Herr von Pepinster and his bogeyman

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Herr von Pepinster and his Popanz is a literary story by Oscar AH Schmitz . The plot revolves around the aforementioned Herr von Pepinster, who changes roles with a ghost named Lynx in the course of the story and finally stands on the field as a scarecrow ( bogeyman ).

Summary

At the beginning of the story, on a foggy night, we meet Lynx, a shy and hungry ghost who is looking for an opportunity to feast on the souls of careless, weak or confused people. Various passers-by pass by, but none of them offer any food. At the edge of the path in a field, Lynx sees a figure that he immediately takes possession of. He wonders about the lack of resistance, but takes pleasure in the remnants of life energy and lust that are hidden in the figure's clothes. The next morning: Herr von Pepinster, a sedate, well-traveled intellectual comes out on his terrace and looks into the nearby field. His gaze searches for the scarecrow that he had set up the day before, but doesn't find it, but doesn't care, since he thinks a tramp took the clothes that Pepinster himself had removed from his closet. He drives into town to do some business there, and it is here that he bumps into the now physical Lynx. A certain shiver comes over Pepinster, but he no longer lingers on the thought that he has just met someone who is exactly like him. From here on he meets his doppelganger again and again, appears constantly bolder and bolder. He even gets into the house of Pepinster's girlfriend, all under the pretext of being Pepinster himself. The "real" Mr. von Pepinster, on the other hand, feels his strength waning, but tries to counter it with a coffee. In a shabby café he meets a prostitute whose charms he falls for. Completely run down, with tattered and worn clothes, Pepinster finally drags himself home in the evening and sees through the window how Lynx is entertained in his dressing gown, opens a book and finally goes to bed. Now Pepinster is losing his last strength and he goes to the field, stretches his arms towards the sky and becomes a scarecrow himself. On the morning of the following day, Lynx comes to the terrace of the property, sees the punk who has become a bogeyman, and the narrator closes with the hint that apart from the ghosts, no one had noticed anything of these events.

(Source: Oscar AH Schmitz: Herr von Pepinster and his Popanz. In: Oscar AH Schmitz: Herr von Pepinster and his Popanz. Stories from a double life. Munich and Leipzig 1915)

Etymological consideration

Schmitz met the demands of his time and incorporated some of the standard motifs of Expressionism into his story. Urban life in its detailed complexity stands for the uncontrolled human urges and desires into which the protagonist more or less immerses, but which, regardless of this, fascinate him very much. After an etymological examination of the essential factory components, the following can be determined:

The word " Popanz " originates from the Czech word "bubák" and originally means an artificially produced frightening figure, in particular a stuffed doll that was used to frighten children. The word has been in use in Germany since the 16th century: Popelmann, Poppelhans (originated from doll and Hans). If we are someone's bogeyman, then we obey them without resistance.

Lynx is the fabulous name for the lynx, the characteristics of which are still related to the words “abluchsen” and “show eyes like a lynx”. The fact that Lynx Pepinster “lures off” his personality can be represented here with certainty. The eye symbolism can also be found for the ghost: "He saw Mr. Lynx's piercing eye directed at himself" (PEP, p. 20).

Pepinster, in turn, is a municipality in the province of Liège in the Walloon Region in Belgium. A direct connection to this location cannot be proven. Schmitz himself uses the term “Pepinstern” in his diaries for diving into a diffuse “other” world characterized by lust and licentiousness. The fact that the author has adopted this term in his lifeworld testifies to a biographically influenced intention of the text.

(Siglen: PEP = Oscar AH Schmitz: Herr von Pepinster and his Popanz. In: Oscar AH Schmitz: Herr von Pepinster and his Popanz. Stories of double life. Munich and Leipzig 1915, pp. 2 - 27.)

A ghost story - Gero von Wilpert

It cannot be clearly defined whether “Herr von Pepinster and his Popanz” is a ghost story or a double story in the tradition of Fyodor Dostoyevsky . There is evidence for both forms. Gero von Wilpert wrote a standard work on the analysis of this sub-genre in his book “Die deutsche Gespenstergeschichte”. Even if in his work he does not explicitly refer to the time when the Pepinster was created, even calling it insignificant for the classic ghost story, his nomenclature can still serve to examine the Pepinster for its "ghostly" aspects. The following is a brief overview of the prerequisites required by Wilpert for a ghost story and its correspondence with Schmitz's narrative.

Central motif Gespenst Schmitz introduces his “ghost theory” right at the beginning and explains it in detail. So there can be no doubt that the ghost "Lynx" plays a central role, especially since it has the function of a main character.

Motivation - fright We don't find the classic haunted scene in which the hairs on the back of the neck of the haunted stand on end. Instead, Pepinster always wakes up from his daydreams when the ghost is in the room.

Structure with a framework story A framework story is not recognizable. However, the narrator comments on the actions of the main characters and presents the theoretical framework of the "Pepinsterwelt". The chronological narrative is clearly recognizable.

Spooky atmosphere The story takes place within a day. The main conflicts between Pepinster and Lynx therefore take place at a time that is traditionally unusual for ghosts (noon-afternoon). The intrusion of the doppelganger, which is perceived as repulsive, can possibly replace the ghostly intrusion into the everyday bourgeois world. However, it should be noted that Schmitz introduced his ghost theory very early on and defined the ghost as a component of the environment.

Authentication by the author or third party The fact that the doppelganger / ghost mixture "Lynx" takes on an essential character by occupying the bogey testifies to its tangible existence. In addition, other people except Pepinster interact with him (landlady, Pepinster's lover, servant), which excludes an explanation as a pipe dream.

(Source: Wilpert, Gero from: Die deutsche Gespenstergeschichte. Motif - Form - Development. Stuttgart 1994.)

A double story - Otto Rank

The psychoanalyst Otto Rank created a ground plan for the doppelganger story in his essay "The double - a psychoanalytic study". It refers to various works by well-known international authors in order to show the similarities and differences between the works with regard to the author. This work is intended to serve as a template with which the doppelganger aspects of Schmitz's story can be systematically named. Based on a protective spirit symbolism, the doppelganger (like the shadow) has turned into a terrifying pursuer. Especially in the Christian demand for an individual soul, a doppelganger foretells one's own death; in a weakened form also illness or madness. According to Homer, there lives in every human being an “image that is only free in death.” - a weaker doppelganger, then. Its realm are dreams (instinctual areas of the subconscious).

The following criteria can therefore apply to the doppelganger story:

  • The doppelganger is met with hostility.
  • The doppelganger has properties that are contrary to its counterpart.
  • The doppelganger is a sign of a negative fate.
  • The doppelganger can be seen as a split-off of the ego that has become visible.
  • These can also take on physical form as bodily figures.
  • The doppelganger is confused with the "original".
  • The doppelganger "replaces" the original.

Both the ghost story and the doppelganger story can be delimited from one another for a specific work. However, various authors have incorporated both doppelganger and ghost aspects into their stories. In the present case Schmitz seems to have achieved a balance between the two “genres”.

literature

  • Otto Rank : The doppelganger. A psychoanalytic study. Internationaler Psychoanalytischer Verlag, Leipzig et al. 1925 (Reprint: Turia & Kant, Vienna 1993, ISBN 3-85132-062-X ).
  • Oscar AH Schmitz: Mr. von Pepinster and his Popanz. In: Oscar AH Schmitz: Mr. von Pepinster and his Popanz. Tales of double life. Müller, Munich et al. Leipzig 1915.
  • Oscar AH Schmitz: Diary of a dandy. Notebook with an introduction by Wolfgang Martynkewicz and quotations from the diaries of OAH Schmitz. Aufbau-Verlag, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-351-03077-3 .
  • Gero von Wilpert : The German ghost story. Motif, form, development (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 406). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-40601-2 .