L'ironie (presque) involontaire des « élites » intellectuelles légionnaires : entre soumission politique totale et mobilisation infinie d’étudiants absentéistes
The (almost) involuntary irony of the legionary intellectual “elites”: between total political submission and infinite mobilization of absentee students

Author(s): Traian Sandu
Subject(s): History, Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, History of ideas, Special Historiographies:, Fascism, Nazism and WW II
Published by: Editura Junimea
Keywords: fascism; Romania; intellectuals; irony; Cioran, Eliade;
Summary/Abstract: The subject of irony among legionaries may seem rather decontextualized, as the exclusive political faith, the total commitment, and the murderous consequences of the fascist ideology of the legionaries predispose their intelectuals to serious martial attitudes and rectilinear assertions rather than light approaches and multiple senses supposed by irony. Nevertheless, the situation of fascist intellectuals is ironic in itself, as they have to reconcile rational analyses and partisan obedience, which leads them to sacrifice their critical role and their intellectual superiority in front of mediocre fascist leaders. Fascist intellectuals as Mircea Eliade sometimes try to use ironical detachment in order to obtain some free space for critical mind, with no success; some of them do not try at all, as Emil Cioran, with huge spiritual collapse after the 1945 defeat and enormous success of their omni-ironic Weltanschauung afterwards.

• Details
• Contents