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<p>The article takes up the discursive omnipresence of the ›demon‹ metaphor and examines modern and contemporary demon appearances in literature and on the theatre stage. The term ›demon‹ evokes ancient and Christian traditions that see demons as intermediaries between the gods and humans, even though Christian theology has gone to considerable argumentative lengths to negate precisely this function of demons and, without doubting their existence, has denied their place in the plan of salvation. In a&#xa0;post-demonic perspective, which understands demons as actors of an abstract category of the demonic after the end of the demonologies, it is shown how ancient and Christian concepts of demons are hybridized in the modern age and become media of communicative constellations that invoke problem complexes and at the same time keep them at a&#xa0;distance. Accordingly, the analysis focuses on the linguistic-rhetorical dimension of demonic communication. Modern demons are aware of their metaphorical nature and locate themselves decidedly in the process between sign and meaning by acting out performatively the space between them. Their effectiveness consists of a&#xa0;movement of transmission that can hardly be stopped. The article dissects family-historical, political, and poetological dimensions inherent in contemporary demonic representations.</p>

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Dämonenkraft

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年3月19日

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  • Martina Wagner-Egelhaaf

摘要

The article takes up the discursive omnipresence of the ›demon‹ metaphor and examines modern and contemporary demon appearances in literature and on the theatre stage. The term ›demon‹ evokes ancient and Christian traditions that see demons as intermediaries between the gods and humans, even though Christian theology has gone to considerable argumentative lengths to negate precisely this function of demons and, without doubting their existence, has denied their place in the plan of salvation. In a post-demonic perspective, which understands demons as actors of an abstract category of the demonic after the end of the demonologies, it is shown how ancient and Christian concepts of demons are hybridized in the modern age and become media of communicative constellations that invoke problem complexes and at the same time keep them at a distance. Accordingly, the analysis focuses on the linguistic-rhetorical dimension of demonic communication. Modern demons are aware of their metaphorical nature and locate themselves decidedly in the process between sign and meaning by acting out performatively the space between them. Their effectiveness consists of a movement of transmission that can hardly be stopped. The article dissects family-historical, political, and poetological dimensions inherent in contemporary demonic representations.