Nemesis, Göttin des Masses (Nemesis, Goddess of Measure)

Whereas Tyche may capriciously change one’s fortune with a turn of her wheel, Nemesis is responsible for just distribution (nemein), correcting both human hubris and disproportionate gifts of the gods. It is this portrayal of the Greek goddess by Herder that introduces Nemesis as a prominent figure of aesthetic reflection in the late 18th century. Its pivotal role in debates about historicity and contingency, fate and determination, however, derives from a conceptualisation as “the goddess of measure”: a problem of measuring comprising rhetorical figures, technical instruments and semiotic practices.

Lecture in German

Associated workshop: Friday, December 4, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, 205 East Pyne

Hendrik Blumentrath teaches German literature at Humboldt University, Berlin. He received his PhD from Humboldt University, Berlin, in 2011 (Friedlose Figuren. Zur Feindschaftsgeschichte des Terroristen, Paderborn und München2014). His research interests include: German literature from the 18th century to the present; history of knowledge; figures and figurations of enmity; media history of aesthetic form, particularly of rhythm and measure.