Baron Munchausen

(this article is about the fictitious character; for the "real" Baron Münchausen, see Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen).

Depiction of Baron Münchausen by Gutsave Doré, 1887

Baron Münchausen is an enduring figure of comical exaggeration, originated by Rudolf Erich Raspé in a series of stories which were first published in the 1780's. Raspé himself may have borrowed the stories from others; and his own, regularly extended, collections of "Munchauen stories" were soon taken up and continued by later writers. In Germany and in Raspé's adopted homeland of England, and to a lesser extent worldwide, the stories became immensely popular, and the name of Münchausen became a synonym for any form of exaggerated story or "tall tale." In Medicine, the term "Munschausen syndrome" came to refer to patients who concocted fictititious illnesses that were supported by elaborate false histories and feigned evidence in an effort for attention and hospitalization. In the twentieth century, the Baron was featured in films and animated cartoons, most notably in Terry Gilliam's 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Münchausen.

Raspé's Münchausen

The actual Baron Münchausen was well-known in European circles for his entertaining accounts of his military exploits, but was said to be prone to exaggeration. An anonymous version of tales under his name was published in England in 1781, and may have been a source for Raspé. Raspé's own book was entitled Baron Munchhausen's Narrative of his Marvellous Travels and Campaigns in Russia, which was reprinted with additional tales as The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, and appeared in 1785. One of the signature touches of these texts was to reproduce an affadavit, purportedly signed by the "Lord Mayor and Aldermen" of London, averring that everything in the book was absolutely true. Raspé may have imitated this from the opening of Lucian's True History, a similarly facetious tale which was a source for many stories in the Münchausen tradition.

Later versions and parodies

Additions to, and parodies of, Raspé's work began almost immediately; the very year after the first London edition (1786), Gottfried August Bürger translated Raspe's tales into German, adding a few of his own. These were published as Wunderbare Reisen zu Wasser und zu Lande: Feldzüge und lustige Abenteuer des Freiherrn von Münchhausen ("Marvellous Travels by Water and Land: The Campaigns and Comical Adventures of Baron Münchhausen"). In 1819, an anonymous writer satirized Sir John Ross's recent polar expedition with a tract entitled Munchausen at the Pole, which awarded facetious laurels for Ross's achievements in retrieving such treasures as a "bucket of red snow" and a "button from a coat worn by Mungo Park." The best-known illustrations of Munchausen's exploits are those of Gustave Doré, first prepared for an edition of 1862, and frequently reprinted (see illustration above).

Munchausen's syndrome

"In the medical and dental literature, a number of reports have been published describing a Münchhausen syndrome in the German language and a Munchausen syndrome in the English language...The syndrome is defined as a condition characterized by the feigning of symptoms of a disease or injury in order to undergo diagnostic tests, hospitalization, medical or dental treatment." (Reichart PA. Grote M. Munchhausen syndrome or Muchausen syndrome? Two names--one syndrome. Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine. 30(8):510-2, 2001 Sep. UI: 11545245). In the English medical literature, "Asher 1 was the first to use the term Munchausen syndrome to refer to a peculiar subset of patients who repeatedly seek medical care for factitious illnesses" (de Fontaine S. Van Geertruyden J. Preud'homme X. Goldschmidt D. Munchausen syndrome. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 46(2):153-8, 2001 Feb. UI: 11216611)

He used this eponym because it reminded him of the fantastic imaginary adventures of an 18th century European aristocrat, the Baron von Munchausen.

References

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