The bailiff of Greifensee
The Landvogt von Greifensee is the third and last novella in the first volume of Gottfried Keller's Zurich novellas . The novella takes the rule of Salomon Landolt , during his time as governor of Greifensee , as a foil on which his failed love stories are told.
content
During his time as Governor of Greifensee, Salomon Landolt remembers the five women he once loved but who turned him down one after the other. Then the bailiff, who is described once as a popular and open man (cf. 134) and then again as "hardened Hagestolz" (135), once [to] unite the five old flames on his hearth and let them shine . "(139)
The first in line is a beautiful woman named Salome (141-150), whom Landolt met in an old manor house. Already because they have the same name, both fall in love while planting cherry trees. However, a mixture of honesty and a test of love urges Landolt to inform those named after a bird in the family coat of arms "Goldfinch" of some exaggerated insecure family relationships, whereupon the one previously assigned to him, supported by his parents, abruptly ends the relationship. In Salome Nussberger sees Keller's beloved Luise Rieter reproduced (cf.Nussberger 1903, 56) - not least because Luise von Keller received a letter not dissimilar to Landolt's (on October 16, 1847; cf. Keller, Gesammelte Briefe, ed Carl Helbling, 4 vol., Bern 1950–1954, vol. 2, 10f). His biographer Hess claims to have seen the "white cherries" planted by Landolt between the red ones (cf. David Hess, Salomon Landolt. A character image after life ... ; Zurich 1820, 29).
The second beloved of the later bailiff is Figura Leu (150-171), the niece of a councilor and Reformation lord , who is described as melusine as an "elementary being" (150) who walks around "as if carried by air" (153) and her jokes drives and is therefore called the "Hanswurstel". Here, too, the closeness of both brought about by Landolt's brother Martin Leu is first established, only to be abruptly broken off by the lover. Figura's motif is the only one of the women listed, however, to appear honest and selfless, as she sees herself as inherited from a hereditary disease.
To illustrate the "mystical-abstract beast of violence" (154) of the Calvinist city regiment , with which Landolt is confronted in the "Society for Fatherland History" and in the councilor's house, Bodmer and Gessner are also used and depicted as historical persons - the former by Keller more in the direction of arrogance, the latter overdrawn in that of fun (cf. 167f.). Letters from the historical figure of the Reformation Lord Leu have also come down to us, which Keller used (cf. Nussberger 1903, 8ff.). The Society for Patriotic History has the "historical-political society on the shoemakers" as its model (cf. 577 and note for example 153, 12f.)
Wendelgard, also known as the "captain" (171–186), is then introduced as the third, so called because the father is actually given as a captain Gimmel, who makes a name for himself as a drunkard and bully. In the end, however, Gimmel also brings his own daughter, who had to have some debts written down, in dire straits to take care of the household during the father's antics, when he refuses and is probably hardly able to pay these debts. Landolt, who learns of this, now honors the beautiful woman by bringing the money, but to spare her the shame, he does so in the name of the father.
When now, freed from worries, they both get closer, the father seems to have better things in mind for the daughter. A trip to Baden becomes Wendelgard's deadline to consider Landolt's application. When she is almost ready to consent, however, Figura, who is also there, who befriends the captain's daughter, thwarts these plans. She sensed the indecisive character of Wendelgard as well as the mesalliance in her of a penchant for money but little economic understanding.
In the old buffoon manner, the brother Martin is now commissioned to play the girl a rich Huguenot - a game that Wendelgard falls for completely and which Landolt relieves of all duties. When the joke is now uncovered, Landolt is weaned from the captain's daughter, but Martin, now speaking in person, cannot resist the beautiful woman after all, so that both marry.
The last two adored are then listed under one heading as "Warbler and Blackbird" (187–203). The warbler (until 195) bears the name Barbara and is the daughter of the proselytist and former pastor Elias Thumeysen. Barbara then becomes the stranger of Landolt's mistress. She receives lessons in drawing from Landolt until her skills and her attraction to him have increased, but throws all this overboard when she is allowed to look at her lover's own painting for the first time and is suddenly completely changed. In the last offer from Holden that both of them may forego their painting in order to enter into a peaceful marriage, Landolt quickly recognizes, "[...] that here in the guise of innocent narrow-mindedness a form of immodesty appears that in no way guarantees the peace of the house [...] ] «(195) and waived.
The other, the blackbird , is called Aglaja and seems to lure Landolt in the same way as Salome did before, but explains to the governor, before it comes to the worst, that she wants help to be able to meet someone else. So Aglaja appears as the only honest among women, along with Figura Leu. With the help that Landolt grants and leads to success, this last marriage that was envisaged is also perdu.
With his housekeeper Marianne, the bailiff advises on charging all five at once. As a historical person, the figure of Marianne only came across Landolt's estate in close proximity to Landolt's household and was correspondingly younger - instead of being born in 1737/1738, like Keller's figure, Marianne Klaissner was born in 1754 and also has a daughter who is still alive (cf. 565).
filming
The novella was filmed in 1979 with Christian Quadflieg in the leading role:
literature
- Max Nußberger: "The Governor of Greifensee" and his sources. A study of Gottfried Keller's poetic work. Huber, Frauenfeld 1903, (Zurich, university, dissertation).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ The bailiff of Greifensee . Film lexicon from A to Z. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
- ^ The Landvogt von Greifensee in the Internet Movie Database (English)