Eipeldauer letters

Title page of the first edition, 1785.

The Eipeldauer-Briefe, original: letters from an Eipeldauer to his master cousin in Kakran about d'Wienstadt, [...] are a satirical literary work of the Josephine age (ie the late Enlightenment ), which the writer Joseph Richter produced from 1785 onwards.

backgrounds

Initially (1785 and 1787) two letter novels were published, the success of which prompted the author to publish a monthly periodical from 1794 onwards , which, with minor interruptions, appeared after the author's death until 1821.

The first two volumes concern two trips to Vienna; the later magazine begins at the time when the Eipeldauer finally settles in Vienna. Each of these publications consisted of fictitious letters from a fictitious farmer from Eipeldau, today's Leopoldau , who was never named by name during Richter's lifetime , to his “cousin” (that is, somehow relative) in nearby Kagran . In a consistently sarcastic Viennese humor, Richter reports on customs and traditions as well as current events in the capital and residence city, although over the decades he has become increasingly less aggressive, ultimately becoming obedient to authority.

Richter was the sole author of 194 episodes for 28 years. After Richter's death in 1813, the writer Franz Xaver Gewey took over the [quite profitable!] Edition until the end of his life in 1819, after which the editing went to Adolf Bäuerle , who discontinued the paper in 1821.

Structure and content

Fictional travel reports are nothing new during Richter's lifetime: this form has been well known in educated circles in Europe since Montesquieu's famous Lettres persanes (1721) at the latest . The long distances that the “Persian” delegation had to take to be able to comment on the French way of life in a distant manner, however, are caricaturally shortened to a few kilometers and the crossing of the Danube.

Richter's first Eipeldauer volume, 1785, has the theme that the good-natured and not incapable peasant booby wants to experience the Viennese carnival at least once in his life. As soon as he arrives, he is lavishly entertained by the relatives, without realizing that their lifestyle cannot possibly match the official income, and immediately afterwards "ripped off" while playing cards. He is then introduced to cafés and inns, theaters and balls by the “Viennese Herr Vetter”, albeit at his own expense, and consumes so much that he has to ask the Kagraner to send him larger amounts of the savings left at home. The Eipeldauer knows from his coachman Hiesl that a man in Vienna can also quickly be deprived of money by “Graben-Fräule”, not about himself. The farmer begins his journey home on Ash Wednesday.

A second volume (1787) was obvious due to the success of the first, which had already made several editions. This time the author lets his Eipeldauer travel to Vienna to fight a legal dispute for the Kagran cousin, which is won, but brings more expenses than benefits.

At the time when the Eipeldauer intends to settle in Vienna, the magazine starts. From his relatives he is coupled to a servant of the “friend of a friend”, a “better gentleman”, whom he promptly marries. He is astonished to have become the father of a healthy boy after only six weeks, but is pleased because the former employer not only offers his wife to baptize the little one with his first name, but also to the Eipeldur, who is only moderately competent in writing helped to a civil service career. Furthermore, the better gentleman takes care of Eipeldauer's wife and child in many ways. From this point onwards, the story is a caricature of the incompetent and lazy civil servant who , through dubious patronage , was given his lifelong post. Unable to finance his wife's lifestyle, he even ends up in prison for debts due to bills of exchange , but is soon released again when his wife's new and financially strong lovers appear. This now surrounds itself with 'Mahmen' ("dear [younger] friends") and begins to run a flourishing secret brothel until such Mahmen are banned from the country by law. But even after that, the attractive lady does not lack lovers who allow her to keep her husband free.

In a later phase (from 1802) the Eipeldauer abdicates , so to speak . In other words, he leaves the letter writing to his supposedly "firstborn". From this point on, the series begins to flatten out considerably: the author by no means hits the tone of the spoiled Viennese snob, who is endured by his mother . From now on, topics are war and patriotism, as well as trivial and toothless everyday stories.

The last text written by Richter included the section:

“As Michl told me, Herr Vetter is a bit hard on me because I haven't written anything about political news for so long. But Herr Vetter is keeping to the Vienna newspaper, and there is everything in there that has happened in the world over the last year. But what will happen next, we have to leave to good time. She's the best cook, she'll cook everything the way it should be. "

Text sample

Excerpt from Letter 2, pp. 10–12.

"[S. 10] The people are set up. I totally crucified myself. Clocks hang on the wall, as big as our clock, and the room floor is as smooth as if it were frozen.

D'Frau Mahm sat on an armchair with six feet. *) I would not have known it at all if it hadn't been for a long time.

D'Wienerluft must strike her well. The house looked like it was seven years a year; but now it has a few red cheeks that you can't have a nicer meal **). She grew by a few shoes in Wienstadt too ***); instead of the rich tow hood she wears a big forelock, and she wears a knitted skirt as big as it is

[S. 11] of Mr. Cousin's great market stallion. *) [...]

Comments, as footnotes from the "publishing Viennese":

* Dear God! people go on trips and don't even know that d 'armchairs with six feet are called Sophi.

** Maybe it was a meal.

*** Will have just put on a new fashion hood, and high stalks of shoes, and there d 'Viennese women certainly look an inch bigger.

On p. 11: * I already know what the Eipeldauer wants to say with Marktzeger. D'Frau Mahm will have wore a pufanti, as s' d 'gracious women and d' street runners wear to Vienna. 'S parable has grathn him. [...] "

expenditure

Letters from an Eipeldauer to his master cousin in Kakran, about d'Wienstadt. Collected and published with notes. From a Viennese. Rehm, Vienna 1785 ( digitized in the Google book search).
The revived Eipeldauer: with notes from a Viennese. Rehm, Vienna 1799–1801 (Issue 1–12: urn : nbn: de: bvb: 12-bsb10009156-6 ; Issue 13–24: urn : nbn: de: bvb: 12-bsb10009157-1 ).
Original Eipeldauer letters printed in Vienna, brought to Bavaria by a returning shipman. Vienna 1805 ( urn : nbn: de: bvb: 12-bsb10010800-5 ).
Eugen von Paunel (ed.): The Eipeldauer letters. A selection. Müller, Munich

1785-1797 . 1917
1799-1813 . 1918

literature

Ludwig Plakolb: The letters of an Eipeldauer about d'Wienstadt (= Die Fundgrube. Vol. 48, ZDB -ID 530337-0 ). Winkler, Munich 1970.

Remarks

↑ The text is considered a "cultural document of high originality" (blurb of the licensed edition for Die Fundgrube, Kremayr & Scheriau , no year), it is not easy to read even with some knowledge of Lower Austrian-Viennese and French, even in the annotated version by Plakolb, 1970. Expressions taken over from the French (diplomatic) language are “roasted” in an orthographically consistent system, for example Bouffants (pl.) Pufanti is written. The expression “Pufanti” can be found in Le Français dans le théâtre Viennois su XIXe siècle ( digitized in the Google book search) apparently powerful - as “deformation” of the “Eipeldauer”. Plakolb notes in his glossary under Buffanti: Bouffants, bulging bulges under the dress , without explicitly establishing the connection to Pufanti .
↑ On the occasion of the takeover of the magazine, Richter's successor Gewey calls the original Eipeldauer “his deceased cousin Joseph”. This first letter from Gewey closes the Plakolbs collection (Lit. Plakolb p. 300.).
↑ Both places, at that time "deep province " and "far from Vienna", have been incorporated into Vienna since 1904.
↑ This can be explained because the judge, who had tried three times unsuccessfully for a job as a censor , had recently made a successful submission to the police station : After referring to his "loyalty" demonstrated by the Eipeldauer letters and personally sponsored by the police minister, At the beginning of 1802 the emperor approved a monthly grant of 30 guilders from “secret police money”, “that he can also use himself for the benefit of the state”.
↑ The travel time from Stephansplatz to the Leopoldau station is 18 minutes in 2010 (by underground line U1); It's less than 10 km as the crow flies.
↑ (PDF p. 12f; facsimile, p. 12.)
^ Prostitutes - the ditch leading to Stephansplatz was the most popular area.
↑ Plakolb has drastically shortened these sections.
^ Official body to this day
↑ As the last significant event, Richter just included the crossing of the Nyemen by Napoleon's army on June 24, 1812 in his reports.
↑ Aunt , that is, more-or-less close relationship
↑ sofa , also divan
↑ Quoted from Lit. Fundgrube, Plakolb , p. 9: “The work is pervaded by such comments by the ostensibly urbane 'Viennese' editor on the text of the primitive 'Bauerntölpels'. The first comment on p. 11 does not appear in Plakolb. "
↑ Plakolb excerpts and comments on Richter's work, d. H. of the issues from 1785–1813.

[1] The text is considered a "cultural document of high originality" (blurb of the licensed edition for Die Fundgrube, Kremayr & Scheriau , no year), it is not easy to read even with some knowledge of Lower Austrian-Viennese and French, even in the annotated version by Plakolb, 1970. Expressions taken over from the French (diplomatic) language are “roasted” in an orthographically consistent system, for example Bouffants (pl.) Pufanti is written. The expression “Pufanti” can be found in Le Français dans le théâtre Viennois su XIXe siècle ( digitized in the Google book search) apparently powerful - as “deformation” of the “Eipeldauer”. Plakolb notes in his glossary under Buffanti: Bouffants, bulging bulges under the dress , without explicitly establishing the connection to Pufanti .

[2] On the occasion of the takeover of the magazine, Richter's successor Gewey calls the original Eipeldauer “his deceased cousin Joseph”. This first letter from Gewey closes the Plakolbs collection (Lit. Plakolb p. 300.).

[3] Both places, at that time "deep province " and "far from Vienna", have been incorporated into Vienna since 1904.

[4] This can be explained because the judge, who had tried three times unsuccessfully for a job as a censor , had recently made a successful submission to the police station : After referring to his "loyalty" demonstrated by the Eipeldauer letters and personally sponsored by the police minister, At the beginning of 1802 the emperor approved a monthly grant of 30 guilders from “secret police money”, “that he can also use himself for the benefit of the state”.

[5] The travel time from Stephansplatz to the Leopoldau station is 18 minutes in 2010 (by underground line U1); It's less than 10 km as the crow flies.

[6] (PDF p. 12f; facsimile, p. 12.)

[7] Prostitutes - the ditch leading to Stephansplatz was the most popular area.

[8] Plakolb has drastically shortened these sections.

[9] Official body to this day

[10] As the last significant event, Richter just included the crossing of the Nyemen by Napoleon's army on June 24, 1812 in his reports.

[11] Aunt , that is, more-or-less close relationship

[12] sofa , also divan

[13] Quoted from Lit. Fundgrube, Plakolb , p. 9: “The work is pervaded by such comments by the ostensibly urbane 'Viennese' editor on the text of the primitive 'Bauerntölpels'. The first comment on p. 11 does not appear in Plakolb. "

[14] Plakolb excerpts and comments on Richter's work, d. H. of the issues from 1785–1813.