The falsification of history means deliberately falsifying representation and the interpretation of historical events. As a rule, the nouns of history are used pejoratively – that is, devaluation – for a representation that is one-sided, incomplete, and therefore falsified. Sometimes the term is also used if this misrepresentation is unintentional, even if most of the intent is presumed. This term goes back to a work by the early German-German writer Johann Fischart (1546 / 1547-1591). Fischart undertook an attempt to transfer François Rabelais’s romance cycle Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532-1564) into German and published the result under the title Affentheurlich Naupengeheurliche Geschichtsklitterung (1575). Since fish species hardly adapted to the model, and also expanded or extended numerous passages, part of the title subsequently became a term for a falsified portrayal of historical events.
The term is made up of the noun history, which here stands for historical events and together the clittering, which can be attributed to the verb clearing. According to the German dictionary of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, this goes back to a gloom, which means something stained or blotchy. Consequently, the term in the actual word meaning the [hurried] stained story, and thus provides clear indications that it is a historical representation that is superficial and can be faulty.
Moreover, the word “clittering” derives from the fading out of history, which in general signifies something which is jumbled together and which is also used as a detriment. Nowadays, the reference to the historical context is sometimes omitted, which is why the verb can be used only for the falsifying or torn-out reproduction.
Affentheurlich Naupengeheurliche Summary
In the year 1575, Johann Fischart’s Affentheurlich Naupengeheurliche Klichtung, which is considered one of the first language experiments in German. Fish species, while attempting to translate François Rabelais’ romance cycle Gargantua and Pantagruel into German.
Gargantua and Pantagruel appeared in five volumes published in the years 1532, 1534, 1545, 1552 and 1564, whereby the first two volumes of the romance cycle were successful. The work is a parody on the genre of the Ritterroman and therefore humorous nature. The work was successful mainly because Rabelais is very playful with irony, sarcasm and word wit, often mixing real and fictitious quotations, thus gallantly mocking a very popular type of romanticism.
The first volume was published under the title Les horribles et épouvantables fait et prouesses du très prestige Pantagruel, Roi des Dipsodes, fils du grand géant Gargantua. Composés nouvellement par maître Alcofrybas Nasier (The terrible and dreadful adventures and heroic deeds of the celebrated Pantagruel, King of the Dipsoden, son of the great giant Gargantua, compiled by Master Alcofrybas Nasier), with Alcofrybas Nasier being an anagram of the writer François Rabelais.
As the first volume of the series was enormously successful, Rabelais decided to write another volume, entitled La Vie très horrifique du grand Gargantua, père de Pantagruel (the very terrible life of the great Gargantua, father of Pantagruel), where he chose the same pseudonym as the author, who already used the predecessor. The following volumes did not come much later, they did not have any titles (The Third Book, The Fourth Book, The Fifth Book), and are no longer parodies. It is likely that they were not so successful.Portrait and title page of Affentheurlich Naupengeheurliche Klichtung
In 1575, exactly eleven years after the last volume of the original cycle, Johann Fischart undertook the attempt to translate Rabelais’ word wit as well as his playful use of language into German. Species of German, Latin, Greek, French, Italian and Dutch, all of which influenced the work of his work, did not consider himself to be the subject of the work, stroked or extended some passages.
In some cases, the Germanization of the original is therefore somewhat bumpy or unsuccessful and differs in very large parts from the work of Rabelais. Thus Fischer’s translation, as he mentions on the title page of an edition of the year 1590, deals with the deeds and rhodes of the prehistoric and long-suffering Heroes and Gentlemen Grandgoschier Gorgellantua, and the Eiteldurstliche Durchdurstlechtigen Prince Pantagruel of Durstwelten, kings in Vtopien And Nubel Nibel, and Niderherren, to Nullibingen, Nullenstein, and Niergendheheym, and was proclaimed by him with the title of Affentheurlich Naupengeheurliche Klichtung (The Nativity of the Nativity) provided. This title is the origin of today’s concept.
Short overview: The most important part of the term at a glance
The cleavage of history means deliberately falsifying representation, as well as the interpretation of historical events. The word is usually used pejoratively, that is, derogatory, and points to a one-sided, incomplete, and thus falsified, historical representation.
The origin of the word is the work of Affentheurlich Naupengeheurliche Klichtung by the German writer Johann Fischart, who undertook with this the attempt to transfer François Rabelais’s romance cycle Gargantua and Pantagruel into German, but this was not translated word-wisely by numerous changes and thus distorted.
Note: The described work of Johann Fischart can be viewed in a digitized form in the Bavarian State Library. See also: digital-sammlungen.de
