The fall of man

The Fall of Man is a novella by Ferdinand von Saar , 1898.

content

At an evening party, a festival visitor encounters a known him in an adjoining room Councilor . He has just read a book and is in the mood to talk about his life. After the story, the Councilor and the festival visitor leave the next room.

Internal narration

As a high school student in the sixth grade, the internal narrator found himself in the company of a few schoolmates who like to hang around in seedy inns. Having come more out of a thirst for recognition, Rudolf soon felt repulsed by this group. That's when he gets to know his shy neighbor at school better. Fritz Grewe is intelligent, but a bit weak, and he is happy about Rudolf's friendship. Soon he will invite him to his birthday party. Here Rudolf also met his sister, Seraphine. From now on the visits will be regular. Over time, Rudolf and thirteen-year-old Seraphine get closer and one day confess their love to each other. At the end of the year, the leader of the hated schoolmates approached Rudolf and asked him to come to a “New Year's Eve party”. Only after a threat does he reluctantly obey the order. Nine boys and three girls meet in a suburban pub. The festival soon turns into a drinking bout. Rudolf also has to keep up and is soon drunk. In an inconspicuous moment he escapes through the back yard. Here he meets Toni, one of the girls who was at the party. She lures him into a room where her completely intoxicated "lover" sleeps. Although Rudolf feels repulsed by Toni, he allows himself to be seduced by her. Days later, Seraphine dies of diphtheria without Rudolf seeing her again.