Zara (Year 11) took inspiration from the plenary discussion of our Modernism Symposium in October, and decided to delve into a reading of early twentieth century Viennese writer Arthur Schnitzler’s novella “Fräulein Else“.
“Du bist geheimnisvoll, dämonisch, verführerisch.”
Virginia Woolf wrote in Mr Bennet and Mrs Brown, “On or around December 1910, human character changed.” Her extended essay was a tribute to the rising literary modernist movement of the time – a stark contrast to the former realism that had grown common in the 19th century. A new wave of modernist writers took up a different approach to the traditional structure of a novel. Within realism there was a continuity through the order of the storyline: a beginning, a clear problem and an end. Reality was objectively defined by this convention, where the emphasis was placed on chronology and causality. However, as reality itself was experiencing change, a new literary style emerged towards the start of the 20th century, characterised by a narrative that reflects an interior monologue. There was a shift in focus from retrospectively detailing an impartial account of events, to how they may be experienced and perceived. Novelists experimented with rambling narratives, and a disordering of events similar to the disjointed processes of the mind. What was worth being represented? How would language capture its significance?
A Viennese novella, Fräulein Else (1924) exemplifies this. The book follows the 19 year old Else during a day with her aunt at a luxurious spa, when she receives an express letter from home informing her of a financial crisis her father is facing. Her mother urges her to ask an older family acquaintance for money and, when she musters the courage to do so, she is met with a request to see her nude in return. Feeling cornered, Else is consequently sent into turmoil, and gradually descends into insanity. The plot of this novella, though relatively straightforward from an objective standpoint, is driven by the internal monologue of Else.
We are guided through the novella through Else’s thoughts. She proves herself observant and clever, yet her thoughts are often fleeting, contradictory and feverish; Else incessantly expresses mild frustration over trivial things, abandoning these many digressions in favour of sudden observations of her surroundings. Judged by her thoughts alone, Else could easily be taken for a frivolous, foolish and vain young girl. However, Schnitzler overturns this by juxtaposing her inner thoughts with dialogue from her conversations, in stark contrast to the impression of her thoughts. Else speaks with the eloquence she lacks whilst thinking, appearing charming at times:
“… die Wiesen hier sind herrlich. Besonders im Mondenschein von meinem Fenster aus”
The reader has access to her most intimate thoughts and understands that Else consciously cultivates the air of mystery. Indeed, we are in a privileged position to observe her immature mind and her vanity as she struggles to catch up to the exigencies of womanhood.
“Ich nehme den weißen Schal, der steht mir gut. Ganz ungezwungen lege ich ihn um meine herrrlichen Schultern”
There are breaks where thoughts are interrupted, yet her thoughts also protrude through the continuity of the dialogue. Else is often found absorbed in her own thoughts, drifting over to past memories before being confronted with the present. The fragile working of Else’s mind is prominent; these memories serve as connections to her immediate reality, and affect her experience of it. Furthermore, Else indulges in her own fantasies across the novella.
Else eventually begins to lose her grasp on reality due to the suffering she experiences, and we follow her through this journey. The fantasies she creates bear great importance to the characterisation of Else. She returns to one in particular, where she dreams of staying in a villa, surrounded by a number of admiring men. Her visions lull in the back of her mind, yet she continues to develop them throughout. This particular fantasy signifies her loneliness and isolation, as well as the desire to be admired. Even though many men may desire her, she has yet to establish any meaningful connection. Else seeks to enjoy the company of handsome men of her own accord. Instead, her father’s actions places her in an inescapable situation. She is presented as an object of trade, and any romantic desires a young girl may have as she enters womanhood have to make way for a larger calling. Even as a child, her purity and innocence were being challenged, “Die Wange hat er mir gestreichelt, wie ich zwölf oder dreizehn Jahre alt war. ‘Schon ein ganzes Fräulein.’” Through circumstances she cannot control, Else has to sacrifice her dignity and the image she wishes to project to her entourage. The anticipated humiliation is too much to bear. Else is asked to place herself under the control of the same man who had preyed upon her, and she experiences the inherent feeling that women don’t have autonomy over their own bodies.
Else’s consciousness unravels before us, and just as her thoughts are fractious and meaningless, her imagination is extravagant. Crucially, in the lead up to her death, she loses the ability to distinguish between reality and her mind. As readers we are drawn into this confusion, until the reality of her fainting sets in for the people around her. The staccato dialogue, the rush of different voices coming in after Else’s prolonged internal monologue makes us realise the true gravity of her actions. Among the chaos, Else thinks whilst unconscious, “Cissy. Wie kommt denn Cissy auf die Wiese. Ach, es ist ja nicht die Wiese.” Her slow, solemn realisation of her impending death amidst the shouting of the people around her is a reminder that Else cannot react to anything happening around her. Her final conscious act, taking poison before exposing herself in front of all the guests in the hotel lounge, liberates her from any cares she once had. Else successfully drains the pleasure her family acquaintance may have received from the transaction, at the cost of her own life.
The Linguist NLCS 