Faksimile

Text


box 36/6
1
Panphlets offni s
The Germanic Reviem
194
die man dann nach Mariahilf oder Fünfhaus begleitet,—und
die nichts anderes will, als einen Ausflug am Sonntag oder
einen Abend beim Volkssänger oder einen Sitz auf die dritte
Galerie zu der neuen Operette oder ein Bracelet um einen
Gulden und sehr, sehr, sehr viel Liebe.'
Josefine is in a similar frame of mind. Aliaison with an elegant
cavalier having just terminated, she yearns for the devoted
affection of an impecunious artist or poet. Thus on a Sunday
afternoon Alfred, decked out with a flowing tie, a velvet coat
and soft hat, strikes up an acquaintance with Josefine, who
has likewise dressed in the simplest manner. They keep up
this comedy of disguise for many weeks, reveling in their
happiness. Both eventually tire of the hardships entailed by
their professed poverty. One day Alfred, dressed in the latest
fashion, appears at their rendezvous in a flacre. Josefine has
had the same inspiration. After a moment’s consternation
they burst out laughing and then celebrate the event with a
drive through the Prater and a champagne dinner.
Despite the triviality of the plot, these letters are most
readable. This is due primarily to the author’s eminent skill
in reproducing the moods and thoughts of his characters with
such convincing verisimilitude. The epistolary device is ex¬
cellently suited to this purpose: the writers express themselves
informally and without restraint. By this method the author
achieves somewhat the same result as with the inner monolog,
although the latter, presenting to us the entire content of
consciousness with all the seemingly irrelevant associations of
ideas, naturally goes much further.
Speaking of Schnitzler's youthful works, Specht says:" Bis
dahin, solange er den Arzt verleugnete und gleichsam vor ihm
versteckt schriftstellerte, war er Epigone, hat heineisiert,
gegrillparzert, gehebbelt, französelt.““ In view of the poem
Wandernde Musikanten'’ quoted above, we may add “gele¬
naut. The Heine influence is patent in many of our author’s
poems. Grillparzer, as indicated above, probably stood sponsor
to Alkandis Lied.“ Das Märchen with its theme“ Darüber
kann kein Mann weg'’ seems to hark back to Hebbel’s Maria
* Op. cit., 19.
84
500
930
722