The judge's wife
The Judge's Wife is a short story by Arthur Schnitzler that first appeared in 1925 and was published in Volume VI of Schnitzler's narrative writings by S. Fischer in 1928 . Against the backdrop of the 18th century, Schnitzler ironically portrays the impossibility of marital union and political progress.
content
The story begins with the death of the Duke of the fictional German Principality of Sigmaringen, Karl Eberhard XVI., Who, instead of ruling his empire as an enlightened monarch, devoted himself to the pleasures of hunting and love, and in Karolslust Castle, honorable girls to his involuntary mistresses, the "garden maid" made.
The citizens now expect reforms and more freedom from his son, who always disapproves of his father's way of life and who had socialized with enlighteners like Denis Diderot and Baron von Grimm at the Paris court .
Before the arrival of the new duke, the seedy and impoverished Tobias Klenk and his childhood friend, the otherwise respected judge Adalbert Wogelein, aroused the attention of the bourgeoisie with hateful tirades against the oppression of the aristocracy. Adalbert, who otherwise lives a bourgeois lifestyle, horrifies his wife Agnes, the mayor's daughter, and the whole community with his provocative and dangerous speeches. When Klenk was arrested in physical violence against ducal officials, Wogelein was in conflict as his judge: On the one hand, as an official of the duchy he had to judge according to the reactionary law, on the other hand he had the same private convictions as his friend Klenk. First of all, he flagrantly claims in front of his wife that he will acquit Klenk so that he will judge the law and thus light a "torch that will light up all of Germany". When the new Duke attends the court assembly, however, these words no longer apply and Wogelein sentenced his friend to a year in prison and expulsion from the country. Since he doesn't want to stand there like a weakling in front of his wife, Wogelein becomes entangled in lies and portrays the young duke as a reactionary monarch, which Agnes finally sees through when the duke stops by them and turns out to be a liberal, enlightened and reform-minded man . Disappointed, Agnes turns away from her cocky, cowardly husband and asks the Duke to be allowed to follow him as mistress, which he initially refuses, but finally allows. Disgusted by the cowardice of the judge Wogelein and the stubbornness of the freed Klenk, the young duke renounces all reforms, has other mistresses besides Agnes and continues the lifestyle of his ancestors.
background
Schnitzler worked on three stories in particular in the post-war and early twenties: Miss Else , the judge's wife, and the dream novel . In these the author deals with the representation of social constellations and human behavioral patterns, which permeates his entire work. This time was by no means happy for Schnitzler: In addition to the financial difficulties caused by the dissolution of the Danube Monarchy and the subsequent problems of the First Republic, he also had to struggle with personal problems. In 1922 he stated about his writer's block: “Sometimes I feel as if I still have some things, indeed all sorts of very nice things to write down ... but my soul alternates between rigidity and restlessness; - it lacks the noble, calm rhythmic movement in which artistic work can flourish. " He also suffered from aging and the arguments with his wife Olga Gussmann, from whom he divorced in 1921. The impossibility of conjugal union, which is a central theme in The Judge's Wife, can probably be traced back to this personal experience.
interpretation
In his works (e.g. in Fräulein Else or Reigen), Schnitzler always advocated the removal of taboos on female sexuality and criticized the double standards of society at that time, which only tolerated the female roles of mother or prostitute. This topic is particularly central in this age narrative: In the historical setting of the Enlightenment, he depicts female sexuality through the fate of the bourgeois daughter Agnes, who leaves her weak, cowardly husband and finds fulfillment with her prince as mistress and can realize her physical and mental abilities . Recourse to the 18th century allows the author to criticize his own time.
Another irony of the story is that the sexual liberation of Agnes leads to the waning of the reforms of the new duke, who, disappointed in his subjects, has mistresses again and cares little about the well-being of the citizens. For Schnitzler in this story, social progress seems impossible.
Another interesting aspect of the story are the characters Tobias Klenk and Adalbert Wogelein, who symbolize the inner turmoil of the enlightened citizen: Adalbert Wogelein has to come to terms with his prince because he is dependent on him, but in reality he has liberal and enlightened views. Tobias Klenk, the alter ego of his childhood friend, represents his convictions without hesitation, but does not shy away from exaggeration and radicalism, and thus brings himself to the edge of society. The citizen's conflict between adaptation and the pursuit of freedom is thus expressly portrayed. Besides this Dr. Jekyll / Mr Hyde Schema, this constellation is clearly reminiscent of Kleist's drama "The Broken Jug", in which the judge Adam condemns an innocent man in order to cover up his own guilt.
expenditure
- Arthur Schnitzler: Dream Novel and Other Stories . Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt a. Main August 2008
Individual evidence
- ↑ (Compare Schnitzler's letter to Dora Michaelis of November 11, 1920, ibid. P. 217.219; quoted here: p. 218).