From "Halbtier" to "Übermensch": Helene Böhlau's Iconoclastic Reversal of Cultural Images

Böhlau's Halbtier! questions the images of femininity current in the arts and philosophy of the nineteenth century that idealized such notions as self-sacrifice and identifies their role in the continued oppression of women. It shows how women are seduced by such images, internalizing their messages, so that they help perpetuate their own subjection. Böhlau seeks to create a counter-image in her heroine, both drawing on and subverting the philosophy of Nietzsche; she critically examinines the sociological implications of the many variations of the animal motif to be found there, yet adopts his vision of the Übermensch as the model for her heroine. (AFG)