Miss pink heart

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Lovis Corinth :
Eduard Graf von Keyserling
* 1855 † 1918

Miss pink heart. Eine Kleinstadtliebe is a novel by Eduard von Keyserling that was published by Heinrich Minden in Dresden in 1887.

action

The ballet dancer Ernst Herz travels the country with his wife, the ballet dancer Zerlina Herz. The woman dies giving birth to her only daughter, Rosa. Mr. Herz, "a narrow, sorrowful figure", the impoverished son of a master shoemaker, ends his unsteady life and slips into his place of birth with the sister Miss Ina Herz. In that unnamed small town he gives a few hours a week of physical education. After the sister dies, Agnes Stockmaier from Tiglau runs the dancer's household.

Fraulein Ina was friends with Fraulein Schank, head of the municipal girls' school, during her lifetime. In this school, Rosa, now a beautiful 16-year-old girl, has to torture herself with French, among other things.

The mayor, Mr. Lanin, owner of the first grocery store in the area, wants to marry off his daughter Sally - Rosa's friend - to a relative, the sturdy young Ambrosius Tellerat. The mayor's wife is the sister of the rich commercial councilor Tellerat. The handsome Ambrosius arrives. As the first clerk in the business, he is given priority over the young shopkeeper Conrad Lurch. Ambrosius is bored of the day's work as a clerk. He thinks Sally is silly and decides to love Rosa Herz. Rosa agrees. The schoolgirl is invited to a ball that Sally organizes in the Lanin house. Mrs. Lanin wants to see something plebeian about the lovely Rosa.

The Lanin family is indignant when almost the entire small town pokes at Ambrosius and Rosa. Mayor Lanin speaks to the nephew's conscience. Rosa belongs to lower social circles. Ambrose does not hear. He wants to own Rosa. The girl agrees, but imposes two conditions. Before that, both would have to marry and leave - far away; not to Paris. That reminds Rosa of the French lessons at Fräulein Schank. Vienna would be better than France. Again Ambrosius is confronted by the mayor. The subordinate promises his principal not to marry Rosa. The mayor and Fräulein Schank have solutions for the tiresome problem ready. Herr Lanin wants Ambrosius from the town; dispatch him home. Miss Schank's activities against in the appropriate direction. She has a job for pink. The girl is supposed to take a job as a bonne in Russia.

Ambrose is actually traveling. Before that, events precipitate. On the eve of his departure at the end of September, Rosa Ambrosius surrendered. Ambrosius wants to offer something to the beautiful girl he has seduced and now owns. He wants to borrow money from a usurer for a secret pleasure trip for two. Security is required. Conrad Lurch, who doesn't have a lot of money, acts as guarantor . He is allowed to kiss Rosa on the mouth once for his signature. The mayor anticipates the escape plan and separates the lovers. Rosa stands alone. "The thirst for joy drove them headlessly into misery." Ambrosius goes to Italy with his father and is supposed to marry someone else. The Commerce Council wants to support Rosa financially when she goes to Russia. Rosa refuses.

Conrad Lurch is fired after the mayor receives a wink from the usurer. Lurch makes an extortionate marriage proposal to Rosa. The expectant mother turns away in disgust. Lurch chooses suicide.

In winter Agnes Stockmaier brings Rosa to her sister, the midwife Frau Böhk, in Tiglau. A boy is born to Rosa in June. The child lives only a few weeks and is buried in Tiglau. Rosa goes back to her father. This one dies. Rosa overcomes herself. She asks the unloved Fraulein Schank for help. Again the young lady found a solution after a fairly short time. Rosa leaves for Moscow. There in Russia she has a job as a nanny in a merchant family.

Quote

  • “Stars were already in the sky, very pale and silver in the twilight of the spring night. Over in the birches two nightingales were beating, and in the distance one could hear the broken tones of a song. Rosa stopped and listened. Wasn't it Martha who sang? There she went. Behind the poplars there was still a streak of mild gold in the sky; Martha's figure stood out sharply from this light strip; With her bundle in hand, the fluttering white cloth on her head, she swayed a little as she walked - and from there the sounds came. Rosa had to watch her until she disappeared into the twilight. 'Martha', said Rosa to herself, 'go after her love courageously. It never occurred to me to pursue my love ... '"

shape

Even in this early work, the later author, who mastered his language, is clearly recognizable by several Keyserling characteristics.

  • The needs of a reader who appreciates uncomplicated novel structure are met.
  • The construction of the novel only seems simple; but it is not. The element of repetition is used in conjunction with secondary characters and subplots if the reader is to recognize what Rosa Herz actually did wrong in life. Herweg Kollhardt, for example, is mentioned several times, initially emphatically, but later each time only very briefly. In the second half of the novel, the hasty reader has long since lost sight of Herweg and has to think back and think.
  • Deeper psychological penetration is achieved through the brief, recurring inclusion of the landscape in the innermost action (see also the quote above).

Of course, the attentive reader will notice small weaknesses for beginners. For example, Keyserling lets the narrator slip the word “I” once. Or the narrator cannot resist inappropriate judgments: "... she [Rosa Herz] fulfilled every point of her foolish plan."

literature

Used edition
  • Eduard von Keyserling: Miss Pink Heart. A small town love. Novel . Steidl, Göttingen 2000 (1st edition), ISBN 3-88243-717-0
Secondary literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. Martha is one of the secondary characters that Rosa Herz meets in the house of the Böhk family in Tiglau. Martha undeterred follows her lover to America.
  2. Herweg Kollhardt (edition used, p. 20, 14th delivery) - actually Baron Kollhardt von Kollerwegen (edition used, p. 20, 6th delivery) - is Rosa's first love. He remains connected to her (used edition, p. 267, 3rd submission), but ultimately turns to Marianne Schulz (used edition, p. 374, third submission). Marianne is one of Rosa's classmates (Edition used, p. 21, 8. Zvo).

Individual evidence

  1. Edition used, p. 4, above
  2. Edition used, p. 193, 18. Zvo
  3. Edition used, p. 213, 20. Zvo
  4. Edition used, p. 252, 5th Zvu
  5. Edition used, p. 283, 1. Zvu
  6. Edition used, p. 330, 16. Zvo
  7. Edition used, p. 212, 7th Zvu
  8. Edition used, p. 221, 7. Zvo