box 15/6
9.4. Der gruene Kakadu ZukIus
world, the faco of this littlo Mark luke is lare presented with wonderful cleure ess and goal of his desire—that is a matter of dol
in Sudermann. The very woman of hie
troubled, waves begin to rise, a fiery column simplicity, in broad outlines whlich of them¬
longings falls to Prince Witte’s lot, and he
selves confer this impression. Butthere is
may oven scein to bo rising from it. It is
nover guesse that desire is attained, but
something more in it. What is the real
tho symbol of tho aristocracy of the Mark.
forsakes her and continues his wander¬
cause of Henschel’s ruin? The powerful,
This aristocracy is forced into sympathy
ings, until in tho end death unites him
calm, phlegmatie man, accustomed to rid
with the deings of the world boyond, but it
to tho objeet of his desiro, but not of his
himsolf of obstacles by a single blow from
always settles down to its normal condition.
love. The throe heron’s feathers which
his strong shoulder, and to attack life with
As in his novel, so in his autobiographical
Princo Witte is to rescue at the risk of his
his henvy lists, is not of tho kind that can
sketches Von Zwanzig bis Droissig
life from magie dominion are merely a
be ruined by a loose and deceitful woman.
(that is, from his twentieth yeur to his
part of this delusion of desire. Sudermann
Nor is it exactly truethat the conscionsnoss
thirtieth), the mere human interest pre¬
conceives of desire as in opposition to love.
of guilt in breaking the pledge given to his
dominates. These mewoirs aro u pieco
Thero is something almost Scriptural in his
dying wife works his destruction. IIe is
of purely personal literature. An indepon¬
iden of love as the principle of life and .
not the man to be worried hy doubts
Nent interest attuches to Fontane’s acconnt
desiro as that of death. The first and last 1
and peisasimple-minded
of his youthful gears, tho association of
’scones of this fontastic play are laid in a
nature, satisfied with what the day brings¬
Berlin authors and erities known as tho
burial-ground, whience a mysterious woman
forth, who does what he thinks right
* Tunnel, and bis personal connexion with
sends him forth on his pilgrimage of desire
withont brooding over tho matter. He
the revolution of March, 1848. Butitattains
and whither he returns in the ond to find
needed a wife to manage the house, and
its real value by his method of regarding
his last resting-place in its silent realm.
had found tho girl capable, so he took her.
persons and things, for old Fontane had a
Allthis shows depth of feeling, but there is
Nor had his first wife any occasion for
broad and kindly spirit, and the superiority
a lack of clearness about the form in whlich
jealousy whien she exacted his promise; a
of the man who regards life calmly from
it is presented, and the charncters de not
kind of second sight had come upon the
the spectator’s point of view and recognizes
carry ccnviction Stillthis play, in spite of
dying woman—it was as though destiny
tho insignificance of his ownexistenco. Still,
its failure, is better testimony to Suder¬
spoke from her lips. From that day forth
future historiand will havo to uso Fontane’s
mann’s powers tnan chis great theatrical
Henschel, too, is pursued by destiny, HIe
memoirs with as muchcnution as Bismarck’s.
successes. The“ Drei Reiherfedern testifies
feels that something weighs him down, he
If the younger generation of authors in
to tho deepening of his art.
knows not what. Hestill feels the presence
the eighties claimed Fontane withont further
The lyrical element is of chief importance
of his dead wife. She attends him on his
ceremeny as their own, thoy wero t0 Sonlo
Eintho plays of two young Viennese writers,
drives, she is noar him whien ho feeds the
extent in the position of the good citizens
Arthur Schnitzlenund Hugo von Hofmanns-
horses in the morning.-Herchild, who dies
of Bagdad, who unceremoniously invited
thal. Schnitzler’s is an art of half-tones
soon after her, must have heen drawn after
the Khalif Haroun al Raschid, when ho
and unexpressed, conflicting feelings, fleet¬
its mother. He sees things in the room
took his evening walks in m77, into their
ing einotions, and veiled sufferings. His
that he never used to notice. He docs not
houses, and made him a witness of their
one-set play"Die Gefährtin' pictures the
know whether the furniture always stood
domestie affairs, Since then conditions
in its present position; evergwhere he sus- husband of a faithless wife who knew of
have changed. The revolution which they
pects innovations. When at length.eTher infidelity on the day of her funeral, and
proclaimed so londly in the streets and
learns his second wife’'s inlidelity, ho con-is a little piece of tender, delicate painting
market-places was followed—quite imper¬
of moods. His longer piece Das Ver¬
siders quite calmly what to do next, Ho¬
ceptibly and withont any external display
mächtnis,' which he presented to us last
comes to the conclusion that one“of thom
—bya violent internal revolution. Theten¬
winter, was a failure of no import either
must die; but his contemplations curry him
dencyto rationalistie moralizing was shaken
for himself or his art. But another one¬
no further. Suddenly he lights on a piece
off like a childish ailment. Besides the
act play, Der grüne Kgkadu,' a fantastie
of whipcord which he fancies he has not
mere outward faculty of sight and observa¬
caprice of the French Revolution period,
scen for years; and since this scems to be
tion, they have developed a gift of inward
has been amazingly successful in its during
the will of destiny, ho hangs himseif with
perception without which human nature
combination of reality and appearance in
it. Call it fate or what you will, a mystie
cannot betruly grasped. They have become
that essentially dramatie theme=the trans¬
something has urged him to his death.
more subjective, their conception of men
formation of a play into reality. Thissubject.
A mystie cloud seems to envelope the
and women has been deepened. Our
is repeated in yet a third one-act play,
personages of this drama, and increnses
latest fiction shows a deepening tendenev.
Paracelsus,' in a somewhat uninteresting““
their proportions like figures scen through
This tendency has been faintly noticeable
and didactie fashion.
the mist. Something recalls the art of
for some time, but it has never come 80
While Schnitzler is the lyrical exponent
Balzac. This is no rationalistie moralizing
clearly into view as in this last year’s
of tender half-emotions, another true lyrist,
realism; this is art which has freed itself
dramatie products. Hauptmann’s latest
Hugo von Hofmannsthal, shows a prefer¬
from mere externals, lt secks wan in his
play Fuhrmann Henschel' and Suder¬
ence for warm and brilliant colours. His
greatness as it formerly songht him in his¬
mann’s fairy play Die drei Reiherfedern'
Hochzeit der Sobeide,' a fairy tragedy in
smallness. There is a noto of spring wafted
may be cited in proof.
twoacts, suffused with all the colouring of
from Gerhard Hauptmann’s latest play; a
The events described in Fuhrmann
the Enst, and his Abenteurer,' penetrated
feeling of vague longing breathes from it.
Henschel' are exceedingly simple. Hen¬
with the spirit of eighteenth-century Venice,
Longing, too, is the note of Sudermann’s
schel’s wife when dying forces him to
are simple essays in colour. Both present
fairy poem Die drei Reiherfedern.' Ilis
promise that after her death he will
sharp contrasts-a scene of tearful renun¬
first novel was called Frau Sorge'; this
not marry the girl who is at this time in
ciation may be followed by a glaring
plav might well be christened Frau Selin¬
their service. He promises, and his wife
presentatien of uncontroiled debauchery—
sucht.' It leads Sudermann back to the
dies. But his household cannot get on with¬
and these changing pictures spring alike
moods of his youth, and restores the elements
out a woman, the child needs a mother, and
from a feeling of thetransitoriness of beauty.
of lyric feeling and personality which were
he marries the servant after all. Then she
Hugo von Hofmannsthal is a disciple of the
s0 regrettably wanting in his recent success¬
deceives him, makes his life a burden, and
doctrine of“ P’art pour l'art.“ A beautiful
ful plays. All the same, the new play is a
stirs up strife between her husband and
pieture, a melodious line,re in his eyes an
failure; it lacks clearness, and with it scenic¬
his friends and neighbours. One day at
end in themselves. He asks nothing of
effectiveness and human interest. But the
the inn he has a quarrel with his brother¬
reality, and reality gives him nothing; he
element of longing has been fathomed to its
in-law, who tells him the truth abeut his
dreams his personages into pieturesque
depths. It isthis unending desirethat drives
wife. He demands proofs and sends for
poses, and the colours of his dreams are
the young Northern hero Prince Witte cense¬
his wife, and she can find no defence. Then
more brilliant than those of reality. Ho is
lessly about the world; it is the eternal
the truth Hashes on him—either he or his
afine stylist, but his art has a Havour of
tragedy of the delusion of desire that pre¬
wife must die. So le goes nway and hangs
decadence; it appeals to the taste more
vents him, when once he has attained thef
himself.
than to the heurt.
There is something in the delinea-Pidol of his longings, from recognizing his
Dur literature at present shows traces of
dream, and he casts it from him to pursue
tion of these characters which gives
them an appearance of greatness. They jthe phantom once more. A woman is the a deepening influence; we have grown tired