Faustine (Goethe)

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Faustine is a literary figure by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe .

Elegant figure

In the Roman Elegies (XXI. / 18.) Goethe writes: That is why Faustine makes my fortune: she shares the camp / gladly with me, and precisely keeps faithful to what is faithful. It is only mentioned by name at this point, its origin in the XVIII. / 15. Elegy stated. In literature one speaks of Faustina .

Eckart Kleßmann writes on this: An Italian Goethe researcher found out that Faustina can be proven in documents.

Faustina was the daughter of the innkeeper Agostino di Giovanni, was born in 1764, married in 1784, had a young son and was widowed. She worked as a waitress in the "Osteria alla Campana".

Goethe confirmed this in 1827 in a conversation with the painter Wilhelm Zahn . He reported on his trip to Rome and a stop at the "Osteria alla Campana". Goethe replied: I had my usual intercourse in this osteria. Here I met the Roman woman, who inspired me to the elegies. She came here with her uncle, and under the good man's eyes we arranged our meetings by dipping our fingers in the spilled wine and writing the hour on the table.

This scene is in the XVIII. / 15. Elegy described in detail. ... And from today on you greet me even more beautifully, you giving gifts / Osterien, as the Romans call you properly ; / For today you show me your dearest, accompanied by your uncle, / whom the good one so often betrays into possessing me. ... ... She spoke louder when the Roman woman was tending and serving here / looked at me, poured and missed the glass. / Wine flowed across the table and she, with a delicate finger, / drew circles of moisture on the wooden sheet. / My name she devoured hers; always eager / I look after my little finger and she must have noticed me. / At last she swiftly drew the mark of the Roman five / and a line in front of it. Quickly, and as soon as I saw it, / she snaked circles through circles to erase the letters and numbers; / But the delicious four stuck in my eye. ...

On his Italian trip from September 1786 to May 1788 (three quarters of a year), Goethe spent four months on the outward journey and almost a year in Rome on the return journey. He met Faustina on the return trip, probably not until January 1788. His Duke Karl August told Goethe in his letters to Rome about his love life. Goethe replied on February 16, 1788: It seems that your good thoughts on January 22 (1788) had an immediate effect on Rome, for I could tell of a few graceful walks. So much is certain, and you, as Doctor longe experimentissimus (scholar with very long experience), are absolutely right, that such a moderate movement refreshes the mind and brings the body into a delicious equilibrium. How I have experienced this more than once in my life, but also felt the inconvenience when I wanted to initiate myself from the broad path on the narrow path of abstinence and security.

Goethe traveled back to Weimar after Easter (Easter Sunday was March 23, 1788). His amorous relationship with Faustina was rather short at three to four months, but it had a major impact on his personal development .

Who was Faustine?

Goethe's departure from Karlsbad on September 3, 1786 was unannounced, without specifying the destination or duration. He escaped the 10-year civil service with his Duke Karl August and the high society in Weimar. Ultimately, he agreed with his employer on paid leave of indefinite duration. For Goethe, Italy was the land he longed for. He wanted to study classical antiquity, get to know the lifestyle and experience free, "pure" love. To avoid public attention he traveled incognito as "Johann Philipp Möller". His secretary, Philipp Seidel, who remained in Weimar, knew his pseudonym and handled correspondence and money transactions based on postal instructions.

In Rome, Goethe took board and lodging with the landlords "Sante Collina" and his wife in the Casa Moscatelli, today Casa di Goethe in Via del Corso 18. The painters Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein , Johann Georg Schütz and Friedrich Bury lived there . When entering the population register, Goethe introduced himself as “Painter Filippo Möller, 32 years old” (6 years less than actually) and was Italianized as “Sig. Filippo Miller Tedesco di anni 32 “. The names of his roommates were Italianized as "Tisben" (Tischbein), "Zicci" (Schütz) and "Bir" (Bury). The mail to Goethe was sent by Philipp Seidel in a second outer envelope addressed to "Al signor Tischbein Pittore Tedesco al Corso, incontro del Palazzo Rondanini, Roma".

The name Osteria alla Campana / Gasthaus zur Glocke is common. In 1820, the poet Wilhelm Müller creatively determined that this osteria with the golden bell was on the square at the Theater des Marcellus. The German artists celebrated Goethe's birthday there every year. King Ludwig I of Bavaria had a memorial plaque put up there in 1866, in which Goethe supposedly began his elegiac love affair. A tavern with this name is not recorded in the official registers of the 18th century. Goethe knew this tradition and was able to bring it up in conversation with Zahn in 1827: "Do you also know the Osteria alla Campana?" Zahn confirmed this eagerly, which prompted Goethe to comment: “Here I met the Roman woman who inspired me to the“ Elegies ””. Goethe jealously hid the details of his incognito from the public. He confirmed Zahn's view in order to mislead him and his compatriots in order to hide the real scene of his love.

The restaurant Vinzenz / Vincenzo owned by the innkeeper "Vinzenz Roesler" and his wife in Via dei Condotti was particularly popular with German artists. The couple had two daughters, Maria Constanza Teresa (20), Maria Elisabetta Gertrude (14) and four younger sons. Goethe noticed the two girls who were serving at the table. He asked Tischbein to make drawings for the girls. Goethe's edition book shows that in January 1787 he visited "Vinzenco" very eagerly. His expenses were plentiful, which suggests that there were several entertaining participants. He must have had a particular interest in these visits.

Constanza Releir (Constanza Roesler) signed an undated, unaddressed letter that is in Goethe's meager, private estate. The letter is written in good Italian with even script. This is the safe handwriting of a professional writer.

Public schools for the people, separated into boys and girls, were maintained in Rome by the Vatican. Boys were taught reading, writing, arithmetic and grammar. Girls mainly learned to crochet, knit and sew. Reading was little taught, writing almost not at all. It is feared that girls would mainly use writing for love letters.

A waitress like Constanza could not write such an elegant letter because of her poor schooling.

“Carissimo Amico! / Ieri sera mi fu dato un ventaglio alla / moda; poi mi fu ritolto, desidero / da voi di trovarmene subito un / altro per far vedere a questo, che / si trovano altri ventagli, e forse / piu bello di quello. Scusare l '/ ardire, e resto / Io Constanza Releir "

“Dearest friend! / Last night I was given an elegant fan; / Then it was taken from me again, / I wish that you would immediately find a new one for me / to show them that there are other and perhaps even more beautiful subjects. / Forgive my boldness / I remain Constanza Releir "

At that time, the fan was a pledge of love and thus a marriage proposal. Constanza's previous recruiter had probably withdrawn his application and she was expecting a new subject from Goethe and thus a marriage proposal. The letter was probably written Jan / Feb 1787 before Goethe's departure for Naples, when his recruiting finally turned out to be unsuccessful. On February 17, 1787, a week before his departure for Naples, Goethe bought a ring for a Scudo and 70 Baiocchi, which was probably a later parting gift. Constanza was married on August 19, 1787 to Antonio Gentile, a waiter from Albano. The dowry was 300 scudi (half cash and half household items). Constanza is not the "Faustine" of the Roman elegies.

The assumption that Faustina Di Giovanni (married Antonini) is the secret wife is expressed by Eckart Kleßmann and Nicholas Boyle . During the carnival in 1788 (Ash Wednesday February 6, 1788), Goethe met a 24-year-old widow of this name who lived with her three-year-old child in her father's house, who ran an osteria. This identification is based on research by the Roman journalist Valerie, who published extracts from church registers in 1899. It contains a Faustina Di Giovanni who married Domenico Antonini in March 1784, who died in August 1784. Based on the first name Faustina alone, Valeri identified this Faustina with the Faustine of the Roman elegies. However, a review of the church records revealed that it was not the husband Domenico but Faustina who died. It cannot be determined whether this is an oversight or a forgery. Sigrid Damm writes in summary that Faustina Antonini (née Di Giovanni) is a 24-year-old widow with a three-year-old son, daughter of the innkeeper of the “Osteria alla Campana” and is living with her father again. A sum of 400 Scudi, transferred on April 17, 1788, was certainly intended for Faustina.

A common name, Faustina, is not suitable for identifying a specific person. Seven Faustina were found in Goethe's neighborhood. The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina has Goethe visited by Faustina the Elder , wife of Antoninus Pius is about her ... excessive freedom of manners ... reported. The name Faustina symbolized a program of sexual freedom that ancient Roman women, even the emperor's wife, enjoyed despite marriage. In the handwritten final version of the XXI. On December 24th, 1789, the words “my girl” used repeatedly in the work were crossed out and replaced by “Faustine”. Goethe wanted to avoid that after a publication (then in 1795) educational travelers in Rome would try to find the true lover. A common name should lead you on the wrong track, just like with the concealment of the real osteria against Zahn.

A secret love affair in Rome was dangerous and could end in forced marriage. Parents strove to marry their young daughter into a "good match". Constanza was also a young woman working towards marriage. An unauthorized relationship had to be reported to the vicariate court by the responsible parish. The pastor had to warn the offensive couple three times a week and ask them to resolve the relationship immediately. In the event of non-compliance, the files including the warning protocols had to be submitted to the Vicariate Court. As a measure, the couple were arrested and forced to marry by threatening them with prison sentences. Reports of such offenses were received by the pastor from the neighborhood. In the church the parishioners were constantly admonished to watch over the purity of morals (denunciation). So lovers had to be careful to hide their relationship from curious neighbors. A business model for poor families developed out of this rigid social situation. The charms of a beautiful young girl were often the only economic resource to successfully end a secret love affair with the unscrupulous threat of admission to marriage. Foreigners in particular, who were always suspected of having more wealth, were a popular target.

However, Goethe was looking for free love, a relationship with a "pure" woman who was ready to combine love and sexuality without forcing him under the yoke of marriage. For Goethe, love that could be bought was a stopgap measure. His expenditure book shows that he made various expenditure for "donne" (women). A paid “spasseggio” (walk) is also noted. There is no doubt that Goethe, like other men of the time, sought out prostitutes. Kurt Eissler's psychoanalytic finding that Goethe had sexual contact for the first time in Rome is incomprehensible.

Goethe hated marriage. In his day this was just a negotiated contract between the parties to establish a family and secure offspring. The heart had no influence, and affection was not required. After his return to Weimar on June 17, 1788, he met Christiane Vulpius on July 13, 1788 and lived with her unmarried for 18 years. Of the five children they shared, four died very early, only the son August Goethe grew up. On October 19, 1806, five days after the Battle of Jena , Goethe married Christiane out of gratitude for her courageous intervention when marauding French soldiers occupied her house.

A stranger really existed. The landlord Sante Collina drew up chronological monthly invoices for the meals consumed. Here you will find the regular pensioners and occasional visitors. It is noticeable that Goethe regularly ate breakfast and lunch, but almost never dined at home in the evening. He probably preferred to visit the osterias in Rome. From December 10, 1787 to January 28, 1788, a fifth unknown person took part in the meal 16 times in total, and a sixth person twice. Goethe was also present every time. The guests were probably very important to him, because he ordered stronger dishes than usual. Instead of the frugal standard menu of cheese, anchovies and salad, there were now meat dishes that also included pork (sausages). This was actually only eaten by the lower classes because it was cheaper than the beef preferred by the wealthy class. It should have been guests who liked pork. The unknown guest was invited for the last time in February 1788, and Goethe then returned to his old habit of having dinner outside the home. The unknown guest could have been a girl from a poorer class who was accompanied twice by her mother.

The second letter in Goethe's estate is awkwardly written by a woman, undated and unsigned. The sender was obviously unable to write properly.

"Io vorei sapere perche sete ieri a sera / an dato a cosi via senza dirmi niente / io io credo che che vi siete piliato / colara ma io spero di no io sons tutta / per lei amatima sie potete come io / amo a lei io sspero di avere una / bona risposta de lei che pero che non / sia como io o pensato adio adio "

“I want to know why you went away like this last night without telling me anything. I'm afraid you are angry with me, but I hope not. I am all for you. Love me if you can as I love you. I hope to have a good answer from you that I hope is not what I thought it would be. Adieu, Adieu. "(Analogous translation)

The letter is not addressed to Goethe, but to Tischbein. On the back is crossed out “Disbein” and then “all sivore Disbein in Roma” At that time, December 1787 - January 1788, Tischbein was no longer in Rome, he had moved to Naples. Goethe's nickname "Flemmaccio" (phlegmatic) indicates that Tischbein was a shy, passive person and preferred to avoid women. Goethe continued to have his mail sent to the usual address “al signor Tischbein, in contro al palazzo Rondanini”. He instructed his landlords to hand over the mail addressed to Tischbein to him. The name of the stranger is on the ticket, but no address. She probably knew the place and Goethe's postal habits. The mistress did not trust the landlord and did not sign the letter. Goethe and the unknown had to keep their forbidden relationship a secret. If discovered, the Vicariate Court would have threatened forced marriage.

In the VIII / 6th Elegy Can you, oh cruel one ... an unknown lover complains that her lover has left her angrily pretending to be jealous. She describes herself as (6) ... the widow ... , (13) I am poor, unfortunately! and young, and well known to the seducers:…. She protests, (12) A clergyman has never enjoyed my embrace. Not even the "Prelate Alessio Falconieri (violet stocking)" and "Cardinal Giovanfrancesco Albani (red stocking)", who are known in Rome as lady hunters . The situation described in the letter is a successful, poetic representation of a real love relationship.

Both managed to keep the relationship a secret. The place of the passionate meetings is not mentioned. The relationship was ended by mutual agreement. Neither the beloved nor her relatives tried to hold Goethe back with unfair measures. However, Goethe suffered from the separation. According to his own admission, 14 days before his departure from Rome (April 24, 1788) he cried like a child every day. He seems to have been uniquely happy in Rome, as he explained to Johann Peter Eckermann on October 9, 1828: … compared to my condition in Rome, I actually never felt happy again afterwards.

The stranger (Faustine) was a young widow with a small child, pretty, poor and loyal. The mother promoted the relationship with the wealthy suitor; the rest of the family didn't bother. The connection was painfully terminated by mutual agreement. Goethe paid a generous allowance to secure the future of the small family. Before he left Rome on April 19, 1788, he instructed Philipp Seidel to transfer 400 Scudi to the well-filled account with his banker in Rome. After returning on August 28, 1788, another 150 Scudi were transferred. Despite exact account clarification, it is not possible to determine for whom this considerable sum of 550 scudi (a double dowry in cash, Constanza Roesler received 300 scudi half cash and half neuter) was intended. Bankers are able to handle money transactions discreetly.

Open questions remain: There is no record of Goethe's short-term, frequent strangers' visits to tables from the roommates. - The location of the passionate meetings is unknown. However, it should have been noticed due to the fabric of the building at that time, as in III. Elegy (32) And the lovely creaking sound of the rocked bed. is audibly described.

literature

  • Boyle, Nicholas: GOETHE - The Poet in His Time, Volume I 1749 - 1790, translated from English by Holger Fliessbach, CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Oscar Beck) Munich 1995, second, revised edition 1999
  • Damm, Sigrid: Christiane and Goethe - Eine Recherche, Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1998, seventh edition 1998
  • Kleßmann, Eckart: Christiane - Goethe's lover and companion, Artemis Verlags-AG, Zurich, 1992, Gutenberg Book Guild
  • Safranski, Rüdiger: GOETHE - Artwork of Life - Biography, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 2013
  • Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ XXI. [1] / 18. [2]
  2. ↑ XVIII. [3] / 15. [4]
  3. ^ Eckart Kleßmann: Christiane - Goethe's beloved and companion, Artemis Verlags-AG, Zurich, 1992, V, pp. 35–48
  4. ^ Ie Roberto Zapperi s. Lit.
  5. ^ Eckart Kleßmann: Christiane - Goethe's beloved and companion, Artemis Verlags-AG, Zurich, 1992, V, p. 36
  6. ^ Eckart Kleßmann: Christiane - Goethe's beloved and companion, Artemis Verlags-AG, Zurich, 1992, V, p. 36
  7. ↑ XVIII. [5] / 15. [6]
  8. ^ Eckart Kleßmann: Christiane - Goethe's beloved and companion, Artemis Verlags-AG, Zurich, 1992, V, p. 37
  9. ↑ i. e. without French disease
  10. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 7, 12, 40, 110
  11. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's very different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 51–53, 57/8
  12. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 135-138
  13. ↑ see Via dei Condotti in the Italian Wikipedia.
  14. ↑ Goethe and Schiller Archive GSA 25 / W 2544
  15. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 140/1, 146-150
  16. ↑ Goethe and Schiller Archive GSA 25 / W 2568 St. 1
  17. ↑ There is a second letter in Italian from an unknown woman.
  18. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 222/3
  19. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 152, 154
  20. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 155, 158/9
  21. ^ Safranski, Rüdiger: GOETHE - Artwork of Life - Biography, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 2013, p. 330
  22. ^ Eckart Kleßmann: Christiane - Goethe's beloved and companion, Artemis Verlags-AG, Zurich, 1992, V, p. 36
  23. ↑ Boyle, Nicholas: GOETHE - The poet in his time, Volume I 1749 - 1790, translated from the English by Holger Fliessbach, CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Oscar Beck) Munich 1995, second, revised edition 1999, p. 587
  24. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 208
  25. ^ Damm, Sigrid: Christiane and Goethe - Eine Recherche, Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1998, Seventh Edition 1998, pp. 110/11
  26. ↑ XXI. [7] / 18. [8]
  27. ↑ Goethe and Schiller Archive GSA 25 / W 52 Bl 33 verso
  28. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 209–211
  29. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's very different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 157/8
  30. ↑ VIII. [9] / 6. [10]
  31. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 230–233
  32. ↑ Goethe and Schiller Archive GSA 25 / W 2544 z. B. Bl 4v
  33. ^ Damm, Sigrid: Christiane and Goethe - Eine Recherche, Insel Verlag Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig 1998, Seventh Edition 1998, p. 111
  34. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 140–144
  35. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 238/9
  36. ↑ Goethe and Schiller Archive GSA 25 / W 2547
  37. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 215-221
  38. ↑ IV. [11] / 2. [12] lines 24-28
  39. ↑ Goethe and Schiller Archive GSA 25 / W 2568 St. 2
  40. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 221/2
  41. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 228–232
  42. ^ Safranski, Rüdiger: GOETHE - Artwork of Life - Biography, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 2013, p. 345
  43. ↑ VIII. [13] / 6. [14]
  44. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 224–228
  45. ↑ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 234
  46. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's very different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, p. 242
  47. ↑ VIII. [15] / 6. [16] lines 27-31
  48. ^ Zapperi, Roberto: Das Inkognito - Goethe's completely different existence in Rome, Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag GmbH & Co. KG, Munich, 1999, pp. 234–236
  49. ↑ III. [17]

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