As a precarious part of affirming imperial patriotism (1870–1880), defamed or little-respected historical novels decisively promoted historical reflection and identity formation. These novels expounded the problems of the contemporary handling of history and, therefore, stand at the beginning of the crisis of historism. The current dispositive analysis shows the highly reflexive intertwining of affirmation and subversion, to which the novels are connected with Nietzsche’s historical writings, Droysen’s historical semiotics, and Menzel’s turning away from historical painting, but also those with monument dedications, the jubilee celebration of 1870/71, publishing house advertisements, professor novels, newspaper articles and newspaper illustrations.