35. Therese
box 6/2
REH EE
Schnitzler Abandons His Spontaneity in a Grim Study
THERESA, The Chro# icle of al help wishing that Schnitzler had novel; they do not build up intoj on her, and after they had left her
Woman's Life.
By Arthurjused this detailed narrative—it is any moving whole; in fact, it wouldshe often found it difficult to dif¬
Schniteler. 460 pp. Nei Fork: some four times the length of his
Simon & Schuster. 82.50.
have little effect upon the novel,
ferentiate in her memory between
recent novelettes—as a preliminary
Tis a rather grim, thorough and
except to lessen the burden upon them.
sketch, and from it had selected
the reader, were half of them to be
serious Schnitzler whom we
Thus repeatedly she was driven
the material for one morcrof those
omitted.
meet in Theresa,“ a Schnitz¬
back in her search for satisfaction
short, spontaneous and gay fan¬
In describing his heroine’s child¬
ler no longer toying about in
and happiness to the meager pleas¬
tasies to which we have come to
hood Schnitzler very deftly indi¬
that gay fantastic borderland be¬
ures to be derived from her pro¬
look forward with such pleasure.
cates that had her economic and
tween the real and the imagined
fession. Her lot was a lonely one.
For it must be admitted that
social position been a trifle more
as be did in such stories as Fräu¬
No matter how friendly her rela¬
there is a curious lack of warmth
substantial there would have been
lein Else“' and Rhapsody,“ a
tionship to her employers and to
and cumulative power in this novel.
no story to tell about her. She
Schnitzler who with set jaw dis¬
their children might become, she
It is impossible not to admire the
would have married and settled
sects with an almost surgical deft¬
could never find a home among
completeness of Schnitzler’s under¬
down into a middle-class existence,
ness the psychological and emo¬
them.
standing of his heroine and the
without problems and content with
tional anatomy of his heroine.
deftness with which he traces out
She became expert in striking the
her lot. The death of her father,
Nothing, except the ultimate
the exact parts played by heredity
right note between reserve and fa¬
however, forced her to become a
philosophic insplications of the
and environment in the formation governess, and thenceforth her
miliarity. She was careful not to
story, is left to the imagination; it
of her character and the fashioning story is one of very gradual disin¬
let her heart go out to her charges.
Is, as the subtitle suggests, a chron¬
of her career. The subtlety with
She cultivated an attitude of cool
tegration. Her ultimate frustration
icle, complete, pitiless, and as exact
which he makes clear and precise
motherliness, which she was capa¬
was due largely to the fact that, al¬
as a medical chart. No aspect of
her different reactions to various
ble of ralsing or lowering by sev¬
though she had little difficulty in
the heroine’s character is neglect¬
groups of employers commands
eral degrees at will. This was the
attracting men, she lacked tho
ed: page upon page, incident upon
reverence. Yet when one has said
foundation of her relationship with
knack of playing them and of bind¬
Incident, never repeating himself that, one has said almost all. One
her employers' children. Thus,
ing them to her. She was direct,
save where repetition is necessary
never feels any great sympathy for
spiritually, she was free as soon as
sincere, unromantie and not very
for a full understanding of the sit- Theresa; indeed there are long pas¬
she closed the door behind her.
imaginative. She kept hoping that
uation, the author builds up one of
sages when one has only the most
The grim monotony of the story
somewhere, some time, she would
the most fully rounded characteri-Tacademic interest in her thoughts
find herself a husband and a quiet
is intensified by the cool detach¬
zations to be found in modern lit¬
and actions. We are told in detail
ment with which the author reiates
home; she would resolve from time
erature.
of her experiences as a governess in
it. One never feels that Schnitzler
to time to make better use of her
One closes the book confident some twenty-five homes, and most
himself is more than intellectually
opportunities and to remain cold
thatom the day of Theresa's
of the experiences have an effect
and calculating toward all men ex¬
interested in it; he treats it rather
birth to the moment when, almost
of one sort or another on her, but
cept where it was definitely to her
as if it were a tour de force. Con¬
as an antielimax, her illegitimate because she never becomes a really
sequently the reader is only infre¬
advantage to be otherwise. Yet
son strangles her to death, she has
sympathetic or interesting charac¬
each time she would give herself as
quently caught up by it, and closes
done nothing, thought nothing, felt
ter the sum of these experiences is guilelessly as before to the next
the book regretting that so much
nothing that the reader has not] not greater than the parts, as it man who attracted her. Most of fine material has been put to so
been told about. Yet one cannotIshould be in a really powerfuljthese men made little impression little use. CuxvaLaNn B. CHAsE.
S
box 6/2
REH EE
Schnitzler Abandons His Spontaneity in a Grim Study
THERESA, The Chro# icle of al help wishing that Schnitzler had novel; they do not build up intoj on her, and after they had left her
Woman's Life.
By Arthurjused this detailed narrative—it is any moving whole; in fact, it wouldshe often found it difficult to dif¬
Schniteler. 460 pp. Nei Fork: some four times the length of his
Simon & Schuster. 82.50.
have little effect upon the novel,
ferentiate in her memory between
recent novelettes—as a preliminary
Tis a rather grim, thorough and
except to lessen the burden upon them.
sketch, and from it had selected
the reader, were half of them to be
serious Schnitzler whom we
Thus repeatedly she was driven
the material for one morcrof those
omitted.
meet in Theresa,“ a Schnitz¬
back in her search for satisfaction
short, spontaneous and gay fan¬
In describing his heroine’s child¬
ler no longer toying about in
and happiness to the meager pleas¬
tasies to which we have come to
hood Schnitzler very deftly indi¬
that gay fantastic borderland be¬
ures to be derived from her pro¬
look forward with such pleasure.
cates that had her economic and
tween the real and the imagined
fession. Her lot was a lonely one.
For it must be admitted that
social position been a trifle more
as be did in such stories as Fräu¬
No matter how friendly her rela¬
there is a curious lack of warmth
substantial there would have been
lein Else“' and Rhapsody,“ a
tionship to her employers and to
and cumulative power in this novel.
no story to tell about her. She
Schnitzler who with set jaw dis¬
their children might become, she
It is impossible not to admire the
would have married and settled
sects with an almost surgical deft¬
could never find a home among
completeness of Schnitzler’s under¬
down into a middle-class existence,
ness the psychological and emo¬
them.
standing of his heroine and the
without problems and content with
tional anatomy of his heroine.
deftness with which he traces out
She became expert in striking the
her lot. The death of her father,
Nothing, except the ultimate
the exact parts played by heredity
right note between reserve and fa¬
however, forced her to become a
philosophic insplications of the
and environment in the formation governess, and thenceforth her
miliarity. She was careful not to
story, is left to the imagination; it
of her character and the fashioning story is one of very gradual disin¬
let her heart go out to her charges.
Is, as the subtitle suggests, a chron¬
of her career. The subtlety with
She cultivated an attitude of cool
tegration. Her ultimate frustration
icle, complete, pitiless, and as exact
which he makes clear and precise
motherliness, which she was capa¬
was due largely to the fact that, al¬
as a medical chart. No aspect of
her different reactions to various
ble of ralsing or lowering by sev¬
though she had little difficulty in
the heroine’s character is neglect¬
groups of employers commands
eral degrees at will. This was the
attracting men, she lacked tho
ed: page upon page, incident upon
reverence. Yet when one has said
foundation of her relationship with
knack of playing them and of bind¬
Incident, never repeating himself that, one has said almost all. One
her employers' children. Thus,
ing them to her. She was direct,
save where repetition is necessary
never feels any great sympathy for
spiritually, she was free as soon as
sincere, unromantie and not very
for a full understanding of the sit- Theresa; indeed there are long pas¬
she closed the door behind her.
imaginative. She kept hoping that
uation, the author builds up one of
sages when one has only the most
The grim monotony of the story
somewhere, some time, she would
the most fully rounded characteri-Tacademic interest in her thoughts
find herself a husband and a quiet
is intensified by the cool detach¬
zations to be found in modern lit¬
and actions. We are told in detail
ment with which the author reiates
home; she would resolve from time
erature.
of her experiences as a governess in
it. One never feels that Schnitzler
to time to make better use of her
One closes the book confident some twenty-five homes, and most
himself is more than intellectually
opportunities and to remain cold
thatom the day of Theresa's
of the experiences have an effect
and calculating toward all men ex¬
interested in it; he treats it rather
birth to the moment when, almost
of one sort or another on her, but
cept where it was definitely to her
as if it were a tour de force. Con¬
as an antielimax, her illegitimate because she never becomes a really
sequently the reader is only infre¬
advantage to be otherwise. Yet
son strangles her to death, she has
sympathetic or interesting charac¬
each time she would give herself as
quently caught up by it, and closes
done nothing, thought nothing, felt
ter the sum of these experiences is guilelessly as before to the next
the book regretting that so much
nothing that the reader has not] not greater than the parts, as it man who attracted her. Most of fine material has been put to so
been told about. Yet one cannotIshould be in a really powerfuljthese men made little impression little use. CuxvaLaNn B. CHAsE.
S