The miracles of the Antichrist

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The miracles of the Antichrist (original title: Antikrists mirakler ) is the title of a novel by the Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf . The novel was published in 1897 and is about the miracles that the imitation (the " Antichrist ", because only an imitation of the real Christ ) of a miraculous image of Christ performed in Sicily in the 19th century . The "Antichrist" stands here as a symbol for socialism , whose relationship to Christianity is the subject of the novel. The title of the novel refers to a fresco by Luca Signorelli in Orvieto Cathedral , which is alluded to in the last chapter of the book.

action

introduction

From the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome , the Antichrist begins his triumphal march
  1. Kejsarens syn ("The Emperor's Vision"): In a deep and holy night, the Roman Emperor Augustus climbs onto the Capitol because he wants to be declared God. But the ancient Sibyl forces him to look east through the air. Jesus is being born there in Bethlehem . Then she proclaims: On the Capitol one will venerate the world renewer, Christian or Antichrist, but never mortal people.
  2. Rome's heliga barn (“The Holy Child of Rome”): The church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli stands on the Capitol in Rome in memory of the prophecy of the old Sibyl . There a miraculous image of the Christ Child is venerated. A rich English woman wants to steal the picture. She makes an imitation of the picture and - to distinguish it from the original - scratches the slogan My kingdom is only from this world in the crown . She steals the image of Christ and replaces it with a copy. But a miracle happens: the stolen image of Christ comes back on its own, the copy is thrown out of the church. The Englishwoman takes the copy with her and goes on a journey.
  3. På barrikaden (“On the barricade”): A revolution is taking place in Paris . The people fight on the barricades. By chance the imitation of Christ, whose owner is currently in Paris, ends up on the barricades. A philosopher reads the inscription My kingdom is only of this world . Here he finds the formula for which he has been looking for so long, and based on it a new doctrine that is supposed to help people in this world instead of in the hereafter: socialism.

first book

Sicily - here a picture of Taormina - is the scene of Antikrists mirakler
  1. Mongibello ("The Mongibello"): The young Gaetano, the last of the noble Alagona family, lives in a monastery in Palermo . One day his aunt Donna Elisa comes and offers him to live with her in the town of Diamante at the foot of Mount Etna . Gaetano agrees.
  2. Fra Gaetano ("Fra Gaetano"): Impressed by the sermon of the monk Father Gondo, Gaetano wants to become a hermit. But then he decides to serve God by carving figures of saints, which Donna Elisa sells in her shop.
  3. Gudsystern (“The sister in God”): The young and rich Donna Micaela Palmeri lives in Catania . One day, she gets into trouble when her father is charged with infidelity and turns away from her. Her father's house was sold to a wealthy English woman. This carries the imitation of Christ with it. Donna Micaela begs the picture for help. A miracle happens: Gianita, goddaughter of Donna Elisa, comes and invites Micaela to Diamante.
  4. Diamante ("Diamante"): Donna Micaela arrives in Diamante.
  5. Don Ferrante ("Don Ferrante"): In Sicily there is poverty and need. Don Ferrante, Donna Elisa's brother, proposes marriage to Donna Micaela.
  6. Don Matteo's mission ("The Mission of Don Matteo"): The pastor Don Matteo persuades Donna Micaela to marry Don Ferrante so that her father will be provided for when he comes out of prison.
  7. San Pasquales klockor ("The Bells of San Pasquale"): Don Ferrante wants to put Donna Micaela's father in an old people's home because it is too expensive for him. Micaela's requests are in vain. In her need she turns to the image of Christ that she saw in Catania. Another miracle happens: the rich Englishwoman comes to Diamante with the imitation of Christ. The bells of the Church of San Pasquale ring of their own accord for a whole day. Don Ferrante agrees that Micaela's father can stay with her.
  8. Två canzoner (“Two Canzones”): Gaetano and Donna Micaela fall in love.
  9. Flykten ("The Flight"): The rich Englishwoman sends Gaetano to England for further training.
  10. Sirocco ("The Scirocco"): Socialist-led uprisings break out in Sicily. Gaetano became a socialist in England and returned to Sicily to join the rebels. When he hears gunfire and shouts of “Long live socialism”, he wants to take part in the suspected uprising. Donna Micaela does not prevent him, although she could, because she is appalled by his views and sees no basis for a further relationship.
  11. San Sebastiani Festival ("The Festival of St. Sebastian"). The ostensible insurgents are common robbers who have only dressed up as socialists. They murder Don Ferrante and steal the image of Christ. Gaetano is arrested with them. The judges want to acquit him because they do not believe that Gaetano has anything to do with the robbers. But when Gaetano sees the image of Christ present in the courtroom and reads the inscription Mein Reich is only from this world , he makes a fiery plea for his co-defendants in the name of socialism. He is sentenced to 29 years in prison .

second book

The Sicilian puppet theater describes Selma Lagerlöf in the chapter Det gamla martyriet .
  1. En stor mans hustru ("The wife of a great man"): Donna Micaela is planning a great project in the spirit of Gaetano. She wants to build a railway to Diamante in order to improve the economic situation of Diamante.
  2. Panem et circenes (“Bread and Games”): The rich English woman marries a local.
  3. Den utkastade ("The Outcast "): The Englishwoman gives the imitation of Christ to the Church of San Pasquale, where it is now venerated.
  4. Det gamla martyriet (“The old passion play”): The imitation of Christ makes a puppet theater with a passion play very successful. Part of the proceeds will be donated to the railway project.
  5. Damen med järnringen ("The lady with the iron ring"): Donna Micaela put an iron ring around her arm so that it reminds her of Gaetano.
  6. Fra Felices testamente ("Fra Felices Testament"): The imitation of Christ causes the blind singers to sing and collect money for the benefit of the railway. Donna Elisa makes up with Donna Micaela.
  7. Efter undret ("After the miracle"): The people begin to support the construction of the railway.
  8. En jettatore ("A man with the evil eye"): The imitation of Christ takes away the evil eye from a so-called jettatore . From then on, he worked as an engineer for railway construction.
  9. Palazzo Geraci och palazzo Corvaja ( "Palazzo Geraci and Palazzo Corvaja"): The Imitation of Christ image causes the inhabitants of the district of Diamante, who have the railway resisted so far to give up their resistance.
  10. Falco Falcone ("Falco Falcone"): The resistance of the dreaded robber chief Falco Falcone is broken by the imitation of Christ.
  11. Seger (“The Victory”): After the death of Falco Falcone, the construction of the railway finally made headway. A great society is forming. Micaela finally reconciles with her father.

Third book

  1. Oasen och ecnen ("The Oasis and the Desert"): In 1895 the railway around Etna was completed. But there is still need. In 1896 Gaetano Alagona was pardoned by the king.
  2. I Palermo (“In Palermo”): Palermo celebrates the return of Gaetano.
  3. Hemkomsten ("The Homecoming"): Gaetano and Micaela find each other.
  4. Endast av denna världen ("Only from this world"): The monk Father Gondo causes the inhabitants of Diamante to drive out the imitation of Christ because the people only asked the image for earthly goods and the image is about the Antichrist who did not lead anyone to believe.
  5. En fresk av Signorelli (“A fresco by Signorelli”): The Pope accuses Father Gondo of having acted wrongly: the Antichrist is nothing other than socialism. But the Church does not have to fear him, she will lead him to Christ.

meaning

Antikrists mirakler is Selma Lagerlöf's second novel after Gösta Berling . As in her first work, Selma Lagerlöf uses the technique of putting together an entire book from individual episodes. Here, however, the individual chapters are put together much more closely than in Gosta Berling's saga .

Antikrists mirakler is a novel of ideas: Selma Lagerlöf deals with the relationship between Christianity and socialism. Although she does not take a clear position herself, she shows sympathy for the concerns of socialism. The whole book is pervaded by the contrast between heaven and earth, not of this world-only of this world, Christianity-socialism. Ultimately, Selma Lagerlöf reconciles Christianity and socialism. For the time, this was an almost revolutionary concern.

Later on, Selma Lagerlöf herself was not entirely convinced that it was right to let the whole novel plot dominate the idea on which the novel is based. In her next novel, Jerusalem , she freed herself from being too closely attached to an idea.

At the same time, Selma Lagerlöf managed to write an exciting book with many vividly portrayed human fates. Antikrists mirakler is Selma Lagerlöf's only novel that is not set in Sweden. The descriptions of Sicilian landscapes, places, people and customs are no less clear and convincing than the descriptions of her Swedish homeland that she makes in other books.

Before she wrote the book, Selma Lagerlöf had made a long trip to Italy with Sophie Elkan between 1895 and 1896 . She spent several months in Sicily to study the novel there.

Antikrists mirakler was not quite as successful as Gösta Berlings saga , especially in Sweden, and today it is one of Selma Lagerlöf's lesser-known books. The reason for this is primarily the fact that the novel plot is strongly supported by ideas and often complex symbols. Selma Lagerlöf's final breakthrough as a writer came with her next novel, the first volume of Jerusalem published in 1901 .

Quote

Ingen kan frälsahabenkorna från deras cares, men den förlåtes mycket, som föder hos dem nytt mod att bära dem. (“No one can free people from their worries, but a lot will be forgiven who gives them new courage to carry them” - from the chapter En fresk av Signorelli ).

literature

  • Vivi Edström: Selma Lagerlöf . Nature and culture, Stockholm 1991, ISBN 91-27-02261-7 .
  • Bernt Olsson, Ingemar Algulin: Litteraturens historia i Sverige . 4th edition. Norstedt, Stockholm 1995, ISBN 91-1-943632-7 .
  • Göran Hägg: Den svenska literaturhistorien . Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm 1996, ISBN 91-46-16928-8 .