The commandant (Ingeborg Bachmann)

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The commandant is a story by Ingeborg Bachmann . The short text is probably the beginning of the 1947-1951 novel “City without a Name”. The novel manuscript, rejected by several publishers at the time, is considered lost.

content

action

On the way to the train station, S. turns back twice. Every time he forgot some form of identification in his spartan apartment. After the third departure, the documents are missing again. On the march to the commandant's office, he passed post 13, gained the crew's confidence, was let through without ID and it appeared that he was marching at the head of a larger uniformed troop.

In the commandant's office, S. is welcomed by one of the servicemen waiting for him with the address “My commanding officer”.

As soon as he starts work, S. is bothered with disciplinary proceedings. The guards at post 13 did not prevent the "main culprit" from marching on. S. participates in the interrogation of the guards. The squad has confessed and is awaiting judgment. S. wants to do everything to identify the "main culprit" in his hall of mirrors.

The above-mentioned interrogation took place in that mirrored hall of the commandant's office. The mirror in his study makes the commandant mad. He has all the mirrors removed. Every mirror breaks during the action. On his escape from the headquarters, S. has to pass the newly occupied post 13 again. Without papers, you can only return to the headquarters. On the way back, S. leads a marching company for the second time. In the commandant's office he is again expected by the subordinates and welcomed as “my commandant”. S. gives the first command to the devoted waiting people.

reception

Schneider sees the little story as " parable - kafkaesque ". Bartsch is reminded of Orwell's " 1984 ". By crossing a border, S. wants to become free, but ends up in a totalitarian surveillance state .

In a feature analysis, Steinhoff proves a " nightmare without awakening". Dream characteristics are the cyclical time structure with all of its repetitions - already hinted at in the brief description above - the paralysis of the protagonist up to the inability to act, his forgetfulness and the absurdities. For example, someone who ran away would be chosen to be the commander and immediately investigate himself. Steinhoff knows the latter curiosity from Sophocles ' “ King Oedipus ” and from Kleist's “ Broken Jug ”. Concerning the "uncertainty of self" and the "uncertainty of being" of S. Steinhoff finds parallels to the " country doctor ". Written a few years after the war , the text is a warning against oblivion.

literature

Text output

First publication and edition used
  • The Commander. A fragment from the early novel ›City without a Name‹ . P. 28–37 in: Christine Koschel (Ed.), Inge von Weidenbaum (Ed.), Clemens Münster (Ed.): Ingeborg Bachmann. Works. Volume two: Stories. Piper, Munich 1978 (5th edition 1993), volume 1702 of the Piper series, ISBN 3-492-11702-3

Secondary literature

  • Kurt Bartsch: Ingeborg Bachmann. Metzler, Stuttgart 1997 (2nd edition, Metzler Collection. Volume 242). ISBN 3-476-12242-5
  • Monika Albrecht (Hrsg.), Dirk Göttsche (Hrsg.): Bachmann-Handbuch. Life - work - effect . Metzler, Stuttgart 2002. ISBN 3-476-01810-5
  • Christine Steinhoff: Ingeborg Bachmann's Poetology of Dreams. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2008. ISBN 978-3-8260-3862-4 , pp. 33-53

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Edition used, p. 603, first entry
  2. ^ Jost Schneider in: Albrecht and Göttsche, p. 109, left column, 16. Zvo
  3. ↑ Bartsch, p. 45 middle
  4. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 33, 1. Zvo
  5. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 34, 9. Zvu
  6. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 34, 14. Zvo
  7. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 35, 1. Zvo
  8. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 41, 9. Zvo
  9. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 46, 9. Zvo
  10. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 50, 2. Zvo
  11. ↑ Steinhoff, p. 42, from 3. Zvo