Women book

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The women's book (also: Itwitz , Ytwitz ) was written by Ulrich von Liechtenstein around 1257 . It is originally written in Middle High German in rhyming verses and can be classified literarily as Minnerede . The text is in the early New High German language form exclusively in the Ambraser Heldenbuch , today in Vienna (Austrian National Library). This manuscript, which contains works from the 12th and 13th centuries, was commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I in 1504 .

construction

The women's book describes a dialogue between a noble lady and a knight, which the narrator reproduces. The dialogue is embedded in a prologue and epilogue by the poet, in which the poet praises women and dedicates the book to his mistress. The work is consistently written in pair rhymes and is 2134 verses long.

content

While the lady and knight talk politely at first, they soon have an argument in which they reproach the opposite sex. They accuse each other of not being friendly enough to each other, of showing no interest in the opposite sex and thus preventing the high muot ("joyful disposition") at court. The woman portrays the men as mocking, boastful drinkers. In return, the knight accuses the women of hiding courage and joy and only giving their love in exchange for money or gifts. Halfway through the dialogue, the mood calms down, the dispute is over, but no solution has been found. The knight now tries to give the woman advice on how she can live without being ridiculed. The poet then steps up to the two and decides the argument in favor of the women.

While the prologue and the epilogue describe a functioning, courtly society in which grace , joy and honor are central, the dialogue addresses the fact that reality deviates from these ideals. It is interesting that the work also mentions the taboo topic of male homosexuality at the time - in a clearly derogatory form and embedded in a complaint that this sin is no longer properly punished.

Text sample

After the man in the women's book accused the lady that the female sex would only offer her love, honor and the body in exchange for gifts and money, she defends herself and accuses the man of sexual impropriety. The beginning of the speech already gives an idea of ​​how uncomfortable this topic is for her and how much she is ashamed of just saying the words.

Original text translation

That I should answer iu nû,
that do me differently then.
yes I have to speak the word that
you want to break my heart
here at the stunt
and
you should never speak vrouwen cheerfully, it is true.
It is bright as a little swach, so
that the air is awakened
and also makes me ashamed. e
speak sô, daz nû diu wîp
veile have minne, êre and lîp.
nû sult ir me ouch wizzen lân:
stât daz wol, that nû those who
begin with another daz,
the bird still beasts for the sake of the bird
and all crêatiure
dunked ungehiure?
ir wizzent wol what i mean. So it is so
unclean
that I am not tarred.
e life is vluochet even.
say whether daz sî wrong,
daz begat with man daz,
dâ got iu zuo geschuof diu wîp?
always spoils sî sîn lîp,
who the sêle alsô proves
that he owes sô bad things,
that a naughty cheer
with words is reluctant to do.

What I have to answer you now
is anything but pleasant to me.
I now have to say words that could break
my
heart on the spot
and that a lady should really never put in her mouth
.
They are so hideous
that they pollute the air
and make me blush as well.
You say the ladies are now
selling love, honor, and body.
Now you should explain to me, please:
Is it right that the men now
do with each other that
which neither birds nor animals do with each other and which regard
all creatures
as terrible?
You know what I mean.
It is so utterly impure
that I don't even dare say it.
Your life is completely cursed.
Tell me whether it is a sin
for a man to do to another man
what God created women for you to do?
Cursed forever is he who
forgets his soul so much
that he does such horrible things
that (even) a badly
behaved mouth is reluctant to bring up.

Ulrich von Liechtenstein, Frauenbuch, V. 637 - 666.

Lore history

The book of women is only handed down in the Ambraser Heldenbuch , there is no other branch of tradition. The women's book is part 21 of the manuscript, the 28 columns are on pages 220v - 225r.

The women's book is preceded by four texts by Ulrich's son-in-law, Herrand II. (Wildon) , which raises the question of a spontaneous family tradition, but it is not historically certain how the women's book found its way into the Ambras book of heroes. Several possibilities are being discussed in research for this purpose. One of the assumptions in this regard is that the original of this work was already in the possession of Maximilian I. The initiative of the writer Hans Ried, who might have noticed it himself, is also mentioned as a possibility. It is also conceivable that the women's book was included in the Ambras book of heroes, as it was in the possession of Paul von Liechtenstein, who was not related to Ulrich. Other sources suggest that the work found its way into the manuscript with the help of Ulrich von Flädenitz.

Interpretative approaches

Reality and fiction

Based on the didactic component, which in the German Minnelehre is generally more aimed at men, the women's book is a special case. This is evident not only from the fact that the didactic part of the work revolves around the behavior of women, but also because here for the first time both sexes have their say. The work questions the aspects of courtly life and points out that love and the customs of public life are sometimes difficult to distinguish interpretatively, since love is not a public but a purely personal matter. The ambiguity between love and the public causes Ulrich to escalate more and more between the two interlocutors, the difference of opinion increases to the point of absurdity. This is particularly evident from the lady's accusation that knights are all homosexual and that they hunt around the forest with their friends all day. The woman's speech shows a strong contrast to the ideal idea of ​​the court knight as portrayed in literature. This increase can hardly be interpreted in any other way than humor, which is supposed to lead one to think about the exaggerated deficiencies and weaknesses of both sexes. However, the question of reality and fiction of the problems presented between men and women cannot be answered unequivocally.

Ulrichs self-portrayal

At the time when the narrator character Ulrich von Liechtenstein himself becomes the arbiter of the dispute, this is actually no longer necessary. The dispute between knight and lady is basically over, they both agree on the (negative) assessment of their time and also on the fact that men and women are equally to blame for it. In this case, Ulrich releases both of them from the paralysis of their dispute in which they can no longer find a solution. His intervention suggests tendencies towards self-expression. He presents himself consistently equipped with a lot of competence, be it as an omniscient reporter or as a figure acting in the work itself. He shows that he is a man who knows and practices the courtly way of life. This can also be seen from Ulrich's note in the book, which says that he wrote this work on behalf of his maiden lady and that it was therefore part of his personal minne service.

Women's book and women's service

In many ways Ulrich plays the woman carrying on parts of the female service at. This raises the question of the connection between the two works. The women's service describes a concrete life orientation, while the women's book now also discusses the love ministry theoretically and describes a general reflection on life. The women's book goes beyond the other text in that it generally declares the minne service to be a panacea for court society.

literature

  • Ebenbauer, Alfred / Fritz Peter Knapp / Anton Schwob (eds.): The medieval literature in Styria. Files of the International Symposium Seggau Castle near Leibnitz 1984. Bern [u. a.]: Lang 1988.
  • Spechtler, Franz Viktor (Ed.): Ulrich von Liechtenstein. Women book. Göppingen: Kümmerle 1989. (= Göppinger work on German studies. 520.)
  • Spechtler Franz Viktor / Barbara Maier (eds.): I - Ulrich von Liechtenstein. Literature and Politics in the Middle Ages. Files of the Friesach Academy "City and Culture in the Middle Ages" 1996. Klagenfurt: 1999 (= series of publications by the Friesach Academy. 5).
  • Ulrich von Liechtenstein: The women's book. Middle High German / New High German. Edited, translated and commented by Christopher Young. Stuttgart: Reclam 2003. (= Universal Library. 18290.), ISBN 3-15-018290-5 .
  • Ulrich of Liechtenstein. Life - time - work - research. Edited by Sandra Linden and Christopher Young. Berlin, New York: De Gruyter 2010. ISBN 978-3-11-018485-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ RI OPAC
  2. ^ Hofmeister, Wernfried: Ulrichs von Liechtenstein's 'women's book' as an interdisciplinary challenge. Approaches and research perspectives. In: I - Ulrich von Liechtenstein. Literature and Politics in the Middle Ages. Edited by Franz Viktor Spechtler and Barbara Maier. Klagenfurt: Wieser 1999. (Series of publications by the Friesach Academy. 5.) p. 209.
  3. ↑ Ibid., P. 210.
  4. ^ Ulrich von Liechtenstein: Das Frauenbuch. Middle High German / New High German. Edited, translated and commented by Christopher Young. Stuttgart: Reclam 2003. (= Universal-Bibliothek. 18290), p. 22.
  5. ↑ Ibid., P. 25.
  6. ↑ Hofmeister, Wernfried: Minne and marriage in Ulrichs von Liechtenstein's 'women's book'. In: The medieval literature in Styria. Files of the International Symposium Seggau Castle near Leibnitz 1984. Edited by Alfred Ebenbauer, Fritz Peter Knapp and Anton Schwob. Bern [u. a.]: Lang 1988, p. 132.