Sappho (Daudet)
Sappho: Pariser Sitten is a novel by the French writer Alphonse Daudet , published in 1884 (original title: Sapho: moeurs parisiennes) . The theme of the novel is a love affair in 19th century Paris between the middle-class young civil servant Jean Gaussin, who quickly falls under the spell of older, fun-loving Fanny and begins a relationship with her. This “ wild marriage ” is anything but straightforward and ultimately ends with the partner's decision for a former lover.
action
At a costume party in Paris, 21-year-old Jean Gaussin from the south of France, who is in the city for training as a consulate officer, meets the pleasure-seeking Fanny Legrand and takes her to his apartment on Rue Jacob on the evening they meet. The initial two-day coexistence is followed by further visits and excursions into the metropolis' area. Finally, Fanny chases away a former lover and takes care of Jean, who is temporarily ill. Some time later, the two move into a joint apartment on Rue d'Amsterdam. Fanny had previously been with the sculptor Caoudal for four years, for whom she was the model in 1853 when she was seventeen. This was followed by a three-year relationship with the graphic artist Flamant, who was jailed for counterfeiting money. Fanny, initially suspected of complicity, was therefore taken into custody. When Jean now finds out - the year is 1873 - he wants to part with Fanny, but she can change his mind. The continuation of the liaison is seriously questioned after Jean’s parents, who own a vineyard, can no longer support their son due to crop failures. In order to secure a living, Fanny takes a job in a pension. The desire to live with Jean is unbroken, and the lovers agree to move into cheaper accommodation in the suburb of Chaville . There the two lead a contemplative, middle-class life; Jean takes the train to the ministry every weekday. Fanny's desire for an orderly existence culminates in the desire to take in a six-year-old boy named Joseph, who previously lived in a charcoal burner's hut in the forest and is characterized by an uncouth nature. Fanny manages to persuade Jean and take the boy in. After passing the consular service exam, Jean meets London-born Irène and falls in love with her. They want to marry. Jean's aunt Césaire's husband, who has managed to gain wealth by growing vines and was able to help Fanny with money in a precarious situation, picks up Jeans things from the apartment in Chaville, the five-year relationship is over for the time being . In a letter, Fanny does not reproach the ex-lover, but the neighbor Hettéma can thwart a suicide attempt at the last moment. The affected Jean drives back to Chaville, on the way to Fanny Joseph meets him with a man - it is the copper engraver Flamant who is picking up his son. The initial acts of violence Jeans against Fanny when they see each other quickly turn into mutual tenderness. Both want to live together again, Jean breaks off the engagement to Irène. Later, Jean waits in Marseille for embarkation for Peru, where he will take up his first post abroad. Fanny is supposed to join them in the port city and leave with him. But Fanny informs in a letter that she will not go with Jean, that she wants to stay with the child, without whom she can no longer live.
Interpretative approaches
Daudets Sappho is a novel about two lovers who find their way together and again, but the reason for this is not, which would have been obvious at first, in the rejection of a permanent extramarital relationship by the prevailing morals of the 19th century, which no other form of the Allow men and women to live together outside of marriage . Rather, the surge of emotions and confusions of the main characters ultimately lead to the failure of the relationship. In the timeless relationship conflict between man and woman, the woman ultimately emerges victorious: Jean is cast under the spell of Fanny, endangers his reputation with the wild marriage, wants to distance himself because of the bad reputation of his partner, but sets the relationship anyway gone, falls in love with another woman, but is drawn back to her former lover through a hysterical reaction, but is then betrayed by the latter in the realization of a mutual decision. It seems that women are better at mastering the pitfalls and instruments of love than a man.
reception
Sigmund Freud quotes and interprets a scene from Daudet's Sappho in The Interpretation of Dreams (Chapter 6 The Dream Work, Section The Compression Work ). The French director Léonce Perret filmed this novel Daudets in 1934 and his compatriot Serge Moati in 1997 for television. Furthermore, Sappho was the basis for the Pièce lyrique Sapho by the French composer Jules Massenet in 1897 .
Book editions (selection)
- Sappho. Parisian moral image . Reprinted separately from the Neue Freie Presse . Reiße, Vienna 1884
- Fanny Legrand . Translated by Paul Wiegler . Schlösser, Braunschweig 1948
- Sappho. A Parisian moral image . Translated from the French by Marcelle Klein. Illustrations by Charles Hug . Gutenberg Book Guild, Zurich 1961
- Sappho. Parisian customs . Translated from the French by Eveline Passet. Manesse, Zurich 1996, ISBN 3-7175-1890-9 .
proof
- ↑ Sigmund Freud: The Interpretation of Dreams . ( projekt-gutenberg.org ).
