box 15/6
9.4. Der gruene Kakadu zykins
of slavishly copying nature, Doubtless it inclines to the chaste and simple, he has a rary individuality I have characterized
above, has published a little volume of
cultivated affection for it. He returns to
is this desire for stronger and independent
stories, Die Frau des Weisen,' and it
simplo fare like a man sated with luxury.
notes which has led Ludwig Fulda in bis
is this delicate painting of moods whlich
Then once again all is colour and ornament.
Herostrat' to the world of antiquity, and
constitutes the charm of his stories as
In his gardens grow artificial flowers that
Max Halbe in his Eroberer' to that of the
of his plays. They are all products of
send forth scent instead of fragrance. His
Renaissance. Both have returned empty¬
lyrie feeling. Tho subjoct is almost
men are pale and sickly and have no hold
handed. Their plays lacked life; only
alway conjugal infidelity, but the actual
on the earth; they renounce before they
puppets in costume moved across the stage.
fact is not emphasized; it is onlytho re¬
oven desire. Their life passes into melody.
Another of Max Halbe’s plays also appenred
sultant emotions that aro considered, and
Form is an end in itself. His verse
this winter, Die Heimatlosen.' It deals
Schnitzler is always occupied in trying to
cannot be resolved into prose, nor his
with the story of a young maid from the
answer the question, What is thoattitude
thoughts set forth in logical sequence.
country, who runs away from her mother,
towards life of these men and women?
Ho is moro tender and delicate than
and subsequently comes to grief in the
Schnitzler is a rare combination of poot
Hugo von Hofmannsthal, his colours are
“ Bohème““ of Berlin, is seduced, and
and psychologist. Curiously enough, this
oven fainter, his symbolism moro ox¬
then cast aside. Ten years ago this play,
same combination recurs with a very similar
tremo. Both pocts leave tho impression
with its straightforward, honest fidelity
tendency in Lon Andreas-Salomé. Hertwo
that their decadence is imitative and ac¬
to life, would have attained success;
latest volumes of stories— Fenitschka, eine
quired. There is nothing convincing about
to-day it has no meaning for us. The
Ausschweifung,' and Menschenkinder'—
the peculiarity they affect. Both possess a
element of personality is wanting. This
may be ranked with Schnitzler’s“ Prau des
gift more genuine than their manner of ex¬
same element, which alone carries artistic
Weisen' among the best pro lucts of this
pressing it, and there is more artificiality
conviction, is lacking in Pauline,' a comedy
year’s narrative literature. Lou Andreas¬
than art about their productions.
by Georg Hirschfeld, the clever young
Salomé has perhaps finer powers of
Atthe time when the younger generation
author of Mütter,' and in Max Dreyer’s
psychological analysis, especially in the
Pentered the lists with “naturalism'' for
three-act play Hans.' The latest plays of
comprehension of female characters, but
their rallying-ery, Paul Heyse was one
Halbe, Hirschfeld, and Dreyer convey an
now and then slie fails to catch the mood.
of the best hated and most often attacked
impression of arrested development. Their
Sometimes we can feel the train of thought
of all our writers. Scarcely anything is
#art was in fact simply the literary fashion
on which her construction is based, but she,
so charactoristic of the changes undergono
of ten years ago. On the other hand,
too, offers a mystical rather than a rational¬
by the art conceptions of tho young
Ernst von Wildenbruch, who has never
istic conception of mankind. Hfit betrue that
generation as their, drawing near, in
followed any literary fashion, and always
our literature shows a deepening tendency,
thought at any rate, to Hloyse’s art.
proceeded on his own lines in his dra¬
she must be counted among the pioneers.
Those whio are unacquainted with Heyse
matie work, the representative of pathos
Next to these two, Schnitzler and Andreas¬
had better not begin upon his latest
among our dramatists, was equally un¬
Salomé, comes Adalbert Meinhardt. Nor is
volume of stories, Der Sohn seines Vaters,
successful this year with his piay Gowitter¬
it so much the literary value whlich induces
und andere Novellen'; thoso who do know
cht, patriotic tragedy of the Silesian
me to mention her story Still-leben' in
him will accept even this contribution thank-
ars. There is oue thrilling act full of wild
this connexion as the mood it expresses,
fully. The problems with which Heyse
enthusiasm for Frederick tho Great, for no
Thero is a sense of estrangement from the
deals—for he always deals with problems
one understands the art of communicating
world in this story ofthe fate of two ladies,
—are invariably interesting, and their solu¬
enthusiasm better than Wildenbruch; this
and an atmosphere of hallowed meditation.
tion reveals him as a subtle psychologist.
is the ouly part of the tragedy with any
It bears tho old-fashioned charm of the calm,
But that is not their chief characteristic.
life about it. Tho other four acts, and in
secluded life of our ancestors; it has a
Those whio read Heyse in the right fashion
particular the conclusion, are overpowering
suggestion of Maarten Maartens or Fogaz¬
read him not so much for iho interest of
without being effective. His work is not
zaro. This, too, is a part of the mystery.
his subject as for his own sake. Tho mind
unliterary, but it is of no valuc to literature.
of longing.
that speaks in all his works is a noble
It might be expected that the lyrical
Wilhelm Raabe and Adolf Wilbrandt
one. Ho stands above his characters, and
tendency of the drama would result in a
might from their latest novels, or,
looks down on thom with gentle h mour.
strong independent lyrical harvest. This is
indeed, from all their works of fiction,
He softens reality before he presents it
not the case. We are not altogether with¬
be called “ seekers of men.'' Both are a
to us. His art, tco, is artificial, but in
out a new growth of lyrists, for wo have
littlo suggestive of Diogenes going abont
his case the strle and the man are ono.
Letlev von Liliencron—not, howover, in his
with his lantern to seek a man, But in
There is a preponderance of beauty in his
first youth—Carl Busse, Carl Henckell, and
accordanco with their distinct individualities,
manner, especially in bis language. We
Ludwig Jacobowski, but it would be absurd
each has a different ideal man. Raabe is
need but open the first of these stories,
to boast of any special lyrical wealth. Still
a humourist, and therefore an unusual
Der Sohn seines Vaters' (which deals with
this past year has revealedto us a very in¬
and precious phenomenon in Germany, and
a young man whonever gets on, just because
teresting new-comer in this domain. Stefan
he rejoices when he can discover in some
he is tue son of his rich father), to feel
George was already knownto a small circle.
vagrant woman or some old weather-beaten
transported into another world. Even when
He had published in conjunction with a
soldier a tender, childlike heart, as is the
dealing with a rtsqudsubject as, in Männer¬
few like-minded spirits the Blätter für die
case in his latest novel, Hastenbeck,’ a story
treu, another of these stories, he maintains
Kunst,’ which circulated onlv in manuscript,
of the Seven Years' War. Ouly those who
his dignity, because his language is
for he and his party would have no deal¬
share his joy in pure hearts can understand
choice and the form ennobles the subject.
ings with the general public. Lately,
him. The interest of the subject is but
If our most recent literature is wenk in
however, three little volumes of his —
slight in Hastenbeck'; in fact, as a whole
natural feeling, we may here, too, find in
Hymnen, Pilgerfahrten, Algabal,' Bücher
it bears sadtraces of oldage and decreasing
Heyse what we miss in others.
der Hirten, ’and Jahr der Seelo'—have been
power. Wilbrandt’s ideal man recalls
The present almost exclusivo cult of tho
committed to print. Stefan George recalls
the ideal humanity of the eighteenth
drama ontho part of our chief writers in¬
Hofmannsthal, of wliom I have already
century. His new novel, Vater Robinson,'
volves a certain danger. But a small part
spoken. Of English poets ho comes nearest
is didactie. Father Robinson, a curious
of the emotional life of mod## mien and
to Rossetti. His work is the elaboration of
old man, resembles a gardener who walks
women can be expressed byit. The drama
art, it has no connexion with reality. What
round in tho garden of humanity,
is dependent on outward action, and our
never happened anywhere—that alone is
straightening and supporting the trecs of
lives are growing poorer and poorer in it:
the subject of his verse. IIe deals with im¬
crooked growth so that they may attain
this of itself imposes a certain ditticulty.
pressions of the soul and not the senses.
their full development and grow towards
But the productions in other literary fields,
Nor does he present the emotions diroctly,
the sun, the ideal of a rich and beautiful
such as the novel, bear scarcely any rela¬
but transfers them to some other fantastic
humanity. In thought Wilbrandt’s new
tion to the literary tendencies of the day,
#aphere. His images belong to the domain
novel is certainly valuable, but the con¬
especially now that we have lost Fontane.
neither of sight nor of simile; thev are
Still this relation is not absolutely I struction lacks stability, and the 7enoument
dream pietures. His poems are the visions
of a man saturated with art. At times hewanting. Arthur Schnitzler, whose lite-is incomplete and unsatisfactory.