The wide country

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under The wide country (disambiguation) .

This article describes Schnitzler's play. For the similarly named films see Weites Land and Open Range - Weites Land .

Data
Title:	The wide country
Genus:	Tragic comedy in five acts
Original language:	German
Author:	Arthur Schnitzler
Publishing year:	1911
Premiere:	October 14, 1911
Place and time of the action:	Baden near Vienna ; only in the third act the hotel at the Völser Weiher . Right and left of the viewer.
people
Friedrich Hofreiter , manufacturer Genia , his wife Anna Meinhold-Aigner , actress Otto , her son, naval ensign Doctor von Aigner , Frau Meinhold's divorced husband Mrs. Choice their children: Gustav Erna Natter , banker Adele , his wife Doctor Franz Mauer , doctor Demeter Stanzides , first lieutenant Paul Kreindl Albertus Rohn , writer Marie , his wife Serknitz Doctor Meyer First tourist Second tourist Rosenstock , porter at the Hotel am Völser Weiher An English woman A French women A Spanish woman Penn , guide Frau Natter's two children The Miss Chambermaid at the Hofreiter Tourists, hotel guests, waiters, boys, etc.

The wide country is a tragic comedy in five acts by Arthur Schnitzler . The world premiere took place on October 14, 1911 at several stages: Berlin, Lessing Theater , Lobe Theater, Breslau; Residenztheater, Munich; German State Theater, Prague; Old City Theater, Leipzig; Schauburg, Hanover; Stadttheater, Bochum and in Vienna at the Burgtheater . The text was published in the same year by S. Fischer in Berlin.

The Viennese lightbulb manufacturer Friedrich Hofreiter broke his marriage several times, and although he was able to forgive the subsequent infidelity of his wife Genia, he could not forgive the youthful determination expressed in the eyes of the lover during a duel.

title

The husbands in the play are perplexed before a phenomenon. They cheat on their wives and are cheated on. When asked why, the only answer that occurs to them is that the human being is a “complicated subject” and his soul is “a vast country”.

content

Friedrich Hofreiter has an affair with Adele, the wife of his banker Natter, behind him. This spreads the rumor that the world-famous Russian pianist Korsakov had killed himself out of an unhappy love for Hofreiter's wife Genia.

Adele Natter blames Hofreiter for flirting with the 20-year-old Miss Erna Wahl in an outrageous way. Dr. Franz Mauer, whom Hofreiter calls his only friend, proposes to Erna, but does not get the promise he had hoped for. Genia doesn't understand why her husband unexpectedly wants to go on a longer mountain tour with friends. Hofreiter replied that he could not stand next to a woman whose virtue had driven Korsakov to his death. Genia had previously shown her husband a letter from Korsakov stating that she was maritally faithful.

Hofreiter begins a relationship with Erna in the Dolomites and proposes to her. Erna has been in love with the factory owner since childhood, but she still wants to stay single. Otto von Aigner, ensign in the Navy, and Genia Hofreiter confess their love for each other. Hofreiter suspects that banker Natter started the rumor that Korsakov fell victim to an American duel out of vindictiveness. At first he breathes a sigh of relief when his wife has committed marriage to Ensign Otto.

The banker Natter tells Hofreiter that he still loves his wife Adele and has in fact spread the rumor of the duel. Hofreiter could not prove that the story of the duel was not true. He doesn't like to duel with Hofreiter. Genia wants to reveal herself to her husband, but learns to her horror that he already knows. Hofreiter calls Ensign Otto to a duel. Genia tells Erna in a one-on-one conversation that she knows about the adventure in the Dolomites. The ensign's mother, also in a private conversation with Genia, shows understanding for her son's love affair.

Hofreiter kills the ensign in a duel, then meets the two women at home and hides his deed from the dead man's mother. But he wants to face the authorities and gives Erna the pass.

templates

Baden, Villa Aichelburg

Friedrich Eckstein and his wife Bertha Helene Diener (1874–1948) ran a salon in the St. Genois Schlössl in Baden near Vienna , in which Peter Altenberg , Arthur Schnitzler, Karl Kraus and Adolf Loos frequented. Schnitzler used the Ecksteinvilla in Baden and his son Percy Eckstein, born in 1899, as models for his drama Das weite Land . In the diary Schnitzler names Theodor Christomannos as a template for the hotelier and mountaineer “Dr. von Aigner ”(January 31, 1911).

shape

Schnitzler portrays Hofreiter as the villain in the play, but the protagonist at least shows a sense of guilt, which is also evident in the end. Erna wants to follow Hofreiter unconditionally. But he does not belong to "anyone in the world ... neither will". When the son Percy comes from England, Hofreiter becomes painfully aware of what he has lost.

Schnitzler put the events on stage with skill. As a means he uses rumors, the messenger report and smaller and larger gaps in time between the files. The latter technique stimulates the viewer to think about what is going on behind the scenes. In general, Schnitzler proves to be a master of indirect statements in the wide land . Little specific is discussed and yet everything becomes clear to the viewer, although at times he is lured on the wrong track.

Quotes

• "There are hearts in which nothing is statute-barred."
• "There may really only be one difficult [word] in the world - and that is a lie."

Cast for the Vienna premiere

Please refer

• Arnold Korff (1870-1944); Friedrich Hofreiter
• Lili Marberg (1876-1952); Hofreiters wife, Genia
• Hedwig Bleibtreu (1868-1958); Anna Meinhold-Aigner, actress
• Alfred Gerasch (1877–1955); Otto, son of Anna Meinhold-Aigner, naval ensign
• Max Devrient (1857-1929); Dr. von Aigner, divorced husband of Anna Meinhold
• Babette Devrient-Reinhold (1863-1940); Mrs. Choice
• Eugen Frank, actually Eugen Krauspe (1876–1942); Gustav, son of Mrs. Wahl
• Mizzi (Marie) Hofteufel (1884–?); Erna, daughter of Mrs. Wahl
• Albert Heine (1867-1949); Natter, banker
• Gisela Wilke (1882-1958); Adele, Natter's wife
• Max Paulsen (1876-1956); Dr. Franz Mauer, doctor
• Georg Muratori (1875-1921); Demeter Stanzides, first lieutenant
• Franz Höbling (1886-1965); Paul Kreindl
• Otto Tressler , actually Otto Mayer (1871–1965); Albertus Rhon, writer
• Camilla Gerzhofer (1888-1961); Marie, Rhon's wife
• Carl von Zeska (1862-1938); Serknitz
• Josef Moser (1864-1936); Doctor Meyer
• Armin Seydelmann (1872-1946); First tourist
• Alexander Elmhorst, actually Alexander Epstein (1867–1924); Second tourist
• Hugo Thimig (1854-1944); Rosenstock, porter at the Hotel am Völser Weiher 
• Robert von Balajthy (1855-1924); Penn, guide
• Marie Kasznica (around 1870–?); an English woman
• Rosa Moncza (? -?); Chambermaid at the Hofreiter

Testimonials

• Schnitzler noted on May 31, 1909: “… as a whole, my best-built piece,… in terms of content, it is much forward-looking; in ancillary things some conventional and cheap. ”And on April 26, 1910:“ Find the play good - maybe too good for a theatrical success. ”
• Diary entry from October 14, 1911: On the occasion of the premiere in Vienna, Schnitzler was called on stage twenty-four times by the audience.
• Diary entry from June 14, 1915: “I feel in so much about myself that I am a little less than what I myself call an artist ; - here I am - a little more. "

reception

• In a letter to Schnitzler on June 21, 1910, Brahm called the piece “completely new in style”, which he describes as “pointillist”.
• Brandes on October 19, 1911: "In the very rich and dazzling world presented here, however, any trust is impossible."
• Polgar describes the piece as a “well-organized concert of worms in the wood”. Grossmann and Kraus accused Schnitzler of proximity to the Parisian boulevard theater.
• October 29 to November 17, 1911: Schnitzler goes to places where his play is performed; is celebrated in Prague, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.
• According to Sabler, Schnitzler pushed the boundaries of what can be represented: the extramarital relationship is put on stage in the form of conversation.
• The protagonist of the new type in the play is typically a light bulb manufacturer. The fascination of this rider is not his personality, but the courage with which he removes the traditional.
• The Hofreiter couple are in a midlife crisis .
• Furtmüller psychoanalytically dissected the piece.
• Pankau mentions other leading positions for studying the piece (Christian Benne, Alfred Doppler, Konstanze Fliedl , Heike Söhnlein, Reinhard Urbach and Heiner Willenberg). Arnold also gives the work of Patricia Howe (New York 1990). Perlmann also points to the work of Sol Liptzin (1931), Anna Stroka (1971), Kilian (1972), Offermanns (1973), Rena Schlein (1973), Martin Swales (1977), Cäcilie Madl (1979) and Kurt Bergel (1986 ).

Productions (selection)

• 2002 Salzburg Festival , director: Andrea Breth
• 2009 Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden , director: Hermann Schmidt-Rahmer
• 2010 Theater in der Josefstadt , director: Josef E. Köpplinger
• 2011 Residenztheater Munich , director: Martin Kušej
• 2011 Burgtheater Vienna , director: Alvis Hermanis
• 2014 Reichenau Festival , director: Hermann Beil
• 2014 Deutsches Theater Berlin , director: Jette Steckel

Film adaptations

Entry 39 in: Filmings ( Memento from April 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )

• The vast country ( life begins tomorrow ). Director: Peter Beauvais . ORF , ZDF 1970. With Ruth Leuwerik , OW Fischer , Walter Reyer , Sabine Sinjen , Michael Heltau , Helmut Qualtinger and André Heller .
• The wide country ( The Distant Land, Unknown Country, Terre étrangère ). Director: Luc Bondy . WDR , ORF, Antenne 2 , Rai anno 1987. With Michel Piccoli , Bulle Ogier , Wolfgang Huebsch , Barbara Rebeschini , Gabriel Barylli , Paulus Manker , Jutta Lampe , Alain Cuny , Dominique Blanc and Milena Vukotic .

Radio plays

Entry 90 to 93 in: Radio plays ( Memento from December 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive )

• The wide country . First broadcast on October 3, 1947. Director: Hans Nüchtern . ORF studio Vienna.
• The wide country . First broadcast on January 21, 1956. Directed by Julius Filip . ORF studio Vienna.
• The wide country . First broadcast on September 27, 1974. Directed by Hans Krendlesberger . ORF studio Vienna. With Walther Reyer as Friedrich Hofreiter, Aglaja Schmid as Genia, Peter Fröhlich as Otto von Aigner, Kitty Speiser as Erna Wahl, Rudolf Wessely as banker Natter, Ulli Fessl as Adele and Erich Auer as Dr. Franz Mauer.
• The wide country . First broadcast on September 28, 1986. Director: Klaus Gmeiner . ORF, DRS , WDR, SFB . With Helmut Lohner as Friedrich Hofreiter, Christine Ostermayer as Genia, Gabriel Barylli as Otto Aigner, Andrea Wildner as Erna Wahl, Karl Walter Diess as banker Natter and Wolfgang Hübsch as Dr. Franz Mauer.

literature

source

• Arthur Schnitzler: The wide country. Tragic comedy in five acts p. 7 to 124 in Heinz Ludwig Arnold (ed.): Arthur Schnitzler: Comedy of seduction. Time pieces 1909 - 1924. With an afterword by Hermann Korte . S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1961 (2000 edition, cited in the text as “source”). 553 pages, ISBN 3-10-073559-5 .

expenditure

• -: The vast country. Tragic comedy in five acts. First edition. S. Fischer, Berlin 1911.
• -, Reinhard Urbach (Ed.): The wide country. Tragic comedy in five acts. (Reprint). Reclams Universal Library, Volume 18161, ZDB ID 134899-1 . Reclam, Stuttgart (inter alia) 2012, ISBN 978-3-15-018161-4 .

Secondary literature

• Hartmut Scheible : Arthur Schnitzler. rowohlt's monographs. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek near Hamburg, February 1976 (December 1990 edition). 160 pages, ISBN 3-499-50235-6
• Therese Nickl (Ed.), Heinrich Schnitzler (Ed.): Arthur Schnitzler. Youth in Vienna. An autobiography. With an afterword by Friedrich Torberg . Fischer paperback. Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 978-3-596-16852-1 . (© Verlag Fritz Molden , Vienna 1968).
• Michaela L. Perlmann: Arthur Schnitzler. Metzler Collection, Volume 239, ISSN  0558-3667 . Metzler, Stuttgart (inter alia) 1987, ISBN 3-476-10239-4 .
• Wolfgang Sabler: Modern and Boulevard Theater. Comment on the effect and the dramatic work of Arthur Schnitzler . Pp. 89-101 in: Heinz Ludwig Arnold (Ed.): Arthur Schnitzler. Publisher edition text + kritik, magazine for literature, issue 138/139, April 1998, 174 pages, ISBN 3-88377-577-0
• Heinz Ludwig Arnold (Ed.): Arthur Schnitzler. Publisher edition text + kritik, magazine for literature, issue 138/139, April 1998, 174 pages, ISBN 3-88377-577-0
• Giuseppe Farese: Arthur Schnitzler. A life in Vienna. 1862-1931 . Translated from the Italian by Karin Krieger . CH Beck Munich 1999. 360 pages, ISBN 3-406-45292-2 . Original: Arthur Schnitzler. Una vita a Vienna. 1862 - 1931. Mondadori Milan 1997
• Peter Sprengel : History of German-language literature 1900 - 1918. Munich 2004. 924 pages, ISBN 3-406-52178-9
• Gero von Wilpert : Lexicon of world literature. German Authors A - Z . S. 555, 2nd column, 14. Zvu Stuttgart 2004. 698 pages, ISBN 3-520-83704-8
• Johannes G. Pankau: The wide country. The natural as chaos . P. 134–147 in Hee-Ju Kim and Günter Saße (eds.): Interpretations. Arthur Schnitzler. Dramas and stories. Reclams Universal Library No. 17352. Stuttgart 2007. 270 pages, ISBN 978-3-15-017532-3
• Jacques Le Rider : Arthur Schnitzler or The Vienna Belle Époque . Translated from the French by Christian Winterhalter. Passagen Verlag Vienna 2007. 242 pages, ISBN 978-3-85165-767-8
• Reinhard Urbach: Arthur Schnitzler. The wide country. Genia. Readings and perspectives. Notes on a speculative dramaturgy. In: transgressions. Dialogues between literary and theater studies, architecture and the fine arts. Festschrift for Leonhard M. Fiedler on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Eds. Jörg Sader and Anette Wörner. Würzburg: Königshausen and Neumann 2002, pp. 127–137.

Web links

• The text at Zeno.org

Individual evidence

1. ^ Oskar Seidlin (ed.): The correspondence between Arthur Schnitzler and Otto Brahm. Niemeyer, Tübingen 1975, p. 331.
2. ↑ Theater and pleasure. Kk Hofburgtheater. For the first time: the wide open country. In:  Neue Freie Presse , Morgenblatt, No. 16935/1911, October 14, 1911, p. 21, top left. (Online at ANNO ). and
   W .:  Feuilleton. Burgtheater. In:  Neue Freie Presse , Morgenblatt, No. 16936/1911, October 15, 1911, p. 1 ff. (Online at ANNO ).
3. ↑ Reinhard Urbach: Schnitzler commentary on the narrative and dramatic works . 1st edition. Winkler, Munich 1974, p. 70 .
4. ^ Source, p. 551, first entry.
5. ^ Source, p. 80, 14th Zvu and p. 80, 7th Zvu
6. ↑ Source, p. 124.
7. ↑ See for example Quelle, p. 44, 3rd Zvu or p. 88, 12th Zvu
8. ↑ Source p. 53, 1st Zvu
9. ↑ Source p. 110, 2nd Zvu
10. ↑ Theater and pleasure. Kk Hofburgtheater. For the first time: the wide open country. In:  Neue Freie Presse , Morgenblatt, No. 16935/1911, October 14, 1911, p. 21, top left. (Online at ANNO ). .
11. ↑ Quoted in Farese, p. 140, 6. Zvo
12. ↑ Quoted in Farese, p. 143, 11. Zvo
13. ↑ Sabler p. 89, 12. Zvu
14. ↑ Quoted in Farese, p. 153, 3rd Zvu
15. ↑ Quoted in Farese, p. 152, 3rd Zvu
16. ↑ Quoted in Farese, p. 153, 21. Zvo
17. ↑ Quoted in Sprengel, p. 472, 2nd Zvo
18. ↑ Le Rider, p. 30, 10. Zvo
19. ↑ Farese, p. 154 below.
20. ↑ Sabler p. 96, 17. Zvo
21. ↑ Scheible, p. 100.
22. ↑ Perlmann, p. 92 below.
23. ↑ Le Rider, p. 119, 2. Zvo
24. ↑ Pankau p. 146 f.
25. ^ Arnold (1998), p. 167, left column, chap. 3.5.34.
26. ↑ Perlmann, p. 107, second entry.
27. ↑ wienerzeitung.at
28. ↑ pecht.info
29. ↑ josefstadt.org ( Memento from August 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
30. ↑ spiegel.de
31. ↑ faz.net
32. ↑ Catalog sheet . Austrian National Library

Remarks

1. ↑ Text, cast and mask are likely to have aimed at the South Tyrolean tourism pioneer Theodor Christomannos , who died in January of the premiere year . - See: W .:  Feuilleton. Burgtheater. In:  Neue Freie Presse , Morgenblatt, No. 16936/1911, October 15, 1911, p. 2, bottom right. (Online at ANNO ). .
2. ↑ The addition Life begins tomorrow should come from 1975, when production started as a cinema version on August 23 of that year and was advertised with Life begins tomorrow / The wide country . - See: The wide country . In: tvspielfilm.de , accessed on August 24, 2012, as well as Das weite Land . In: moviepilot.de , accessed on August 24, 2012.
3. ↑ Neither the TV premiere date mentioned for Austria (but applicable to Germany), March 29, 1970, nor the year of manufacture, 1970, are correct: The production was first shown on December 25, 1969 in the main evening program of FS1 . - See: Programs For Today. 1. TV program . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna December 25, 1969, p. 7 , above ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized). Plus: On TV this week. (...) Sunday, March 29th . In: spiegel.de , March 23, 1970, accessed on August 24, 2012.