represents also the universal myth
telling about the fight for power. As opposed to his younger brother Maximilian, Francis Joseph is also the metaphor of culture and intellect. The mythologization of Francis Joseph as shown in “The Spring” is analysed in the context of Schulz’s work as well as in both historical and cultural perspective.