Story of a silent woman
Story of a Quiet Woman is a novel by the Austrian writer Franz Karl Ginzkey , first published in 1909. The focus is on the tragic fate of an artist's wife. The cover and vignettes of the first edition are by Alfred Keller .
After Ginzkey first emerged as a poet, he published his first novel James and the Women in 1908 , which was strongly autobiographical. The second novel, The Story of a Quiet Woman, followed a year later . In this, he processed experiences he had during a summer stay in the Styrian town of Pernegg an der Mur into a novel. The pictorial and expressive portrayal of nature plays a major role in the book. The drawing of the psychological states of the characters is very fine, but this novel as a whole has to be described as one of Ginzkey's less successful books, which is too much of an entertainment novel. Only in his next book Der von der Vogelweide did he succeed in one of his best novels with historical material. The author's strength is and remains the poetry and the short prose form of the novella .
content
The respected Viennese painter Lernemann and his wife Elsbeth come to a small Styrian village in the Murtal . He should paint a picture of the Madonna for the local church, for which his wife should serve as a model. Lernemann is attached to his wife, needs the security of her caring love, but still cheats on her again and again. He cannot resist the charms of women, even if he has to struggle with himself over and over again because of it. Now he has promised his wife that he will use her as a model, which shows Elsbeth that his artistry can still be sparked by her.
Frau von Wergendheim lives in the village, a rich, beautiful and fun-loving widow who commissioned the painting of the Madonna. Lernemann is fascinated by her and tries to win her over. But when she found out about Lernemann's wife and got to know her personally, she didn't want to give in to his solicitation at first. But Lernemann realizes as he sits in front of his easel that his wife is unable to inspire him. And Elsbeth also senses that his thoughts are not with her.
Several secondary characters take up a lot of space in the novel. There is the old and wise pastor of the place as well as his terminally ill chaplain , with whom Elsbeth has very personal and in-depth discussions. He only became a priest to please his mother, but himself does not believe what he was supposed to proclaim and is very attached to the natural sciences. He is unhappy like Elsbeth, albeit for a different reason. In the inn in the village, where Lernemann lives with his wife, the local dignitaries also frequent the place, who bring a cheerful and entertaining aspect to the novel. Finally, two young women from Vienna come to the village for a summer break, a doctor and her beautiful younger sister Martha.
Lernemann is immediately impressed by the girl and festivities during the summer offer him opportunities to get closer to her. A secret kiss in the dark at night means a feminine charm for him, but for the young and naive child it is deep confusion and seriousness. When she disappears immediately afterwards, Lernemann suspects what he has done and tries desperately to find her. He doesn't succeed and Martha commits suicide in the Mur.
Even in this dramatic situation, Elsbeth does not deviate from her husband. She has long since come to terms with his nature, still loves him, although she also suffers quietly. Recognizing this, Lernemann promises his wife to complete the image of the Madonna with her features. Before leaving for Vienna, Elsbeth looks once more into the driving, rolling waves of the Mur, which express the immutability of life.
expenditure
- Story of a silent woman . L. Staackmann , Leipzig 1909
- Story of a silent woman . Novel. Zsolnay, Vienna 1951
literature
- Karl Maria Brischar: German-Austrian literature of the present . Franz Deuticke, Vienna 1911, p. 83.
- Rudolf Wolkan : History of German literature in Bohemia and in the Sudetenland . Stauda 1925, p. 137.
- Egbert Delpy : Introduction; in: Franz Karl Ginzkey: The juggler of Bologna . Berlin, German Book Association n.d., p. 22.
- Raymond Furness, Malcolm Humble: A Companion to Twentieth-Century German Literature . Routledge 2003, ISBN 978-1-13-474764-1 , p. 100.