Horacker

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Horacker is a novel by Wilhelm Raabe , written in 1876, whose audience success fell far short of the author's expectations. Since Raabe earned his living exclusively as a freelance writer, he was forced to be highly productive. Nevertheless, the verdict of Raabe biographer Hans Oppermann applies: [Raabes] "... newly won and consolidated security then celebrates its first triumph in 'Horacker', a story that Raabe shows at the height of the championship."

Historical context

The novel Horacker is set in 1867 in the fictional village of Gansewinckel in Raabe's Weser home. It is not without intent that Raabe lets the plot between the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-German War of 1870/71, generally perceived as a turning point, play out. These five years are those of the North German Confederation, an intermediate stage to the new empire of 1871. Placing the story in this interim period was obvious because Raabe also allows two mentalities to clash: the old generation with their representatives Konrektor Eckerbusch, Pastor Winckler and public prosecutor Wedekind , which are still shaped by humane traditions of the Enlightenment and the German Classical period, is differentiated from the new power-oriented and arrogant generation of senior teacher Dr. Neubauer and Assessor Nagelmann. The fact that this historical point in time was important for Raabe is made clear by a calendar sheet-like list of important political events in July 1867: The world exhibition in Paris took place, Austria-Hungary was founded, Prussia and Hesse formed an alliance for protection and defiance, and the December constitution was sanctioned , the postal monopoly of Thurn and Taxis was lifted, King Otto of Greece and Maximilian of Austria died and Abdülaziz , Sultan of the Ottomans, visited King Wilhelm zu Koblenz . But none of this interests the people in the book: “Now one should have thought that all of this and many other things that were not listed would have been enough to adequately occupy the area we have just overlooked from the high mountain; but - on the contrary! [...] the area only cared - about Horacker. "(P. 3)

Narrative style

The narrative style in Horacker is that of an addressee-related narrator. The reader is addressed directly by the author several times and thus directly involved in the action. Raabe turns to the real reader when he talks about the difficulties of an accurate presentation. These insertions and comments underline the procedural, open character of the work. Such remarks are usually found at the beginning of a chapter: “But now our story itself is almost too colorful for us and, so to speak, a wall collapsing on us! The multi-colored sections of the wall rumble over us, and we work panting in vain and lean against our backs and elbows so as not to be buried under the shimmering rubble. "(P. 37)

Literary genre

Raabe plays with different genres in this novel. He deliberately parodies the robber novel in the tradition of Rinaldo Rinaldini . At the same time he describes Horacker as an idyll; but it threatens to break due to the banality of evil as embodied by the village and urban population. Only through the courageous intervention of the representatives of the old generation can everything flow into the idyll in the parish garden, which unites all people.

content

The novel describes only one day, the afternoon and evening, with a time span of less than ten hours. The story begins with the author pointing to the world-historical events of this time in order to distance himself completely and to tell the events in Gansewinckel. The Vice- Principal Eckerbusch and his colleague Windwebel set out for a walk to Gansewinckel. In a forest they meet the widow Horacker, who asks for food for her son, the alleged murderer Cord Horacker. It turns out that the alleged criminal was actually only stealing a pot of lard and that its bad reputation was only created by the rumors of the population. After his theft, Cord Horacker was taken to a welfare institution, from which he escapes due to the rumor that his lover Lottchen Achterhang no longer loves him and possibly has someone else. Since then he has been roaming the woods fearful and hungry. The two teachers decide to take Horacker to Gansewinckel. But for fear of punishment, Cord fled further into the forest and Windwebel followed him. When he finally catches up with him, he persuades him to come with him. Meanwhile, Lottchen, who walked from Berlin because of Horacker, arrives at the rectory, where she is taken in and cared for. The two wives of the teachers also set off in a carriage with the head teacher Neubauer to Gansewinckel, as they heard the rumor that their men were murdered by Horacker. Prosecutor Wedekind and his assistant set off for Gansewinckel because of the same rumor. Finally, everyone meets in the evening in the house of the pastor couple Winckler, where Vice-Rector Eckerbusch defends Horacker and his lover Lottchen with a speech in which he lists the crimes of the citizens of Gansewinckel. Finally, everyone undertakes to help the two young people back into an orderly existence.

Social criticism

In his work Raabe indirectly criticizes the effect of rumors on the behavior of the villagers. First of all, it shows an “ideal” village world, the biggest problem of which is an alleged felon, while other topics are of no interest to them. An innocent person is turned into a murderer, thief and unscrupulous person by a rumor, the two teachers and their wives are also moved to their actions by rumors.

The depravity of society is evident from the behavior of the citizens of Gansewinckel, who rob each other, blame Horacker for everything and who ignore the behavioral norms of the church. Residents control each other and prevent the widow Horacker from helping her son. In his defense speech for Horacker, Eckerbusch also deals with the offenses and misdeeds of the village population, their heartlessness and their lust for sensation, which Raabe shows in impressive scenes.

Incorporation into realism

The thematization of social relationships and especially of conflicts between the individual and society was at the center of this epoch. In Raabes Horacker, the focus is not on the mass of society, but on a single personality. Raabe uses it to show the social circumstances of the village of Gansewinckel, where a community turns against an individual. For Raabe this mass is always raw and numb. Raabe practices social criticism, a central aspect of realism, by describing a specific society and its network of relationships in a specific location, and by exaggerating and exaggerating human behavior, revealing its shortcomings and failures.

A stylistic device of realism is humor . The aim was to cope with the inadequacy and sadness of existence or to counteract it. In Raabe's Horacker , situation comedy often arises when z. For example, the most unbelievable stories are told about Horacker or when the author characterizes his characters: “We also know that Konrektor Eckerbusch was gifted with the talent to imitate all kinds of human and animal creatures and to portray them in suffering and joy: He had never looked so much like a crowing rooster than now in this tense moment. "(p. 65)

expenditure

literature

  • Sigrid Thielking: Raabe reports. Literary studies and literary didactic approaches to the work of Wilhelm Raabe. German Univ.-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 3-8244-4476-3 .
  • Brigitte Dörrlamm: inns and rumors. On integrative polyphony in the work of Wilhelm Raabe . Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2003, ISBN 3-631-50825-5 .
  • Franz von Kutschera: Aesthetics. de Gruyter, Berlin 1998, ISBN 3-11-016277-6 .
  • Walter Jens: Kindler Literature Lexicon. Komet, Frechen 2001, ISBN 3-89836-214-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "For now I still write my Horacker etc. for daily bread", from: Wilhelm Raabe. Complete Works. BAE 2, p. 188.
  2. ^ Hans Oppermann: Wilhelm Raabe. Reinbek near Hamburg, 1970, p. 98.
  3. ↑ The model is the village of Boffzen near Holzminden, which later reappears under the real place name in Raabe's last story, Hastenbeck , which he himself published . Raabe's brother-in-law Tappe was a Protestant pastor there.
  4. ^ Wilhelm Raabe, Complete Works. BA Volume 12, p. 294: “A river, which has also found its place in Schiller's Xenia, meandered through it in manifold turns”; Hans Oppermann: Wilhelm Raabe. 1970, p. 99: "Raabe's Weserheimat - Holzminden, the Solling and Boffzen - was clearly the model."
  5. ^ Hans Oppermann: Wilhelm Raabe. 1970, p. 99 f .: “Here, too, the helping, proven humanity appears in the form of the Philistine, yes, it must assert itself against the dangers of Philistineism. Paradoxically, the opposite world to this philistinism, which feels ironically superior to it, is embodied in the senior teacher Dr. Neubauer, who lacks all human traits. This opposition appears at the same time as the opposition between old and new times, as opposition between two generations ”.
  6. ^ Wilhelm Raabe, Complete Works. BA Volume 12, p. 415: "Almost too many ferments in the epic-tragic brew, too many errata in the idyll, and yet, yes, what an idyll!"
  7. ^ Hans Oppermann: Wilhelm Raabe. 1970, p. 99: “Tying on the traditional forms of the idyll and the robber novel, both parodying and canceling out in the parody, Raabe bases the story deeply on the real essence of man, his recurring suffering and his ability to help Sufferers. From parody, irony and humor, from tragedy and comedy in the anti-idyllic present, which he sees through as socially negative, he creates another possibility of idyll. It culminates in the magic of the summer night in the rectory garden, which ultimately unites all the people involved, while the suffering are safe in the rectory, Horacker and his Lottchen asleep, guarded by Horacker's mother. "
  8. ^ Brigitte Dörrlamm: Inns and rumors. On integrative polyphony in the work of Wilhelm Raabe . Lang, Frankfurt am Main. 2003, ISBN 3-631-50825-5 , pp. 109-129 .

Web links