The Gupferl

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Rosegger in 1893

The Gupferl is a short story by the Austrian writer Peter Rosegger , which appeared in the October and November 1892 issue (17th year, issues 1 and 2) of the Graz Heimgarten .

content

On a midsummer day on the hike, young Christine holds her small clay jug under the dripping channel of a drying up rock spring. The vessel will not and will not be full. Greg the Spoon, a peddler, comes by with his cart, rests, and engages the thirsty woman in conversation; asks for her name. Christine does not name him and describes herself as the Gupferl. A gupf, a superfluous person who is pushed around everywhere, is Greg the spoon too. After some back and forth, the jug is still full. The peddler takes it from the young woman and drinks it up. Christine joins the spoon-Greg anyway, because as a maid in Graz, the rule hadn't had a good word for her. The peddler, on the other hand, takes a liking to the "young, pretty person"; shows understanding. However, this man does not own a draft animal. Christine joins in or pushes the cart. From then on the voracious peddler can be endured by Christine. During stops in Styrian farming villages, the young woman looks for work and brings her companion meals that this man devours greedily. Spoon Greg is a lazy man who likes to lie on the straw in his cart and smoke tobacco.

Christine not only works as a day laborer in the villages. Once she sews new clothes for the orphaned little children of the thatched roofer Franz. From then on, the children often talk about their new mother.

When one day the cart of the carelessly smoking peddler burns out, Christine, who is back in the village as a day laborer, suddenly has no more strength for sheer shock. Fortunately, a large farmer arranges their maintenance. When Greg the spoon learns that the Gupferl is seriously ill, he simply walks away.

When Franz received money for the roofing, he went to Christine and wanted to pay for the sewing of the clothes. He also mentions his children, who are still talking about the new mother. Christine finally marries the roofer.

Years later, the meanwhile worn spoon-Greg, once again - now with the humpback basket - pulling through, within shouting distance of the house where Christine is cooking lunch for the family, offers his wood carvings. The housewife wants to serve warm food for her former companion, but sends her big stepdaughter out. Because Christine no longer brings pity for this person.

Topoi

In this "story from Styria", the Carinthian pilgrimage site Luschariberg is mentioned as a geographical location in addition to Graz .

expenditure

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ s' Gupferl. A story from Styria. By PK Rosegger , Heimgarten , 17th year, October and November 1892, pp. 2–12 and 81–87