The amulet

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The amulet is the title of a novella by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer , which was written in the winter of 1872/73 and first published in 1873 by Hessel in Leipzig . It is divided into 10 chapters.

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Main characters:

  • Hans Schadau "from Bern"
  • Wilhelm Boccard "von Fryburg"
  • Gasparde
  • Chatillon Parliamentary Council
  • Admiral Coligny
  • Uncle

Hans Schadau is the narrator of the story. First he describes his youth, when he grew up with an uncle because of the death of his parents . As a Protestant he was brought up according to Calvinist teaching . One day a Bohemian arrives whom Schadau hires as a fencing master and who teaches him fencing. The Bohemian has to flee because he is a wanted murderer.

After a fight at a wedding, Schadau can no longer stand it and moves to Paris to wait for the outbreak of a long-awaited war for the liberation of the Spanish-occupied Netherlands. Like his father, he would like to serve under Admiral Coligny , whom he idolizes. On the way, surprised by a thunderstorm, he stops at a restaurant near Melun (FR) and meets Wilhelm Boccard, a citizen of Freiburg , as well as the parliamentary councilor Chatillon with his supposed niece Gasparde. The conversation is all about the different religious views, and after an insulting remark on the part of Schadau, Boccard tells how he was cured of polio by Our Lady of Einsiedeln . That's why he carries an amulet with him. When he arrived in Paris, Schadau went to see Admiral Coligny, the then leader of the French Calvinists, who gave him a place in his German cavalry and employed him as a clerk until the war began. Apparently Chatillon has already put in a good word for Schadau.

He then visits him in his house on the Île Saint-Louis . During the conversation it turns out that Gasparde is the daughter of the late brother of Admiral Coligny and therefore has the same eyes. When he later stands with her at the window and listens to the incitement of the Catholic priest, a courtier of the Duke of Anjou, Count Guiche, who has been chasing Gasparde for some time, passes by. She presents Schadau as her protector. The next day, Schadau meets Boccard on the street, who shows him around. They collide with Count Guiche, a small bump turns into a duel that Schadau only wins the next morning because Boccard secretly slipped the Amulet of Our Lady into his doublet. The amulet thus prevents the fatal blow.

When he meets Gasparde again that evening, she confesses complicity and they declare their love for each other.

One month later: Admiral Coligny was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt and is dying. Chatillon wrestled with the idea of ​​fleeing to the country to be safe from the dangerous atmosphere against the Protestants in Paris. Schadau and Gasparde are called to the admiral, who hastily lets them be married. Once in his room, Schadau is persuaded by Boccard to come to the Louvre (the royal palace at the time), where he is caught and locked in Boccard's room. That night all Protestants are killed in Paris on the order of the king ( Bartholomew Night ). When Schadau begs Boccard “in the name of Einsiedeln's mother”, he helps him, disguised in the clothes of a Swiss Guard, to save his wife. When they can free them from the oppression of the mob, Boccard is shot in the street. In his last breath he kisses the amulet.

With the help of the Bohemian, Schadau and Gasparde flee Paris to Bern to find accommodation with Schadau's uncle. On the way he reads a letter from his uncle, which he had already received earlier, but which he only now has time to read. It contains the uncle's last greeting and the message that he will bequeath everything to him.

Analysis of the characteristic features of the novella

a) The " falcon "

The amulet forms the "falcon" of history. In the first chapter it forms the mysterious prelude and encourages the narrator to remember the events. It represents protection from death, both Boccard and Schadau owe their lives to the amulet. At the same time, it establishes the connection between the religions, because initially Schadau, as a Calvinist, opposes the veneration of Mary. At first he joked about it, but when his own life was miraculously saved by the amulet, he reacted gruffly and negatively, but secretly he began to change his mind: "His superstition was reprehensible, but his loyalty to friends had saved my life . “ In prison, Boccard can only be persuaded to undertake a rescue operation for Gasparde when Schadau begs him from the Mother of God. And when Boccard is finally shot in the street, he kisses the amulet with the last of his strength.

b) The extraordinary, the unusual, the "unheard of"

The crisis, which forms the core of every novella, is a religious conflict on two levels: On the action level, a friendship arises between the Catholic Boccard and the Protestant Schadau, which ultimately goes so far that Boccard sacrifices his life for the young couple. Historically, the conflict escalated into a bloodbath, the Bartholomew Night, in which an estimated 10,000 Huguenots were murdered. So these two levels are contrary and form a strong contradiction, which makes the individual fate special.

c) Dramatic structure

The novella is divided into 10 chapters. The first chapter forms the prehistory, in which Schadau explains the motivation for writing his life story. Already here the amulet, the medal with Our Lady of Einsiedeln, appears for the first time, which will later run through the whole novella. The rest of the novella follows the structure of a drama and is divided into exposition or introduction with chapters 2, 3 and 4. The first climax is the duel, then the tension increases significantly and finally culminates in the liberation of Gaspardes in chapter 9, the is both the climax and turning point of history.

d) Objective narrative attitude

Even before the first chapter one finds the note: “I have old yellowed leaves with notes from the beginning of the seventeenth century. I translate it into the language of our time. ” The author reinforces the impression that the story told is true and that it happened exactly as it was. He avoids any personal statement and tries to keep the narrative as neutral and objective as possible. The detailed historical background also supports this illusion. With this narrative technique, the novella can be clearly assigned to realism , also with a view to the time it was written . Characteristic of this literary epoch are still the objective and precise description of the characters, their actions and their surroundings, as implemented in the book.

e) Limitation, tight construction

The whole story forms a dense, coherent narrative thread that is less than 70 pages long and is limited to essential scenes. The first-person narrator keeps the plot compact and leads it to a closed whole, a limited story or news. It is also noticeable that the whole story is strictly logical and consequently constructed. The motivation of all decisions is comprehensible and can be explained rationally.

f) The frame narration

As is usual for novellas, the actual story is enclosed in a short frame narration. In this case, Schadau recounts this excerpt from his life in retrospect. A frame narrative for the frame narration can even be seen in the beginning : The first two sentences ( "Old yellowed sheets of paper lie in front of me with notes from the beginning of the seventeenth century. I translate them into the language of our time." ) Have a first-person narrator , who is definitely not Schadau and only has the role of a "translator", so is completely outside the story. It is never mentioned again later and cannot be recognized in the text (no comments, etc.). This nesting of frame narratives draws the reader deeper and deeper into the action.

g) The social crisis (historical classification)

The story is told historically correctly and takes place mainly on August 24, 1572, when during the Bartholomew Night on the orders of King Charles IX. an estimated 10,000 Protestant Huguenots were killed by the roaming mob. The assassination attempt on Admiral Coligny and the goals and plans of the historical figures are also accurately described. This situation represents a great social crisis, against the background of which the extraordinary events of the amendment typically take place.

Origin and reception

Inspired by studying French history, especially Catherine de Medici , St. Bartholomew's Night and the wars of religion under Charles IX. , Meyer set about dictating the novella to his sister in the winter of 1872/73. The novel Chronique du règne de Charles IX ( The Night of Bartholomew ) by Prosper Mérimée , 1829, also gave him inspiration, as he wrote in 1873. He made a draft in the 1960s, but put it aside for the time being, as it still seemed to him not well thought out.

The contemporary background of the Kulturkampf in Switzerland appears significant for the design of the novella. While the state at that time hoped to suppress the influence of the Catholic Church with legal reprisals, Meyer pleaded in the amendment for peace between denominations and the primacy of the common nation over the different religion .

As Meyer's first prose novella, the work had little success despite frequent reviews. Nevertheless, as with his other novels , the correct representation of the historical background, the clear characters, the simple language and a masterful composition were praised .

notes

  1. ↑ a precise comparison of both authors in Poppe

literature

  • Conrad Ferdinand Meyer: The amulet. Series: Reclams Universal-Bibliothek , 6943. Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-15-006943-2 .
  • Conrad Ferdinand Meyer: Complete Works. Historical-critical edition , arranged by Hans Zeller and Alfred Zäch. Vol. 11: The amulet [u. a.]. Text, apparatus and commentary. Benteli, Bern 2nd ext. New edition, 1998.
  • Conrad Ferdinand Meyer: The amulet. Row: Basis-Bibliothek, 90th Commentary by Marcel Diel and Florian Radvan. Suhrkamp, ​​Frankfurt 2008, ISBN 978-3-518-18890-3 .
  • Reiner Poppe: King's explanations and materials on Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, The Amulet, Gustav Adolf's Page. # 273. Bange, Holfeld 1994; 2nd edition 1996 ISBN 3-8044-0327-1 . (Extensive bibliography.)
  • Conrad Ferdinand Meyer: The Complete Works - read in full on 5 MP3 CDs by Klauspeter Bungert . Bungert, Trier 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-024887-0 .

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