Siebenkäs
Pieces of flowers, fruit and thorns or marriage, death and marriage of the poor lawyer F. St. Siebenkäs in the Reichsmarktflecken Kuhschnappel , Siebenkäs for short , is a novel by the German writer Jean Paul , which was published in Berlin from 1796–97 .
content
The original publication from 1796–97 took place in three “volumes”. The following overview follows the expansion, revision and partial restructuring of the edition of 1818 in four "volumes".
First ribbon
The poor lawyer Firmian Stanislaus Siebenkäs in the Reichsmarktflecken Kuhschnappel is waiting for his bride, the cleaner Lenette Egelkraut, the daughter of a council clerk from Augsburg . This arrives under the care of the school council boots. Heinrich Leibgeber, Siebenkäsen's closest and best friend, his 'alter ego', as it were, both internally and physically, appears at the subsequent wedding ceremony. This friendship went so far that both of them swapped names before the novel began, that is, Siebenkäs is actually called Heinrich Leibgeber.
For the economic basis of the marital household Siebenkäs wants the maternal inheritance, 1200 guilders , from his guardian, the "secret" v. Blaise, cash out. He had previously confirmed in writing to his ward that the name exchange with Leibgeber was not harmful to the inheritance claim. Now, when Siebenkäs asserts his claim, it turns out that this letter was written in sympathetic ink , the writing has disappeared, the page is blank. Blaise will try to thwart the payment of the inheritance, citing the name swap as the plot continues. Initially, however, the couple lived on cash that Leibgeber gave. The novel reports little about Siebenkäsen's occupation. Only once does one learn that he "... had a silver smelter and a stamp mill of seven viable processes, which were full of veins of silver ...". He also defends a child murderer. Despite this activity, the household budget always remains empty, the couple lives on Leibgeber's gift of money.
Siebenkäs takes legal action mainly when he drafts the lawsuit against Blaise for the surrender of the inheritance. However, this delays the decision of the Chamber of Inheritance by constantly renewing requests to extend the deadline. Siebenkäs, on the other hand, writes a satire every day with enthusiasm : A selection from the devil's papers . (In a footnote, Jean Paul states that the book was published in 1789, five years after the novel was written. In fact, Jean Paul's own satire was published under this title in 1789).
The couple mostly socialize with their housemates. In addition, the school councilor Stiefel is a welcome guest, who has visited his friend Siebenkäs more often since he got married. Lenette receives an uninvited visit from the Venner Everard Rosa von Meyern, "... a young Patrizius who went in and out of Mr. Heimlichers daily from Blaise's house ...". This, a puffed up dude and unscrupulous ladyboy, harasses Lenette while Siebenkäs is away from home. He boasted that he could stand up for Siebenkäs in the inheritance matter, which was hopeless because of the name exchange, if Lenette left him “a flock of hair”. The school board rescues Lenette from this embarrassing situation and comforts her. Because of the name exchange, which Siebenkäs had previously kept from her, she is confused about the question of which her real married name is. This leads to an initial resentment between the couple, while Lenetten's affection for the school board grows.
Second ribbon
Marital partie à la guerre reads a heading of the fourth chapter in the first volume. This war continues in the second volume. There are constant little nodding between the spouses . He wants to write on his satire, but is constantly disturbed by her because she - he believes - washes and cleans without any consideration for him. The financial situation is getting worse. Leibgeber's last money has been used up, the inheritance matter is not moving forward. Siebenkäs places hope on his book, with which he does not get any further - supposedly because of Lenette - and on the Andreas shooting . He hopes to win impressive prizes as the shooting king . But there is still a long way to go. The couple make a living from moving their household effects piece by piece. Most of the time people argue about what to do without next. When Lenette gives Firmian's engagement present, a bouquet of flowers, he suspects that she has now turned away from him inwardly. A few days before the Andreas shooting, there is nothing left to pledge except for Lenetten's calico mourning dress. She doesn't want to give this up under any circumstances. In this hopeless situation, Siebenkäs decides to move his valuable rifle, inherited from his father, and not to take part in the shooting festival. In the rifle box he unexpectedly finds several items in addition to the weapon and an iron mask, which are immediately sold. In addition, Siebenkäs becomes king of the rifle and stands the next “… morning as a man who… bar 40 fl. Frk. could put on the table every hour. "
The second ribbon concludes with two pieces of flowers , the first of which is particularly well known. It is subtitled as the speech of the dead Christ from the world structure that there is no God and represents the atheistic idea of the non-existence of a God as a nightmare.
Third ribbon
The improvement does not last long. The marital guerrilla war continues. The spouses are too different:
“... he couldn't get it out of his head that once, while listening to his cabinet sermon on death and eternity, she looked at him thinking, but downstairs, and finally said: 'Don't put on the left stocking tomorrow, I have to stuff first '. "
Lenette is drawn more and more to the school council:
“In Lenetten's heart, he [Siebenkäs] suffered most from any dissimilarity with [the school council]. There was something so boring, so deliberate, serious, reserved, stiffened, so bulky, so clumsy as these - three lines; our born housekeeper liked that. Siebenkäs, on the other hand, was a jumping hare all day - she often said to him: 'People must think you're not afraid of anything,' and he replied: 'Is it me?' - He passed his beautiful heart with the grotesque, comical larva ... "
Siebenkäs suffers from cardiac arrhythmias . On the last day of 1785 he wandered out into nature, thinking about his life, his suffering, and premonitions of death attack him. His heart softens towards Lenette: "I will gladly allow her to let my arms fall from her rotting and that her boyfriend take her in his." This mood is suddenly disturbed when he comes home. Lenette had moved the calico coat after Siebenkäs had threatened that otherwise he would run across town to the pawnshop with old deer antlers on his head to pledge it. Afterwards Lenette cried herself to the school council. He confronts Firmian indignantly. This shows boots out of the house. Siebenkäs realizes that Lenetten's situation would be even more desolate without Boot's company. He enters the corpse lottery on their behalf . The inheritance action fails because of a formal error, as does the appellation . The couple only deal with each other in writing. Siebenkäs, who expects his death in the next few weeks, wants to give his wife one last joy on her birthday. He moves his watch and takes off her calico skirt again. But inwardly it closes with life.
In this desolate situation a letter arrives from Vaduz from Leibgeber with 50 thalers and the request that Firmian should come to “ Baireuth ”. This will soon set off, a few days later it will reach Fantaisie Castle in the evening . There he meets an enigmatic woman. Leibgeber tells him the next day that she, Natalia Aquiliana, is the Venner's fiancée, and that he is doing everything in his power to thwart this engagement. Firmian befriends Natalie. The friends also talk about the hopelessly broken marriage. Since Siebenkäs refuses a divorce, Leibgeber advises him to die instead - in order to then enter the service of the Prince of Vaduz as an inspector.
Fourth ribbon
Siebenkäs returns to Kuhschnappel. Lenette has now turned away from him completely because she is incited by the vengeful Venner. He blames Firmian for breaking his engagement with Natalie. The Venner had the poor lawyer watched every step of the way in Bayreuth and told Lenette all the details, even that her husband had kissed Natalie once.
But all of that doesn't affect Siebenkäs anymore, he's just waiting for his (staged) death. A nocturnal spooky phenomenon infallibly announces this: The frightened house residents notice how the "dead" Siebenkäs is walking in the attic. Only he himself happily greets the ghost - it is a personal giver. He officially arrives at the house the next morning. Everything has been discussed and prepared, Leibgeber staged and now leads the “death” of the poor lawyer. Firmian allegedly suffers a blow in the evening , but can be made to speak again by Leibgeber's "medicine" in order to make testimonies: At the moment of death, Leibgeber should put the iron mask on his face. His body may not be handed over to the woman who died. He also announces that he will haunt the secreter's house as dead if he does not pay the inheritance to his widow. The following night Siebenkäs "dies". Leibgeber watches over the "corpse" alone until the coffin is delivered. He fills it with stones, Siebenkäs himself flees under cover of darkness.
The friends meet again at Bindlach , the paths finally part in Hof , Siebenkäs migrates to Vaduz and takes on the position of inspector under Leibgeber's name. A letter from the school council to Leibgeber arrives: The secretary had paid off the inheritance because Siebenkäsen's ghost (Leibgeber is behind it) had followed him, and he - Stiefel - married the widow of the blessed Siebenkäsen, she was blessed. The count informs him that his daughter and her partner Natalie will soon be staying in Vaduz permanently. Now Firmian explains his true identity to him. But once again he is drawn to Kuhschnappel to see the places of his former life as well as Lenette and her child without being recognized. From his hotel room he sees boots with a mourning bracelet. Should the child have died? Siebenkäs hurries to the cemetery that night. There he finds Lenetten's and her little daughter's grave. Next to it, in front of his own tombstone, crouches a figure: Natalie, who mourns for him. He reveals everything to her. They vow to "... in life and death ..." to stay with each other. [...] "And the sufferings of our friend were over." With these words the novel ends.
Jean Paul's childhood friend Johann Bernhard Hermann , whom he had met in Hof in 1779 , acted as a model for the figure of Leibgeber .