The foxes in the vineyard

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The foxes in the vineyard (in the first edition in 1946 under the title weapons for America published) is a historical novel by Lion Feuchtwanger from the years 1944 to 1946 and plays mainly in Paris after the Declaration of Independence of 1776 . The main characters are the merchant and writer Beaumarchais and Benjamin Franklin as the representative of the American Congress. As further historical personalities, King Louis XVI. , Marie Antoinette and the French enlightener Voltaire .

action

The French Ancien Régime is drawing to a close, and the country's artistic elite are committed to the Enlightenment . Including the writer Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais , whose rebellious plays ( The Marriage of Figaro ) inspire the people. When Beaumarchais heard of the United States' declaration of independence , he was euphoric about the dawn of a new era . At the same time his business instinct stirs in him. With arms deliveries to the American militias led by George Washington who are fighting against the English crown , he wants to land a major financial coup. Without the consent and support of the French royal family under Louis XVI. however, this is not possible.

Even Benjamin Franklin , co-author of the Declaration of Independence, stays in Paris to promote as an envoy of the young American Union for an alliance with France. For the young zealot Beaumarchais, however, the reserved, moderate Franklin cannot warm up. Although both pursue the same goals, they fail to find a common path. Louis XVI, torn between the different opinions and interests of his advisers and his court, feels a profound aversion to the American cause and foresees the effect that the seeds of freedom will have on absolutism . At the same time, he knows that the alliance would be an important step in the fight against the centuries-old archenemy England.

A very twisted, political intrigue develops, in which all protagonists have to defend themselves against resistance from their own environment. Louis XVI suffers from extravagance, intrigue and a disturbed relationship with his wife, the Austrian Princess Marie Antoinette . Beaumarchais has to deal with creditors like his friend and enemy Charlot Lenormant, Benjamin Franklin suffers from his envoy, the puritan fundamentalist Arthur Lee, who makes negotiations with France difficult.

After many setbacks, Beaumarchais and Franklin eventually achieve success. The gifted writer - encouraged by the advocacy of the great French enlightener Voltaire - finds his salvation in the theater; his plays have defied the regime's censorship and are wildly celebrated. Franklin is returning to America with the coveted treaty of alliance, where the tide has now finally turned in favor of the United States. Marie Antoinette gave birth to an infanta and France has gained strength in foreign policy. Nevertheless, Louis XVI. the treaty with America as a defeat.

background

Lion Feuchtwanger commented on his novel in an afterword as follows:

“You will readily understand that the hero of the novel is not Benjamin Franklin, not even Beaumarchais, not even the King or Voltaire, but that invisible guide of history who, discovered in the eighteenth century, clearly recognized, described and clearly recognized in the nineteenth century was praised, and then bitterly denied and slandered in the twentieth century: progress. "

expenditure

  • First edition: Arms for America. Querido, Amsterdam (1946)
  • English translation: Proud destiny. Translation by Moray Firth. Hutchinson, London 1948
  • Collected works in individual volumes Vol. 12: Aufbau, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-351-02212-3
  • Paperback: 3rd edition. Structure of the Taschenbuch Verlag, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-7466-5635-9 . Also: weapons for America. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 1983, ISBN 3-596-22545-0

literature

  • Günther Gottschalk: Lion Feuchtwanger's “disguise technique” in “Arms for America”. Treatises on art, music and literature 32.Bouvier, Bonn 1965