The tower of constancy
The Tower of Resistance is a novella by Gertrud von le Fort , which was published in 1957 by Insel-Verlag in Wiesbaden.
The Marquise Reinette - the king's mistress - frees her lover, the Prince of Beauvau, from dungeon.
content
Accompanied by a chaplain , the Prince of Beauvau visits the Tower of Stability in his capacity as governor in 1768 . This is a dungeon in Aigues-Mortes , where Huguenots have been imprisoned for decades . When the prince becomes aware of misery, he immediately releases all Huguenot prisoners. The chaplain draws the prince's attention to the fact that he has exceeded his competence. Because there is no power of attorney signed by the king. The self-confident prince wants his authority as governor preserved and does not take back the spontaneously given order. Beauvau thinks that a man like him, who has ascended at court after having reluctantly left his mistress to the king as mistress, cannot help it. In addition, the prince, who calls himself “free thinkers” on several occasions and adheres to Voltaire , does not want to be patronized by a Catholic clergyman. And finally the exclamation of one of the prisoners had made a strong impression on Beauvau; downright shaken him awake. By shouting “Resistez!” The Huguenot Marie Durand had dissuaded two female inmates from whining for mercy.
Back at court, the prince later tries to obtain the above-mentioned approval from the king through Reinette. Finally he gave his word of honor to the fortress commander in Aigues-Mortes: The king's letter in this regard will be delivered immediately.
Concerned, the prince has to take note that all steps he is taking in Paris to obtain the document will have no effect. The king's mistress has other worries, finds herself unable and refers her lover to the Jesuit Father Laroche. The father thinks that the prince will be tried. The priest gives himself up as a persecuted person and advises the visitor to leave France immediately. When the stubborn prince refuses, the priest refers him back to the marquise. But the Prince of Beauvau has a better idea. He turns to his friends, the philosophers. Unfortunately Voltaire is currently out of the country. A book by Voltaire was recently burned by the hangman. The gentlemen cannot help. So the prince goes to Versailles late at night and goes to Reinette. The lady awaits the king in her night dress. How inappropriate! Then the ruler appears in negligee. The prince can present his request. The king already knows. The chaplain reported to the Archbishop of Paris what was going on in Aigues-Mortes. The ruler also advises the prince to leave the country as soon as possible. Because a lawsuit against the prince seems inevitable. The repeal of the Edict of Nantes cannot be changed. Even the king can't do anything. Beauvau remembers the exclamation “Résistez!”, Went to Aigues-Mortes and had himself incarcerated in the tower of constancy by the local commander.
The trial against the prince is initiated, but is crushed by the king. Reinette had regained the ruler's favor. The Prince of Beauvau is pardoned by the king unconditionally and is set free.
shape
The narrator calls himself a chronicler. The fact-hungry reader waits in vain for the name of the king and for Reinette's "real name". Towards the end of the text, Gertrud von le Fort announces that the story ends here and that she is now entering uncertain territory regarding the facts that have yet to be communicated.
If a fable, slumbering beneath the surface of the text, has the strength to rise powerfully in the reader's brain only after reading it, then this one, for example. When reading, the prince's relationship with Reinette seems anything but satisfactory. The prince quickly turns away from his beloved, but is soon forced to turn back. Reinette's letter to the prince's address and its effects are - received together with the entire text corpus - a wonderful testimony to the power of love in a woman.
radio play
- 1959: The tower of constancy. Arrangement (word): Paul Hübner ; Director: Jürgen Petersen .
Speaker:
- Günther Kind : The Prince of Beauvau
- Karl Luley : The abbe
- Martin Hirthe : The commandant
- Ellen Daub : Marie Durand
- Marianne Kehlau : The Marquise
- Raoul Wolfgang Schnell : The godfather
- Richard Münch : The King
- Herbert Ebelt : Servant
- Robert Seibert : Hofmeister
- Erwin Scherschel : Coachman
- Kurt Singotta : Speaker
- Armas Sten Feeler : Voltaire
Produzent: HR. Erstsendung: 27. März 1959. Abspieldauer: 44'10 Minuten.
literature
- Used edition
- The tower of constancy. Novella. P. 253-292 in: Gertrud von le Fort: The daughter of Jephthas and other stories. Suhrkamp Taschenbuch 351 (1st edition 1976). Licensor: Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main. ISBN 3-518-06851-2 (also contains: The Consolata . The daughter of Farinata . Plus ultra . At the gate of heaven . The wife of Pilate )
- Secondary literature
- Nicholas J. Meyerhofer: Gertrud von le Fort . Morgenbuch Verlag Berlin 1993. Heads of the 20th Century, Volume 119. ISBN 3-371-00376-0
- Gero von Wilpert : Lexicon of world literature. German Authors A - Z . P. 382, left column, 10. Zvo Stuttgart 2004. ISBN 3-520-83704-8
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ The Prince of Beauvau calls the king's mistress in a private conversation or with the flattering name (edition used, p. 263, 5th Zvo) Reinette (see for example in the edition used, p. 268, 13. Zvu). Otherwise the “high patroness” (edition used, p. 255, 6. Zvo) of the prince remains anonymous throughout the text.
- ↑ Probably the prince cannot be attributed to the House of Beauvau , since he was only protected by the king in the text.
- ↑ Gertrud von le Fort gives neither any year nor the name of the king. But from the year of Marie Durand's release from prison (the event begins with the story), that was 1768 (see also: Marie Durand article ), the reconstruction is possible. In 1768 Louis XV ruled .
- ↑ Resistez! (French): Resist!
- ↑ Everything points to the pompadour . However, this cannot be meant by Reinette because she died a few years before the start of the action.