Universität zu Köln

Marx, Peter W. ORCID: 0000-0002-5883-0571 (2025). Elephants in the Room: A Metonymic Reading of a Strange Appearance in Early Modern Europe. Theatre Research International, 50 (3). pp. 246-270. Cambridge University Press. ISSN 0307-8833

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Abstract

This paper discusses Roman Jakobson’s concept of metonymy as a form of theatre and performance historiography. Following traces of elephants in Europe during the early modern period, the paper suggests that these fragmentary documents – be they textual, visual or material – do not align with a grand récit but hint at multiple layers of cultural negotiation, concerning questions of ontology, anthropology, politics and even technology. The proverbial ‘elephant in the room’ is a provocation to reflect on these larger categories, while its cultural impact is firmly grounded in its theatrical and performative qualities. Drawing on the paradigm of critical media history, fragmentary and scattered documents become legible as part of a larger process of cultural formation.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Marx, Peter W. UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5883-0571 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-799311
Identification Number:	10.1017/S0307883325100904
Journal or Publication Title:	Theatre Research International
Volume:	50
Number:	3
Page Range:	pp. 246-270
Number of Pages:	25
Date:	8 October 2025
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	0307-8833
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 1: Kunstgeschichte, Musikwissenschaft, Medienkultur und Theater, Linguistik, Digital Humanities > Institut für Medienkultur und Theater (IMT)
Subjects:	Social sciences Stage presentations
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/79931