EXCHANGE 
 
aM 
 
 A. DISSERTATK)^ 
 
 :i U^l 
 
 • •*••#" <*»>#"♦< -J J»*^.s»-«'-»'-^v-/,».Jj-.Vi-«/ -,.'«»*» 
 
 »f. tf!.. *,{..■ s-'VJ-ii; 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2008 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/anzengrubersportOOferrrich 
 
Anzengruber's 
 Portrayal of Character 
 
 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF 
 THE GRADUATE COLLEGE OF THE STATE 
 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA IN PARTIAL 
 FULFILLMENT OF THE 
 REQUIREMENTS FOR 
 THE DEGREE 
 OF 
 
 Doctor of Philosophy 
 
 BY 
 
 Emory Nelson Ferriss 
 
 MAY 1908 
 
 1911 
 
 THE OTTERBEIN PRESS 
 
 Dayton, Ohio 
 

 
Awzfttgrubpr'a f ortragal of 
 QUyararter 
 
 1^1 / 
 
 GENERAL OUTLINE. INTRODUCTION: GENERAL AIM 
 OF THE STUDY. 
 
 1. The different types of characters : 
 
 (a) traigic through their own actions; 
 \ (b) tragic through actions of others; 
 
 (c) tragic through some general force; 
 
 (d) post- tragic characters; 
 
 (e) comic characters; 
 
 (f) neutral or common characters; 
 
 (g) tragic agents. 
 
 2. A study of some individual characters, each repre 
 senting a type. 
 
 3. Problems with which the characters deal. 
 
 Do they represent the problems of humanity in 
 general? 
 
 4. The dramatic situations: (a) real, (b) exagger- 
 
 ated, (c) idealistic. 
 The naturalness of his characters: (a) are any of 
 them pathological? (b) do they develop psycho- 
 logically? (c) are they true to environment? 
 (d) to what extent are they idealized, exagger- 
 ated? 
 
 5. Anzengruber's Field and Motive : 
 
 (a) Anzenginiber's limitations in subject matter; 
 
 (b) his motives in liis works as shown by his 
 characters ; 
 
 (c) his independence ; 
 
 (d) a naturalistic-realist. 
 
 6. ronclusion: His power as a portrayer of man 
 and his emotions and passions. 
 
 Bibliography. 
 
 Life-sketch. ^ 
 
 III 
 
 344203 
 
Table of Contents 
 
 General Outline III. 
 
 Introduction V. 
 
 Chapter I. Different Types of CliaracteT 11 
 
 Chapter II. A Study of Special Characters 18 
 
 Chapter III. Problems with which the Characters Deal ... 45 
 
 Chapter IV. The Dramatic Situations. E'aturalnees of 
 
 the CharacteiPS 50 
 
 Chapter V. Anzengruber's Field and Motive. 60 
 
 Chapter VI. Conclusion ^ 67 
 
Introduction 
 
 A great part of each writer's real worth rests in his 
 ability to represent the truths of reality. The test of the 
 poet, in the broader sense of the word, his most valid 
 claim to have his name remembered by posterity, rests in 
 his power to reflect through his characters the nature of 
 the human soul. The deep philosophical truths which his 
 characters utter need not make them worthy of attention. 
 According to the degree in which they represent the funda- 
 mental characteristics of the human kind, do they have a 
 right to exist. 
 
 The sx)ecific environment in which the author has 
 placed his characters, and the people with whom they are 
 brought in contact, and by whom they are influenced, may 
 be foreign to the one, who, years, yes, generations after- 
 wards, studies them. Yet, if they represent in their strug- 
 gles the innate, eternal, strivings of the human soul, with 
 its failures and successes; if they seem to us like living 
 men and women with all of the human emotions and 
 passions, they are worthy of, and fruitful for, study. The 
 important point is that these characters should be in 
 harmony with their surroundings, and that their activities 
 should be those true to such an environment. It has been 
 those very qualities which have made all peoples interested 
 in Shakespeare's tempted Brutus; in Victor Hugo's sorely 
 tried Jean Valjean; and in Goethe's restless Faust. Each 
 is a character entirely different from the other in his 
 aspirations, in his trials, and in his general environment ; 
 but each represents to us a genuine human being with his 
 constantly changing yet ever constant problems. 
 
 Tlie particular fads of social customs may change the 
 outward appearance of man; the environment of ever 
 evolving civilization may cause him to conduct himself 
 in a quite different manner from that of his ancestors. 
 
or that of his descendants. But beneath it all the true 
 human character has retained its distinctive characteris- 
 tics. Different problems, in the narrower sense, were to 
 be solved a century ago, than are to be grappled Avith 
 to-day, but they called forth the same powers and played 
 upon the same feelings as those of the present time. 
 There has always been the constant humanness, upon 
 which the varlahle environment has acted. The particular 
 problems which an author placed before his characters 
 to be solved may not have been the problems of our own 
 day and country, but if they are solved or combated with 
 the same emotions and passions, as we would meet our 
 specific problems, those characters are true, they continue 
 to hold interest. 
 
 A literary work, as a whole, may be criticized, and 
 justly, because of its non-compliance with laws affecting 
 that class of literature. However, in that work, faulty as 
 an organic whole, there may be an individual character 
 masterfully developed. Frequently literary productions 
 as such have been severely criticized, and especially is 
 this true of dramatic creations, Avhere the particular char- 
 acters themselves were masterpieces. Critics have declared 
 the dramas worthless because they did not conform to the 
 somewhat arbitrary rules of dramatic teclmique, without 
 taking into consideration the worth of the characters as 
 individuals. This criticism may," and doubtless will, stand 
 against the production, yet if that work continues to live 
 and to attract attention, there is somewhere therein a char- 
 acter, interesting because the author has so created him 
 that his experiences strike in the heart of each reader some 
 chord in harmony. There must exist in that work some- 
 thing reflecting the problems of humanity. Goethe's 
 Tasso was always a failure according to the canons of 
 true dramatic art, but still the interest of each reader is 
 held by the character, who, with his poetic nature, was 
 unable to stand against the world's buffetings. And so 
 he clings to the firm Antonio, the representative of that 
 world, with the words: 
 
 VI 
 
"Berstend reisst 
 Der Boden unter meinen Ftiszen auf . 
 Ich fasse dich mit beiden Armen an/' 
 
 The aim of this dissertation is not to present a criti- 
 -cism of Ludwig Anzengruber's literary work in all of its 
 hreadth and depth ; nor is it even to give a general criticism 
 of the separate works as entire creations of literary art. 
 Incidentally the value of a particular work may be dis- 
 cussed, but only so far as is necessary to throw light upon 
 the importance or characteristics of some one character. 
 The writer will not endeavor to trace out the origin of any 
 of the individual works of the author except as that may 
 be advantageous or desirable for a clear understanding 
 of questions concerning the main problems of the study. 
 The main theme throughout will be the individual charac- 
 ter, and an inquiry into the manner and skill with which 
 Anzengruber has been able to treat his individual creations 
 as reflectors of the human soul. 
 
 From the very nature of the subject, the material 
 must and will be drawn almost entirely from the author's 
 OAvn works ; and the proof for various opinions and state- 
 ments will be based upon the words of his writings rather 
 than upon the ideas of some critic. The works which 
 have been written about Anzengruber and his literary 
 activity have been studied, however, and will be referred 
 to for substantiating certain general interpretations of 
 particular problems. 
 
 A general discussion mil be given of the different 
 types of characters to be found in Anzengruber's works, 
 not only in his dramas, but also in his two novels: Bet 
 ^cliandfech and Ber Hternstewhof. Here one problem 
 will be to discover to what extent Anzengruber has failed 
 to depict all human characteristics, because of his limited 
 subject matter. Or has he failed at all? In this classifi- 
 cation each character will not be mentioned, but usually 
 only those characters which represent clear examples of 
 the various types, and which are to be considered in the 
 discussion of the special classes. Not all characters can 
 
 VII 
 
be classified entirely under one head or another, but gen- 
 erally some predoniinant features of their development 
 and experiences will cause them to be placed, and cor- 
 rectly, under one of the general heads given above. 
 
 Following this general treatment of Anzengruber's 
 characters, a special study will be made of certain indi- 
 vidual characters, each representing one of the particular 
 classes. Here the attempt will not be made to review the 
 entire work, but merely that part which closely hinges 
 about the character under consideration. Quotations 
 from the particular work Avill be quite freely used in order 
 to place the personage forward in his own environment. 
 The study of each type character will be closed by a 
 short general estimate of that character, with reasons for 
 its place in the general classification. 
 
 In the succeeding division of tlie study the aim will 
 be to give a critical survey of Anzengrubei^'s literary crea- 
 tions, the main stress still being upon the individual char- 
 acter. The writer will here take up the dramattc situa- 
 tions as they are found in Anzengruber's novels and 
 dramas: for his two novels are also highly dramatic in 
 their real essence. First, to what extent has the author 
 made his situations ideal, or are they purely natural, true 
 to reality? Then to what extent are his creations simple 
 and natural; do they represent pathological conditions, 
 or would one find them in any normal society? Are they 
 true to environment? And, finally, under this general 
 head the problem as to their psychological development 
 throughout the specific work will receive considerable 
 attention. 
 
 The next division will be given over to an inquiry 
 into the peculiar problems of Anzengruber's works. The 
 intention here being to show to what degree these prob- 
 lems represent in tliemselves the questions of that par- 
 ticular time or locality, and, on the other hand, to what 
 extent they are the things which still continue to perplex 
 the human race as a whole. That is, were his questions 
 of religion, or, rather, of sects; his problems of domestic 
 
 VIII 
 
JB89r 
 
 and social concern; his ideas of human aspirations, both 
 of the selfish and of the unselfish sort ; peculiar and rele- 
 vant to the Austrian or Swiss, and only of that particular 
 time? Or do they remain at the present day, the same, 
 at least in modified forms, and still hold interest for the 
 general reader and observer? In other words, are they 
 broad problems of human society? 
 
 Next, a general estimate of Anzengruber in the light 
 of above results, will be given. In this part of the study 
 his limitations as to subject matter will be taken up. 
 Also the purpose will be to give an interpretation of his 
 motives, in his literary works, as revealed in tlie treat- 
 ment of the various characters, and from his own state- 
 ments, as they have been left to us in Avords from his^ 
 pen. In connection Avith those questions a discussion as 
 to. his place in German literature, his independence and 
 general characteristics as an author. In conclusion, his 
 power as a portrayer of man and his emotions and pas- 
 sions will be considered. Was he a true dramatist, a man 
 who understood how to develop a character in such a way 
 as to show the effect upon that particular temi)erament,. 
 of experiences, such as forced themselves upon it? 
 
 ix 
 
Chapter I. 
 Different Types of Characters. 
 
 Anzengruber in all of his works, if we except the 
 fraj^inent of the tragedy, Bertha von Frankreich, and the 
 little play, Elfriede, made the common people, those of 
 country and to\sTi, the bearers of his theme. Only three 
 of his plays deal \\dth city life, and they represent only 
 people of the common class. Anzenji^ruber's ^i^reatest suc- 
 cess was in the portrayal of the peasant, his surroundings, 
 his simple ways of thinking, his blunt jokes, his supersti- 
 tions, and his unpolished humanness. 
 
 In this limited field he has shown to his reader all 
 types of human character, from the light-liearted, un- 
 worrying Tomerl in ^tahl und Stein to the serious, noble- 
 hearted Grasbodenbauer in Der Schandfleck; from the 
 self-sacrificing, somewhat idealistic Pfarrer Hell in Der 
 Pfarrer von Kirchfeld to the selfish Femer in Der Mein- 
 eidhauer^ or Helene in Der Stenvsteinhof ; from the ridic- 
 ulous, absent-minded Professor Foliantenwalzer in 
 'S J un f) fern gift to the happy, yet sympathetic and com- 
 forting philosopher Steinklopferhanns in Die Kreu^el- 
 schreiher; from the soured, pessimistic Liese in Der Mein- 
 eidhauer, or Wurzelsepp in Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld to 
 the wholesome, forgiving Reindorfer, or Magdalena in the 
 novel Der Schandfleck; and, finally from the gross, dis- 
 gusting villain Gorg Friedner in Hand und Herz to the 
 fine, upright Paul Weller in the same play, Avhose life 
 Gorg brought to ruin. 
 
 Thus in characters of tliis sort, drawn from common 
 life, we see true to their condition all the various feeling's 
 or passions of the human heart. Each one reveals those 
 feelings in the manner and in the degree to which we 
 should expect them in persons of such surroundings and 
 of such a temperament. Compare the fine soul-texture 
 of the educated, fellow-lovinc: Hell, with his words of 
 
12 iAflz^n0ruhe^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 comfort to Wurzelsepp: "Beruliige dicli, ich werde ja 
 selbst die Leiclie zu Grabe geleiten, ich werde die 
 Gemeinde ftir sie beten lassen und alle werden sie Amen 
 sprechen und Keiner wird ihr die geweihte Scholle 
 neiden/^ ^ with the rough, unfeeling expressions of Gorg 
 Friedner. In the first place, he speaks to the honest man, 
 Senner, from Avhom seven years before he had taken a 
 sweetheart, married her, squandered her little property, 
 and then deserted her, and now has returned to look for 
 her: "Ich dachte durch ein paar Groschen auf die 
 schaffen konnen, um die war mir's zu thun, und solange 
 ich damit auslangte, liatte ich ihr Zeit itnd Ruh' gelassen, 
 wieder andere zu sparen." ^- And then to her husband, 
 as he has long regarded him, whose happiness he delights 
 in destroying, and Avitli whom he hesitates at no torturing 
 expressions, not even baseness : "Wenn sie wiederkommt, 
 dann mogt ilir meinethalben, mich geniert das nicht, vor 
 der Thtire als Ehrenposten schildren, wahrend ich sie zu 
 mir nehme.'' ^ Compare those two short exp^ressions 
 with that of Hell, then follow through the story of their 
 lives and ideals, and see how truly each character has 
 spoken. 
 
 In order to make a stud.y of the individual characters, 
 it was necessary to classify them under special heads 
 according as one or another characteristic of tlie creation 
 itself predominated, or according to its relation to its 
 environment. In some, in many cases, in fact, the char- 
 acter possesses certain attributes common to the s|)ecifica- 
 tions of two or more of the general type lieads. In such 
 cases the most prominent features have been taken as the 
 criteria for classification. That is, almost without excep- 
 tion, the predominant chalracteristics of the character 
 would seem to offer sufiicient reasons for its position 
 under one of the general heads. In the next discussion 
 the special characters studied Avill be selected with the 
 
 (1.) Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld, Act 3, Scene 7, page 81. 
 (?.) Hand und Herz, Act 1, Scene 5, page 252. 
 (3.) Hand imd Herz, Act 4, Scene 2, page 302. 
 
Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 13 
 
 intention of showing characters plainly in one class or 
 another. 
 
 Tragic Characters. 
 Under the general topic of tragic characters it has 
 seemed most convenient to make a fourfold classification, 
 with reference to the cause, external circumstances, and 
 the time of the tragic climax. That is, what were the 
 causes of the tragic events in the character's life as we 
 see it? Were thej forces set in motion by himself, and 
 over which he afterwards lost control; was the ultimate 
 €ause to be discovered in the particular acts of certain 
 persons, over which he had no control, yet from which, 
 according to his position, he could not escape; or, finally, 
 was his tragic end brought to its culmination by some 
 general force, perhaps in its latter stages carried to com- 
 pletion through the agency of certain persons, parts of 
 his environment, but a force started without any special 
 reference to his particular destruction? Then, to make 
 the study complete, especially from the viewpoint of his 
 psychological development of character, is made the 
 division, post-tragic characters. Conforming to this type 
 are those, who, in the play itself, would come under the 
 head of neutral or philosophic personages; but who, as 
 we learn during the development of the plot, have previous 
 to the present scenes themselves passed through tragic 
 periods. In the characters of this class, Anzengruber 
 has shown more clearly than in any other Avay, perhaps, 
 his true understanding of human character, and the eifect 
 of certain tests upon that character. Steinklopferhanns 
 represents such a character with a, tendency to be affected 
 in one direction, while Wurzelsepp is another, with the 
 stronger tendency exerting an overbalancing power in the 
 other direction. In the case of Steinklopferhanns, an opti- 
 mistic nature, accustomed to studying tilings and people, 
 but from the bright side, becomes, through harsh experi- 
 ences, more sympathetic towards those about him, if some- 
 what more stoical in his way of resrarding the course of 
 his own life. On the other hand, Wurzelsepp, no doubt a 
 
14 Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 man ahvays inclined to see night's shadows rather than 
 the tints of the morning's sun, through a tragic occurrence 
 in his OAvn life, is made a pessimist : a man soured against 
 the world, and especially against one of its greatest forces, 
 the church. He loses his sympathy and interest in his 
 fellow^ men, except as to the thought of revenge upon the 
 representative of that church, until he is turned back into 
 the brighter path by the priest, Hell, who returns him good 
 for evil. Thus even he had still the spark of good in him, 
 which, when given the occasion, began to glow again. 
 AnzengTuber never depicted a character thoroughly bad. 
 As Servaes puts it: "Anzengruber's unvergleichlichste 
 Gabe war, tiberall das, was hier, das Gold-kornchen, 
 genannt wtirde, zu finden. Wo andere nur dlirren Boden 
 zu sehen vermochten, da entdeckte er ein jungfrauliches 
 Ackerfeld. Aus scheinbar verhiirteten Naturen den 
 menschlichen Klang herauszuhorchen, war ihm im lioch- 
 sten Masse gegeben." ^ 
 
 Comic Characters. 
 
 Under the classification, comic characters, it seems 
 possible to place Anzengruber's personages under two 
 heads: those characters of a general comic type, as 
 Schrauder in Heimc/funden, or Kohlenbrenner-Tomerl in 
 ^^S^ Jungfernpift; or of the truly ridiculous type as Pro- 
 fessor Foliantenwalzer, also to be found in ^Sf Jungfern- 
 gift. There might be suflftcient grounds for placing such 
 characters as Dusterer of G^tvissensimirm under a special 
 sub-head; that is, those Avho are comical to the reader or 
 observer from their selfish, though evident, plotting. 
 However, they are better treated in a class that is to fol- 
 low: the tragic agents. In the first sub-division are to be 
 found those personages who are optimists, who look upon 
 the bright side of life, who love a wholesome joke, some- 
 times even regardless of consequences. Those people who 
 are valuable because of the cheer and brightness which 
 
 (1.) Praeludien: Ein Essaybuch, page 52. 
 
Anzcngruher^s Portrayal of Character 15 
 
 thej bring naturally into the lives of their more nervous, 
 serious-minded fellow men. No one can read the comedy,. 
 ^S Jimgferngift^ and see the activity of Kohlenbrenner- 
 Tomerl along with his diplomacy in the uneven wooing 
 match, for Kegerl, between the rich Simmion-Simmerl 
 and his rather poor opponent, Kasper, without enjoying 
 the keen humor of the different situations. On the other 
 hand, in Professor Foliantenwalzer, the ridiculous actions 
 of the half -blind, old philologist, so interested in quaint, 
 old volumes that he has practically lost sight of the 
 moving world about him, picture to the reader a character 
 truly comical only through his exaggerated eccentricities. 
 Another example of this second sub-head, but of a very 
 much milder type, is the nervous, shrinking, little man, 
 Fahnlein, in Heimg'funden. He is entirely undiplomatic 
 in all that he undertakes to do with those about him. 
 Though his cause is serious, and the reader or observer 
 cannot help but sympathize with him, yet at the same 
 time he must smile, yea, laugh at the nervous awkward- 
 ness of the character. In the same scenes with Fahnlein, 
 Anzengruber has placed before us a comic character, but 
 altogether unlike the former, the large, good-natured 
 Schrauder, one of those characters who never get "blue," 
 but can see the optimistic side of almost any calamity. 
 Fahnlein is scared at Doctor Hammer's; financial con- 
 dition, and especially because in the Doctor's care is all 
 of his rainy-day surplus. He tells Schrauder about it, as^ 
 he has all of his troubles for years. Finally, Schrauder, 
 who has just told Fahnlein that he always sees black, to 
 quiet the little man, offers to ^\^ger that everything is 
 still safe. Fahnlein answers: "Eh, Unsinnwetten: Wenn 
 ich gewinne, so haben wir alle miteinander nichts. Mit 
 was zahlen sie denn dann?" Schrauder replies: "Eben, 
 ich wette ja nur auf Gewinn, zu verlieren habe ich nichts, 
 als hochstens bisschen Fett und um das thate es mir leid^ 
 es kleidet mich so hlibsch." ^ 
 
 (1.) Heimg'funden, Act 1, Scene 1. 
 
16 Anzengriiher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 Neutral or Common Characters. 
 
 A very large number of Anzengruber's characters can 
 t)e classified in the next division, neutral or common char- 
 acters. By that terminology^ is meant those personages 
 who are neither tragic nor humorous, at least to any 
 marked degree. They correspond to the general type of 
 people about us. Usually we find in their lives nothing 
 deserving the designation tragic; or, if it is enough to be 
 tragic to a more highly strung nature, the heroes of 
 tragedy, these characters pass through the ordeal without 
 any destroying effect. Ofttime«s their nature is mellowed 
 by the trials, yet the experience has caused no real rupture 
 in tlieir nervous organism. 
 
 Such characters are skillfully used by Anzengruber, 
 true to his dramatic material. These neutral characters 
 are the leavening force in the communities portrayed in 
 his stories and plays. Often they take very prominent 
 parts, and likewise very interesting, in the action of the 
 story. Notice, for example, the part of Reindorfer in 
 Drr Scliandflcclx', or Horlacherlies in G'wissenswurm 
 Each of the characters of this type moves along, a neces- 
 sary figure, influencing and being influenced by the main 
 personages of the story. Several of such characters show 
 good evidences of the poet's power to depict psychological 
 -development. Examples are Martin Kernhofer in Alte 
 Wiener; the Sternsteinhofbauer in Der Stenvstemhof : 
 Reindorfer in Der Schandfleck; Thomas Hammer in 
 Eeimg'funden, or Vroni in Der Meineidhauer. 
 
 The Tragic Agent, 
 
 The last and very important type of character is the 
 tragic agent; that is, that character who, by his or her 
 acts, causes the tragic climax. As one might expect, this 
 type of character is the least pleasant to study, yet not 
 the least interesting. Such a character is fascinating 
 because of the psychology of his development. This devel- 
 opment is sometimes given to the reader or observer 
 directly by the role which the character has in the novel 
 
Anze^iyruher^s Portrayal of Character 17 
 
 or play itself. Usually, however, the history of his life 
 is skillfully brought forward by the author, either through 
 the words of the character himself, or through those of 
 the other characters. He is the person who consciously, 
 in a premeditated way, performs an act tending to result 
 in the tragic destruction of a fellow-being. 
 
 Individual examples of such characters are Gorg 
 Friedner in Ha^ncl und Herz, Toni and Helene in Der 
 Sternsteinhof ,~ Leonhardt in Der Ledige Hof, Eisner in 
 Stahl und ^tein, the elder Florian Weninger in Der 
 ^cliandfleck, and Johanna in Die Trutzige. 
 
 In the next division of the study a short review will 
 be given of individual characters, each representing one 
 of these general classes. In each case the purpose being 
 to show the basis for such a classification, as a means of 
 analyzing Anzengruber's characters, also to show his 
 method and ability to develop dramatic characters. 
 
Chapter II. 
 A Study of Special Characters, 
 
 Characters tragic through their owti actions. In na 
 other place does Anzengruber show such a true insight 
 into human life and its springs of action as in the 
 Meirieidbauer on the one hand, and Katharine in Hand 
 und Herz on the other. Each represents a person brought 
 to tragic situations through, or principally through, 
 actions of his or her own choosing. Yet how different are 
 the real motives in the tragedy of the two people? The 
 actions of Ferner, right up to the time of his final de- 
 struction, were of the kind to lead him on into tragic 
 guilt. But with Katharine it was otherwise; one act, her 
 marriage with Gorg Friedner, was the final cause of all 
 her woe. 
 
 Gorg Friedner had been known as the dance-king 
 (Tanzbodenkonig), whom no maiden could bring under 
 h.er charms. Katharine had tried, and, much to her later 
 5ioprow, was successful. They were married and Gorg 
 remained with her until he had spent her little inheri- 
 tance, then he left her to take up a disgraceful, roaming 
 life. A part of it he spent in prison. For six years his 
 wife heard nothing of him. In the meantime she went 
 into a quiet valley in one of the Swiss districts and became 
 a servant in the household of Paul Weller. He loved her, 
 and finally asked her to marry him. She cared for him 
 also, but her husband might still be living. At last, after 
 much thought, she did the thing which she should not 
 have done, at least without telling Weller her past history. 
 She became the ^dfe of Paul Weller. Katharine's story 
 itself is very touching: "TTnd als ich auf meine Kammer 
 ging, da riss ich hastig das Fenster auf, beklommen war 
 mir das Herz — ich dachte; Gorg sei wohl tot — nur Gott, 
 den Menschen nicht, sei ich Rechenschaft schuldig. und 
 Gott sei gnadig, seine Hand hatte mich ja dem Weller 
 
Anzetigruher^s Portrayal of Character 19 
 
 zugeftihrt. Uber der Kerzenflamme verbrannte ich 
 meinen Trauschein — die Asche sank — leise pochte es an der 
 Th'tire; Gute Nacht, meine Kathe — von gj^sen strich die 
 wurzige Abendluft herein — der Mond, er lag so still tiber 
 der Erde — ^alles schwieg — in dieses grosse Schweigen legte 
 ich wie in Gottes Hande all meine Vergangenheit zurtick — 
 ein neues Leben — eine neue Seele." ^ 
 
 For years afterward fortune had been kind to her, 
 and as the wife of Paul Weller she had been given a 
 glimpse into perfect happiness. Suddenly, however, she 
 was rushed on to a tragic end by the incidents simulta- 
 neous with the reappearance into her life of her real hus- 
 band, Gorg Friedner. 
 
 As a study of tragic character, and one with a true 
 psychological development, Mathias Ferner takes a place 
 well in the front rank. A person can almost see him as he 
 appears in the various scenes which are indices to his 
 character. In each he has taken one step farther toward 
 the final act, the shooting of his own son, which, in com- 
 bination with the revived scenes of his former deeds, as 
 given in the story of the Baumahm, causes his highly 
 tragic death. 
 
 Mathias Feraer, the younger of the two sons of the 
 wealthy Kreuzweghofbauer, had become the possessor of 
 his father's estate at the death of his older brother. He 
 had not gained this wealth honestly, however. His 
 brother had two illegitimate children, a boy and a girl, 
 to whom he had intended to give the property, but this 
 brother had died in a hospital in Vienna when only the 
 boy, Jakob, was with him. Before the elder brother's 
 death a will had been drawn up, making the two children 
 the heirs. This will had been sent to Mathias, now made 
 the guardian, but Mathias did not give it to the court. 
 He even gave false oath as to its non-existence; the begin- 
 ning of the tragic events of his life. Finally, when a 
 letter sent to Vienna acknowledging the receipt of the 
 
 (1.) Hand und Herz, Act 3, Scene 3. 
 
20 Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 wdll appeared to have been lost, it being the only evidence 
 left which would show that there ever was such a paper, 
 the desire to possess the estates gained the upper hand. 
 He burned the will, but was seen in the act by his own 
 little son. Having gone too far to turn back, he sent this 
 son away to school, where the boy remained until a 
 grown man. 
 
 The time of the son's return to the Kreuzweghof is 
 also the period represented in the action of the play. In 
 the interim, Ferner has prospered in ever\^ way, finan- 
 cially, and has even gained a Avide reputation throughout 
 the country as a man of extreme piety. Tiiese facts make 
 the incidents of the play more highly tragic. Time has 
 fixed conditions so that, no matter what happens, Ferner 
 must overcome or defeat ii* and maintain his position. 
 
 Yroni, his brother's daughter, has just left his neigh- 
 bor, the Adamshofbauer, and gone back to her old grand- 
 mother, the "alte Burgerliese." She has just arrived when 
 Jakob, who has become a vagabond, returns home to die. 
 As Vroni tells Ferner : "Ich hab's aiis seine letzen Wort', 
 dasz's mit ihm nit so 'kommen war' war' der dort (the 
 Meineidbauer) ein anderer g'wessen." ^ Jakob had 
 brought a prayer-book with liim, once his father's, and 
 he gives it Yroni. In this book she finds the letter 
 acknowledging the receipt of the will. Although her 
 brother lies dead in her 2:rand mother's house, Yroni takes 
 tlie letter iind goes to Kreuzweghof, the same day that 
 Ferner's son Franz returns. Franz and his father have 
 just had a long discussion of the father's past deeds, and 
 Franz has ended with the words: "Es wiire uns Avohler, 
 alter Mann, warst du dein Lebelang weniger, was du 
 fromm nennst, gCAvesen, aber immer ehrlich geblieben." ^ 
 
 This is the ominous propliecy of closely following dis- 
 asters. Here Yroni appears, and, like a thunderbolt, fall 
 her words upon the ears of Ferner. She has a revenge to 
 take for past wrongs, and is not gentle in the way she 
 
 (1.) Der Meineidbauer, Act 2, Scene 4. 
 (2.) Ibid. Act 2, Scene 3. 
 
Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 21 
 
 tells of the discovered letter : "Als ehrlicher Feind koniiu 
 ich auch, dir in's G'sicht z' sag'n, dass's aus is mit 'n 
 Landfrieden zwischen uns zwei, und was dich darfst 
 g'fasst machen. Die nachste Sonn' sielit mich bereits auf 
 'n Weg nach der Kreisstadt. Ich will hier sitz'i^ auf 'n 
 Kreuzweghof, der unser is von Gotts und Rechts Willen 
 und du sollst hinaus auf den namlichen Weg, den du vor 
 acht Jahr'n mein' Mutter g'schickt hast in Not und 
 Schand. Diesmal gelt's nit gegen a arm' Weib und zwa 
 Waserln, dosmals gilt's gegen dein' eigen' Handschrift 
 und Wort auf z'kommen. Meineidbauer. Ich hab' den 
 Brief, den du damal an Vatern ins Spital g'schrieben 
 hast." * For a moment Ferner is too amazed to speak, 
 then, true to nature, he begins to think of a chance to 
 escape, and gasps the answer: "Dos is nit — das kann nit 
 sein." In reply Vroni repeats some words from the letter, 
 and the result is the utter collapse of Ferner for an 
 instant. 
 
 Vroni leaves him at this j)oint, and returns to her 
 grandmother's. Here Franz, who has fallen in love with 
 Vroni — the bright vein of the play — comes to guard her 
 from the almost mad actions of his father. Something 
 tells him that Ferner will risk everything to gain the 
 letter, and he is anxious about Vroni's safety. He says 
 to Vroni: "Hat er aucti den Mut sinken lassen, die Ver- 
 zweiflung richtet ihn wieder auf. Was einer wagt, der ver- 
 zAveifelt, das wagt er." ^ 
 
 The night was dark and threatening, and Vroni sends 
 Franz away, i>ersuaded that his father will attempt noth- 
 ing that night. But Franz is no sooner gone than Ferner 
 appears with a musket, and threatens to shoot Vroni 
 doT\Ti if the letter is not given to him immediately. Fright- 
 ened for a moment, her woman's presence of mind saves 
 her when she tells Ferner that Franz has taken the fateful 
 letter. Ferner has passed Franz in the dark, and so, 
 believing the ruse starts off hurriedly to find liim. 
 
 (1.) Der Meineidbauer, Act 2, Scene 4. 
 (2.) Ibid. Act 2, Scene 8. 
 
22 Afizetigruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 He meets the young man at a bridge over a 
 creek, and his tense mjental condition is most clearly 
 shown in his own words. His own psychological condition 
 almost compels him to perform the last tragic . act. 
 "Franz, uni unser aller Seelenheil willen, trutz ^i ^^^fn T" 
 jetzt nit, giiy ihn ^raus den Brief, icli muss 'n hab'n. 
 Schau; dein alter Vater bitt dich mit aufgehobenen 
 Handen, treib ihn nit zur Verzweiflung; ich weiss nit, 
 was alles g'schehn konnt ; Franz, wo ich jetzt mich selber 
 nit kenn', zwischen Furcht und Hoffnung." ^ Franz 
 causes the discharge of these highly wrought up feelings 
 by his answer and actions. Pushing his father forcibly 
 from him, he strides away, saying: "Ich hab mit euch 
 nichts mehr gemein." ^ The father answers: "Bei 
 alien Heiligen, Franz, wenn du nit stillhaltst und den 
 Brief herausgibst, ich schiess dich herunter wie ein 
 Gems'.'' Franz replies: "Denk, dass die Finger an den 
 Schlosse deiner Biichse, die Schwurfinger sind — und dann 
 heb^ — hebe den Arm, wenn ciu kannst." ^ The result is 
 the climax in tlie tragic acts of Ferner, the shooting and 
 death, as he thinks, of his son. He has saved himself, 
 however, for Franz falls into the mountain stream, and 
 thus Ferner thinks the letter will also be destroyed. "Bis 
 zum scharfen G'fall dort tlber die Kanten bleibt kein 
 Stuck von ihm ganz — den Brief verschwemmt's.'' And the 
 last thought, "den Aufweiss gegen mich und den Mitwisser 
 bringt kein mehr ans licht." * 
 
 Now, almiost \crazed, he reaches the house of the 
 Baumahri, who is telling a story, almost exactly identical 
 with his (Ferner's) own life experiences. Ferner, moved 
 by the part of the story which he has heard, begs for its 
 continuation. He has always made a pretense of being 
 very religious, trusting all to the saving power of con- 
 fession. In the story, the priest proved to be the Prince 
 of Darkness, who had been continually obtaining posses- 
 
 (1.) Der Meineidbauer, Act 2, Scene 10. 
 
 (2.) Ibid. 
 
 (3.) Ibid. 
 
 (4.) Ibid. 
 
Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 23 
 
 sion of the Bauer, and finally tells him: "Ich war dein 
 Oberer und Herr von dem Augenblick, wo du vorm Kreuz 
 •die Wahrheit abg' — schworen hast, — ich weiss, du mochtst 
 jetzt a Kreuz schlag-'n und dos konnt' dich auch d^erretten, 
 wann d'Hand noch dein war', aber du Depp, du vergisst, 
 dass die Finger, die du dabei z'samm' — falten musst d' 
 Schwurfinger sein, so heb' den Arm, wann d' kannst." ^ 
 This is too much for the frenzied man, and with a very 
 violent speech, he perishes -from an apoplectic stroke. 
 Thus ends the very highly tragic life of a person whose 
 own actions throughout years have been continually 
 working together for his final destruction. He is a man 
 led on toward his own ruin by two forces. One of these 
 forces is his desire for greater earthly possessions, and 
 the resulting esteem of his neighbors; and the second lies 
 in the necessity of keeping secret the facts of his first 
 wrong-doing, the burning of his brother's will, together 
 with the events connected with that burning. He always 
 carries himiself farther and farther toward the tragic 
 climax, .till, at last, it becomes psychologically impossible 
 for him to save himself from the destructive power of the 
 forces which he, years before, had deliberately set in 
 motion. 
 
 Characters Tragic Through the Actions of Others. 
 
 In the study of characters tragic through the actions 
 of others, the attempt shall not be made to show that the 
 character did nothing having a direct relation to his 
 <^ondition, but that the things which directly brought 
 about his undoing were given impetus by some other 
 character. An instance can scarcely be cited where some 
 net of the character would not be an agent in his own 
 life's tragedy. But in some characters the environment 
 or conditions which make those acts tragic are developed 
 l)y other persons. In Anzengruber's works there is a 
 
 <1. ) Der Meineidbauer, Act 3, Scene 3. 
 
24 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 goodly number of characters which must be classified 
 under this head. Good examples of such are Florian 
 Weninger in the novel Der Schandfleck; Muckerl Klee- 
 binder in Der Sternstemhof ; Agnes Bernhofer in Der 
 Ledige Hof; Franzel in Der Fleck aiif der Ehr^; and the 
 Pfarrer Hell in Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld. 
 
 The later will be considered under this head because 
 his final trial is entirely the result of the machinations of 
 other persons: Wurzelsepp, Graf von Finsterberg, and 
 others. In one respect, this character differs from all 
 others among AnzengTuber's personages. He is to quite 
 an extent idealistic. Yet, not to the extent of making 
 him an impossibility, if measured by the standard of 
 reality. In Franzel, of the play, Der Fleck auf der Ehr'^ 
 is depicted a character not at all ideal, who is almost 
 driven to self-destruction through false charges, known 
 to certain persons to be false. In the story, Wissen macht 
 Herzweli, the original form of the play, the tragic charac- 
 ter, Franzel, does drown herself as the result of apparent 
 disgrace. In tlie play, however, she is saved by means 
 of tlie circumstances surrounding the funeral service of 
 her former accuser. 
 
 Pfarrer Hell had gained the Gemeinde of Kirchfeld as 
 his charge, the place having become his, to a great extent, 
 through the influence of Graf von Finsterberg, and Propst 
 von Elfrieden. He found tlie community somewhat lax 
 in many ways, but as a result of honest efforts everythinfi^ 
 had changed for the better. His idea was to help man- 
 kind through love, as he says to Wurzelsepp: "Es ist die 
 Liebe — es ist die Menschenliebe." ^ Again, he states 
 to Finsterberg when the latter censures him for not taking 
 part in the politics of the church, and even threatens to 
 have him excommunicated if he refuses to do so, as 
 follows: "Die Macht der Kirche ist doch der Glaube und 
 der wohnt in Menschenherzen, hier herrscht die Kirche 
 als Friedensfiirsten und hier auch ist ihr Kampf — gefild 
 
 (1.) Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld, Act 3, Scene 7. 
 
Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 25- 
 
 gegen die finstern Leidenschaften und Laster. — Icli hab" 
 gesagt ftir eure Feinde sollt ihr beten — sag ich nun das^ 
 Gegen teil? Soil ich statt Trost den Zweifel bieten, statt 
 Priede Zwiespalt saen V^ ^ 
 
 Although Finsterberg threatens to have him cast outy 
 deprived of his people whom he has learned to love, he 
 remains steadfast in his determination to remain outside^ 
 the secular fight. Thus begins the first force to work 
 against him. 
 
 The old priest from St. Jakob at this time visits the^ 
 house of Hell, and with the purpose to have placed in the 
 latter's household as a servant a maiden from his parish, 
 recently an orphan. Hell, whose housekeeper, Brigitte, 
 is getting old, is glad to get a young and able helper for 
 her, so he readily agrees to take Annerl into his house. 
 The girl is beautiful and lovable, and becomes one of the- 
 active forces, though unwittingly, in the tragedy- of HelPf? 
 life. Even the unsuspecting old priest seems to recognize- 
 this danger when he sees them together for the first time, 
 and when he says : "O, du lieber Gott, rechne mir's nicht 
 an, wenn ich da etwa eine Dummheit gemacht haben 
 sollte.''2 
 
 At the Inn, when on her way to the parsonage, Annerl 
 met AVurzelsepp, who inquired about her destination, and 
 then a<*companied her to the pastor's home. Now, Wurzel- 
 isepp, whovse life has been made daric because of dis- 
 appointment in the girl of his choice, that is, he had 
 chosen a Lutheran bride, and the former priest had for- 
 bidden the marriage, is the sworn enemy of any person 
 wearing the priestly robes. It was under that symbol 
 that his life had been embittered. He sees in this girl-s 
 going into the house of Hell a chance for revenge upon a 
 wearer of the priestly cloak. He even makes a mysterious 
 statement to the Wirt with that purport as he and AnnerT 
 leave the Inn. 
 
 The young priest, without realizing his feelings 
 toward Annerl, and without any suspicion of the dangers? 
 
 ~CL) Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld, Act 1, Scene 2. 
 (2.) Ibid. Act 1, Scene 8. 
 
26 Anzengruber's Portrayal of Character 
 
 lurking in the future, comes to like her more and more. 
 She reminds him, as he thinks, of his sister, and fills the 
 void made in his own life by this sister's departure. Each 
 without admitting it to one another, or to their own 
 hearts, is more and more irresistibly drawn toward the 
 other. Finally, in a very pretty scene, Hell receives the 
 promise from Annerl that she will ever remain in his 
 house, and as a token he gives her, as her o^^ti, a beautiful 
 gold cross, once belonging to his dear mother. She 
 reecives the cro^s, and is told that she may wear it any 
 place it suits her to do so. 
 
 In the next scene Hell, in a monologue, unconsciously 
 shows how much he has come to regard the upright, beau- 
 tiful maiden ; what her presence means to him in the way 
 of happiness and inspiration. Yet he is entirely pure in 
 all of his thoughts. He even thinks how careful he must 
 be: "Ich muss auf der Hut sein vor mir selbst, muss 
 jedes Fleckchen, das vielleicht Entfernteren unbemerkbar 
 ist, aber der Nahe doch tibel auffallt, sorgfaltig in all 
 meinem Denken und Handeln loschen.'' ^ His soliloquy 
 is interrupted b}^ Wurzelsepp, who has been hiding about 
 the "Pfarre'^ since midday, and Avho has heard the entire 
 conversation between the priest and Anna. Something 
 of the sort was that for which he was waiting, because, 
 as he tells Hell : "Weil ich dein Feind bin." Wurzelsepp 
 goes on to tell Avliy he is the young priest's enemy; what 
 great injury, twenty years before, had been done to him 
 under the power of the priestly robes. As he says : "Seit 
 damals bin ich in keiner Kirch'n mehr g'wes'n und mein' 
 Mutter — die erst aus Angst um micli und dann von selbst 
 z' Haus g'blieb'n is. Freilich, a Mtih's kost's schon, bis 's 
 einer so weit bringt, aber ich hab's so weit 'bracht, und 
 jetzt probier's du auch, Pfarrer." ^ 
 
 In a later place Wurzelsepp reviews all the excellent 
 qualities of Hell, and states the fact that, because he still 
 remained aloof, the people of Kirch f eld had not liked him. 
 
 (1.) Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld, Act 2, Scene 3. 
 <2.) Ibid. Act 2, Scene 4. 
 
- Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 27 
 
 But the idea of revenge upon the institution for which 
 Hell stands is too deeply rooted to be given up. "Jetzt 
 aber bist du da, wo ich's den Kirehfeldem unter die 
 Nasen reiben kann, dass du nit besser bist als ein 
 anderer. Hilft dir alles nix, die Dirn ist dein Ungluck. 
 Du kannst die Dim entweder in Unehr'n halten, dann bist 
 du den Kirchfeldern ihr Mann nimmer, oder du kannst s' 
 mit Herzleid fortziehen lassen, dann ist dir Kirchfeld und 
 die ganze Welt nit mehr. Kein dritten Weg hast net." ^ 
 Thus Wurzelsepp leaves, and begins to tell all the people 
 of Kirchfeld about the fall of the man, who for some 
 time now has been their ideal. True to the nature of 
 country communities, these things are believed in their 
 worst light, and Hell is soon practically without a vestige 
 of influence. 
 
 A young fellow, who before has sought the hand of 
 Annerl, hears the story, but does not believe it. However, 
 to save the high esteem of Hell, and also to win Annerl, 
 he goes to the priest's house, tells Annerl all about the 
 rumors, and what it all means to Hell if she remains 
 there. She at last realizes the truth of his statements, 
 and as the only way, to the popular mind, at least, to 
 clear her dear friend Hell, accepts MicheFs offer of mar- 
 riage. Hell is asked by Annerl to i>erform the marriage 
 ceremony, a thing, which, after a great effort, he promises 
 to do. Meanwhile Sepp's mother has drowned her- 
 self, and should, according to custom, be refused a place 
 in the burial ground, and also the burial services. Sepp, 
 driven to desperation, returns to Hell, the man whom he 
 has wronged so, and begs him not to deny his mother the 
 regular services, and offers to pay him if he allows the 
 burial to take place in the regular manner. Hell replies : 
 *^Sepp, Sepp, was willst du denn aus mir machen? Nicht 
 dir, noch irgend einem wei^ere ich die geweihte Erde fur 
 seine Toten. Ich werde ia selbst die Leiche zu Grabe 
 gel ei ten, ich werde ftir die Tote sprechen." ^ Thus he 
 
 (1.) Der Pfarrer von Kirchfield, Act 2, Scene 4. 
 <2.) Ibid. Act 3, Scene 7. 
 
28 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 wins Sepp, who can only say : "So thust du an mir? Dai^ 
 vergiss ich dir, all mein Lebtag net/' 
 
 The day for the wedding is dawning, and so early^ 
 Hell has been in the forest on the mountain, to calm him- 
 self for the part Avhich he is to play. His extreme pain 
 is seen from the fact that, to himself, he is picturing the 
 scene that occurred the night when he had given Annerl 
 the gold cross. Thus lost in thought, scarcely knowing 
 what he is doing, he arrives near the church, and is met 
 by the bridal procession. He cannot follow them directly 
 into the church, but must wait to calm himself. The 
 scene here is most powerful. As Hell battles with his own 
 feelings: "Es wird mir doch schwerer als ich dachte — 
 vor den Altar zu treten, das entscheidende btirdende Wort 
 ihr abzufordem. O du vermagst es niclit. Du musst es 
 konnen." ^ Thus he enters the church to give the loved 
 one to another. 
 
 While the ceremony is taking place, the Schulmeister 
 of Altottinger arrives with the papers of HelPs excom- 
 munication, gotten through the machinations of Finster- 
 berg. By this time the Kirchf elder, led by Wurzelsepp, 
 are stanch adherents of the noble Hell, and the company 
 with the ban is almost mobbed. Here the ^vedding party 
 comes out of the churcli, however, and the priest demands 
 to be given the papers Avhich are for him. Sepp, who had 
 the parchment, desists, but finally gives it to his now 
 dearest friend, w^ho reads of his own excommunication. 
 And just after he had given away Annerl. He is powerless 
 for a time: "Dieses Opfer — umsonst — verhohnt." Now 
 hopeless, he has in mind to commit suicide. From what 
 he says, this intention is divined by Annerl, w^ho speaks 
 to him about it, and later remarks : "So lang Kirchfelder 
 leben, die dich kennt hab'n wird von dir alleweil die Red^ 
 sein als von ein' guten, braven, rechtschaffenen Mann, 
 der so vor ang'leucht't hat, dass man ihm getrost Tritt 
 ftir Tritt hat nachgehen konnen, bis zum letzten.'V^ 
 
 (1.) Per Pfarrer von Kirchfeld, Act 4, Scene 3. 
 (2.) Ibid, Act 4, Scene 7. - 
 
Anzenyruher's Portrayul of Ckaraetcr 29 
 
 The play closes with HelPs deteriiiination to <^(> on to 
 answer the false charo^es. "Ich trete meine Strafe an und 
 warte still, was niichsten Zeiten bringen." Then, turning 
 to the bridal couple, he says the final words: "Ich segne 
 ^uch." 
 
 In the person of Hell, the author has represented a 
 character' comjpelled to pass through soul-trying experi- 
 ences because of the unfriendly acts of other people. His 
 manhoo<l itself has caused him to do the things which 
 gave them the chance to attack him. If he had turned 
 from his convictions, he might have escaped. As it is, 
 forces are sent against him which destroy the work which 
 be lias done, and almost overwhelm him just at the 
 moment when he has given away his best inheritance, as 
 :a man. 
 
 Characters Tragic Through So^ie General Force. 
 
 The number of characters falling in this special class, 
 ira2:ic through some general force, is comparatively lim- 
 ited. In every case tlie ultimate cause of the tragic event 
 can be traced back to the acts of some one or more indi- 
 viduals. In the preceding class, tragic through the acts 
 of others, the tragic-bearing actions directly concerned 
 the character upon whom their weiglit fell. In this cla.ss 
 the tragic-bearing actions were carried out by individuals 
 with no direct reference to the person standing in tragic 
 relation to their destructive power. In the latter case, 
 also, the tragic conditions are apt to be the result of 
 general public, or, at least, local opinion ; i. e., there is a 
 generalization of the first act before it culminates tragic- 
 ally in the life of the character so unfortunate as to be 
 under its ban. 
 
 Examples of this type of character are: Floriau 
 Weninijer, the son of the elder Florian, in the novel, Der 
 f^chandffeck: the Einsam in the tragedy, Sitahl uii<J Stein; 
 and, to a lesser degree, Martin in Das Tierte Oehot. 
 Martin was led to shoot an officer, not through his own 
 will so much, as tli rough the influence of all his general 
 
30 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 environment. Though he committed the final act in his 
 tragedy, it was but the last in a series of acts heretofore 
 performed by individuals around him^ Florian chose the 
 way, voluntarily, that resulted in his death. That termi- 
 nation, though, of his life, had been caused by an immoral 
 act of his father: which made Magdalena Reindorfer his 
 half-sister. The Einsam also chose the path which meant 
 his destruction, but, in the first place, his condition was 
 all the result of some other person's folly. 
 
 The Einsam was the son of a tenant's daughter and 
 an unknown father, as is learned from his own story when 
 he replies to Eisner: "Zwoa mtissen wohl dabei g'west 
 sein, aber ich hab' nur d' Halbscheid von so 'kennt, mei^ 
 Mutter." The young mother, to get away from those 
 acquainted with her disgrace, went to the city. Here the 
 child grew, and went to school for some years, and finally 
 worked for a butcher to help support his mother. All this 
 time he was never told of the manner of his coming into 
 being. The mian, whoi for several years sent money to 
 his mother, in reality his father, was known to him as his 
 uncle. In time the boy began to attend social gatherings 
 of the young people, and at one of these wished to lead a 
 very beautiful maiden to the dance. A large, rough fellow 
 in the presence of all, had said: "Geh' weg, Bankert.'' 
 Hurt bv the insult, and raging with anger that such a 
 thins: should be hinted at even, that his mother was not 
 honorable in everything, he stabbed and killed the accuser. 
 Suddenly, up rushed the mother and confessed her former 
 folly. This was the undoing of her son. As he says to 
 Tomerl and Pauli: "Oes konnt's eng nit vorstelFu, wie 
 mir da g'wessen ist wie ich eing' sehn halV, dass ich ja 
 jed's Wort hatt' einstecken nutissen, weil's bittere Wahr- 
 heit Avar, dass ich da a Ehr' hab' wahren wolPn wo d' 
 nackete Schand an alPn Enden ftir g'schaut hat, dass koan 
 Korndel Recht und koan Stauberl Vernunft bei mein'm 
 Thun war und ich oan Menschen ganz'fiir nix und wider 
 nix umcr'bracht hatt'." ^ 
 
 (1.) Stahl und Stein. Act 3, Scene 2. 
 
Anzcngruher's Portrayal of Character 31 
 
 Five years he had been confined in prison as a result 
 of his passionate act. Feeling separated from all others 
 because of his dishonorable birth, and because of his crime, 
 he became the hermit that we see in the play. Thus he 
 had lived in the cave in the mountain till his unfortunate 
 meeting with Eisner. This man, who decides to have him 
 driven from the neighborhood, is his father, though, as 
 yet, the fact is known by neither of them. Just before 
 the two soldiers go to carry out this commission, Eisner 
 is informed of the true state of affairs, yet he allows them 
 to go. The Einsami has all of the firmness of the father, 
 and, though warned by Pauli, Eisner's niece, and Tomerl, 
 he determines to guard his little home. For he has dis- 
 turbed no one. The stern, unrelenting nature of the 
 father had, in the son, been renewed with almost abnormal 
 intensity. In carrjdng out this purpose, he is fatally 
 wounded, and dies after being carried down from the 
 mountain into the presence of his father. Eisner has 
 been seeking this son to make him his heir, and now finds 
 him, in reality brought to death by his own orders. The 
 Einsam says to him : "Du hast mer's leben 'geb'n, hastes 
 halt wieder g'nomm'n; — 's war eh' nit viel dran, gar nit 
 viel. Wer woass wie ich mich drein g'schickt hatt, 'n 
 reich' Bauerssohn z' spieFn.'' ^ 
 
 The Einsam, as before stated, was killed by a soldier 
 who was obeying the order of Eisner, the father. Yet the 
 causes leading up to his death were the general forces 
 resulting from acts done years before. First, the way he 
 was brought into the world, then the secret that was made 
 of it between him and his mother, the fight and resulting 
 murder, the life in prison, and the shame and disgrace 
 of it all : all weighed heavily upon a quite sensitive nature. 
 Everyone of those forces led him to the place where he 
 was to perish through an order of the ver^^ individual who 
 performed the first wrong deed. Yet, in each case, this 
 
 (1.) Stahl iind Stein, Act 3, Scene 2. 
 
:32 Anzengruber's Portrayal of Character 
 
 happened without any direct thought or reference to the 
 very individual represented by the Einsam himself. 
 
 Tragic Agents. 
 
 Gorg Friedner represents one extreme in the class, 
 tragic agents. At the time when he appears before the 
 reader or observer in the play, at Schauflin's Inn, he 
 seems thoroughly mean and despicable. Yet Ave must 
 regard him with a. greater degree of sympathy when from 
 his own lips is heard the stor^^ of the beginning of his 
 downward career: his parents' receipt of money for the 
 dishonor of his sister. From that time on he looked at 
 the world from an almost entirely different standpoint. 
 There is in his character even a little of the post-tragic 
 nature, i. e., he might have been otherwise as a man if 
 sucli an occurrence had never happened in a -way so 
 closely affecting himself. 
 
 He has developed into one of those uncaring, almost 
 unfeelinc: persons, utterh^ indifferent as to the fate of 
 those with whom they come in contact. In fact, such 
 people are almost equally reckless in regard to their own 
 welfare : the material of one class of great criminals. In 
 a bold, unfeeling way, at the inn, he talks with Senner, 
 joking him about the manner in which his sweetheart 
 had been taken from him. Finally, Gorg asks Senner 
 where she has gone. He receives no information, because 
 the honest Senner knows nothing of her whereabouts. 
 Senner, in turn, chides Gorg for being as bad as ever. 
 Then (jony lets us into the story of his former life. He 
 had always been highly honorable until a rascal, posing 
 as a Russian noble, misled his sister, and his parents 
 accepted mioney for the wrong done. That transaction 
 proved the ruin of the boy's moral fibre. "Und als der 
 Schelmufsky ging, durfte ihm die Schwester nachlacheln. 
 die ^Mutter nickte in ihrem Stuhl, der Vater griff an die 
 Mtitze und ich — ich spuckte hinter ihm aus. Hoho, dachte 
 ich, meint der, er sei hier auf der Welt iiberall zu Gast 
 
Anzengr liber's Portrayal of Character 33 
 
 geladen, well er mit goldenem Loffel zulangen kann?" ^ 
 Gorg sees Paul Weller and wife as they leave the inn 
 to continue their journey toward home, having stopped 
 to have the horse's shoes repaired. He recognizes in 
 Katharine his own wife. At that time he does not make 
 himself known, but appears the following day at the 
 happy home of Paul Weller, as the latter's destroyer. 
 First, he meets Katharine, and refuses to leave her in her 
 happiness unless she continually keeps him supplied with 
 money, a thing which she is too upright to agree to do. 
 He makes no attempt to comply with any of Katharine's 
 entreaties for silence, but scoffs at her. He doesn't care 
 for her: "Gib mir vors erste eine Handvoll Geld, dieweil 
 ich damit ausreiche, sollst du Ruhe liaben ist das ausgege- 
 ben, komme ich freilich wieder." ^ At last Katharine, 
 driven to desperation, tells him that she abhors him, hates 
 liim. In part his reply is : "Abverlang' ich dich von ihm, 
 vor seinen AiTgen verunehr' ich dich. Und herauslaster' 
 ich dich aus seinem Herzen, und vor mir, Kilthe, sollst du 
 noch klein beigehen, denn eh' ich dich mit mir ftihre, 
 Schick' ich dich in die Schule wo ich's herhabe." ^ 
 
 Gorg is equally unfeeling toward Paul Weller when 
 he appears, and continues to assert his right as Kathar- 
 ine's husband. At last she, advised by the priest to flee, 
 meets her death by falling from a precipice while strug- 
 gling to escape from a half-craay servant, who thinks to 
 lead her back home. At the same time, Weller murders 
 Gorg, forced almost to the deed by the gj'oss remarks of 
 the latter concerning Katharine. Thus Gorg represents 
 one of the worst of Anzengruber's tragic-agent personages. 
 As characters of the same class, but of a far different 
 nature, are Helene of Sternstrinhof, or Leonhardt of Der 
 ledif/e Hof. Both belong to this general class, yet each 
 is quite different from Gorg Friedner. Leonhardt, 
 
 (1.) Hand und Herz, Act 1, Scene 5. 
 (2.) Ibid. Act 2, Scene 7. 
 (3.) Ibid. Act 2, Scene 7. 
 
34 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 through an ambition to become Bauer of Der ledige Hof^ 
 woos and wins, so far a» her affections are concerned, 
 Agnes Bernhofer. He represents himself to her as loving 
 her, his only sweetheart, while in a neighboring district 
 is a girl with an illegitimate child which belongs to him. 
 
 Helene in Der Sternsteinhof^ led on by an ambition 
 to be Bauerin of the Sternsteinhof, selfishly watches the 
 destruction of those about her, as she climbs toward her 
 goal. She pays in like coin the hatred of the old Bauer 
 of the Sternsteinhof. Yet, when her husband is lost, for 
 the benefit of the two children and the estate, she joins 
 forces with the old man. And the final picture we have 
 is that of a woman enjoying life because of the conditions 
 about her; though her position Avas bought, even by the 
 early death of those in her way. 
 
 Post-Tragic. 
 
 In one type of character, especially, has AnzengTuber 
 clearly shown his knowledge of his study, human nature ; 
 that is, in that class of personages which we shall desig- 
 nate by the term, post-tragic. In these characters there 
 is nothing tragic during the interval represented in the 
 play; the tragic event in their lives had come perhaps? 
 many years before, and we see the results upon the individ- 
 ual as he moves in the scenes of the play, or story. For 
 Anzengruber, these characters are the means of expres- 
 sion, ofttimes, of his own personal views upon the various 
 subjects, yet so skillfully is it done that those ideas are 
 at all times perfectly natural to the i)ersons utterin^j 
 them. Typical examples of such characters are Wurzel- 
 sepp, and Steinklopf erhanns ; though Hauderer of 
 Doppelselhstmord, or Burgerliese of Der Meineidhaiicr 
 are equally true members of this class. Of those men- 
 tioned, all have become rather pessimistic and skeptical 
 in their views of life and people, with the exception o^" 
 Steinklopf erhanns. Wurzelsepp, his happiness wrecked 
 bv the giving up of his lover, became soured toward everv- 
 thinsr; Bururerliese, because the Meineidbauer turned o^^t 
 
• Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 35 
 
 of shelter her daughter, and afterward her two little chil- 
 dren, lost faith in the power and goodness of the Divine, 
 and of the world. 
 
 As she said to Vroni: "Glaubst, ich bin dos uber 
 Nacht word'n, was ich bin? Da hab'n mehr Jahr' dran 
 g'arbeit; als du auf der Welt bist. A Nacht hat's freilich 
 fertig 'bracht, do namlich, wo dein' Mutter mit eng zwa 
 Kindern an mein' Thiir 'pocht hat, weil's vom IVIeineid- 
 bauer vom G'hoft g'jagt worden is. Do Welt taugt mir 
 nit, wo so was drin g'schehn kann. Seit damals heissen 
 sie niich gottlos." ^ Hauderer, because of the deceit 
 of a close friend, and also because of ahvays existing 
 poverty, is of a pessimistic tendenc}^, and speaks of every- 
 thing: "Es is eine Dummheit.'' 
 
 Steinklopferhanns, like Weldner, the schoolmaster, 
 in Dcr ledigc Hof, has through all of his troubles main- 
 tained an optimistic view of life. He is a character 
 pleasant to study, a wholesome, truly good-natured 
 humorist, but in whose humor there is at all times a 
 strain of pleasing, comforting philosophy, the garnerings 
 of his life experiences. Everybody knows and likes him. 
 Poor all his life, and engaged in the most tiresome work, 
 breaking stone, he maintains his cheerfulness, and is able 
 to give words of encouragement and advice to many in 
 far better circumstances than lie. In society, he is the 
 one who solves and brings harmony out of discordant 
 conditions, through his quick wit and knowledge of human 
 nature. We must laugh at the way he solves the case of 
 the penitential pilgrimage to Rome, of the husbands, by 
 suggesting that each take as a companion a pretty maiden. 
 Then, instead of insisting upon the journey being made, 
 the wives, of course, were just as determined that the 
 husbands should remain at home, and the solution of the 
 problem was reached. 
 
 But, considering the character himself, let us turn 
 our attention to some of his own utterances as they occur 
 
 (1.) Der Meineidbauer, Act 1, Scene 9. 
 
30 Anzengraher's Fortray.d of Character 
 
 throughout the play, Die Kreuzelschreiher. These will 
 show in a general Avay the peculiarities of characters of 
 this type : their philosophic tendencies. First, in a couple 
 of stanzas chosen from his songs there is a hint of his 
 liberal ideas and optimism : 
 
 "Schon blau is der Himmel, 
 
 Schon grtin is der Klee, 
 Und a Lapp war, der dessentwegen 
 Fraget : z' weg'n we/ " ^ 
 
 '' 'S Vogerl im Wald, 
 Das auf d'Asteln droh'n steht, 
 Dos fragt nit, avo 's herkommt 
 Und not wohin 's geht. 
 
 ^'Was man weiss, dos is wenig, 
 Was man nit w^eiss, is 's meist, 
 Und a Narr war, der desstweg'n 
 'N Kopf sich zerreist.'' ^ 
 
 He was the son of a herdsmaid, his father being 
 unknown. Soon after his birth, his mother had died, leav- 
 ing him dependent upon the district (Gemeinde), and here 
 he had known want and suffering. "Oes jung Leul' 
 kennts freilich nur 'n lustigen Steinklopferhanns, aber 
 es w^ar schon a ander^ Zeit vorher." ^ Finally, he went 
 into the army, but a horse had fallen on his foot and 
 crippled him; then he was put at breaking stone. He was 
 taken very ill, and, neglected and suffering, he at once 
 turned to nature as his physician. Here breaks out the 
 secret of his optimism. To quote his own words: ^'Da 
 denk' ich mir. H'naus musst, h'naus. Sollst versterb'n, 
 stirbst drausst; die grtin Wiesen breit't dir a weiche 
 Tuchet unter und d' Sonn' druckt dir die Angen zu, du 
 schlaffst ein und wirst nimmer munter, der Tod is nur a 
 
 (1.) Die Kreuzelschreiber, Act 1, Scene 5. 
 (2.) Ibid. Act 1, Scene 5. 
 (3.) Ibid. Act 3, Scene 1. 
 
Anzengruber's Portrayal of Character 37 
 
 Bremsler, was kann dir g'schelm? Dort, wo die zwei 
 grossen Tannbaum' stehn, zwischen do bin ich ins Gras 
 g'falPn und dort hab' ich die Eingebung g'habt. Da is a 
 tiefer Fried' iiber mich 'kommen und es is mir durch die 
 SeeP zog'n, dos siehst schon nocli amial. Und da kommt's 
 iiber mich, wie wann eins zu ein'n andern red't. Es kann 
 dir nix g'schelm. Selbst die grosst' Marter zalilt ninimer, 
 wann vorbei is. Ob d' jetzt gleich sechs Schuh tief da 
 unterni Rasen liegst, oder ob d' dos vor dir noch viel 
 tausendmal siehst — es kann dir nix g-schehn. Du g'horst 
 zu deni all'n und dos aJl g'hort zu dir.'' ^ 
 
 Thus, in Steinklopferhanns, and wliat is true of him 
 is equally true of the other characters of this class, the 
 author de]>icts to us a person who has in the past under- 
 gone experiences of a tragic nature. True to tlieir natural 
 tendencies, they are develojxMl, the results of those expe- 
 riences being clearly shown in the character itself as 
 it appears before us in the play. On the one hand, who 
 has not seini tlie person changed to the optimisitic Stein- 
 klopferhanns ; on the other hand, to the skeptical Burger- 
 liese, or the ])essiniistic, unforgiving Wurzelsepp? 
 
 Neutral, or Common Characters. 
 
 As representatives of this type of character, the neu- 
 tral or coniuion, the old ]>easant Reindorfer in the novel, 
 Der ScJufndflecky and Thomas Hauimer, the tradesman, in 
 the play, Heimcffunden, have seemed best adapted to yiehl 
 results to study. Each plays an iuiportant role in the 
 particular part in which he takes i)art. Each is a pleasing 
 wholesome character, solicitous for the welfare of those 
 about him. Eeindorfer exhibits also a good example of a 
 character, psychological in liis development throughout 
 the story. 
 
 Reindorfer is first brought before the reader on the 
 afternoon in Avhich his wife gives birth to a baby girl, not 
 his own. A wife who has been faithful to him for twenty 
 
 (1.) Die Kreuzelsfhreiber, Act 3, Scene 1, 
 
38 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 years, but who in a moment of weakness yielded to the 
 evil influence of Herlinger Weninger, or Florian Wen- 
 inger, the illegitimate child of Mathias Herlinger of 
 Wasser-graben, whom Reindorfer had given a place for a 
 couple of days under his roof. Reindorfer is sorely hurt 
 by this happening, yet he so conducts himself before every- 
 one, but his wife alone, that no one suspects that the child 
 is as he tells himself at its birth : "Da vergisst sie 'n Mann 
 und ilire eheleiblichen Kinder um -einen hergelaufenen 
 Lumpen und niclit lange von heut^, so lauft — als mtisst 
 es sein und gehor es ihm — der lebendige Schandfleck im 
 Hause und in der Familie herum/' ^ Though he will 
 not forgive the mother, yet, on the other hand, he will not 
 allow her to send away the child to be brought up in a 
 convent. In his remarks here he may express a view of 
 the author himself. "Das (das Kind) an allem ganz 
 unschuldig ist. Es ist niclit mein Kind, so red' ich ihm 
 audi night das Wort, aber die Prommheit kann man 
 keinem anlernen." ^ 
 
 So the little girl Magdalena grows until she becomes 
 old enough to go to school. Here she becomes acquainted 
 with Florian, the son of her real father. These two chil- 
 dren go to and from school together until Reindorfer finds 
 out tlie condition of affairs, and forbids ^lagdalena from 
 having anything to do with the 3^oung Florian. However, 
 once in awhile they do meet one another, and when she 
 becomes a beautiful young woman, she and Florian become 
 lovers, and finally decide to marry. The wife of the elder 
 Florian, and the young Florian 's mother, is chosen to go 
 to the Reindorfer home to ask the hand of ^lagdalena for 
 her boy. Though the elder Florian knows the real condi- 
 tion of affairs so Avell, yet he is too weak to confess them, 
 and allows his wife to depart on lier mission. 
 
 At this point the real character of Reindorfer begins 
 to appear. Of course, he will not consent to the marriage, 
 but at the same time he does not give the true cause. 
 
 (1.) Der Schandfleck, page 6. 
 ^2.) Der Schandfleck, page 27. 
 
Anzengruher's Poi^trayal of Character 39 
 
 Magdalena had come to be very dear to himi ; in fact, when 
 she was still a child he had taken a special interest in 
 her, and she had never been informed as to her real posi- 
 tion in the family. But now, when she was denied her 
 lover, true to her character, she must know the reason. 
 Reindorfer, after the interview with the Mtillerin and a 
 'following one with his wife, has gone out to the arbor in 
 the garden, his favorite spot when troubled. As he solilo- 
 quizes : "Es ist mir Herzleid um die Dirn — und wenn ich 
 die Alte betrachte und seh', dass sie hinfalliger ist wie 
 ich, da muss ich mich wohl tiber die Zeit hinaus denken, 
 wo ich anderes hab' gut sein konnen." ^ At this 
 moment, Magdalena finds him, and asks for the explana- 
 tion. He hesitates a long time, but at last says: "Wenn 
 du mein Kind wiirest — dann war' eh' alles gut," and then, 
 "aber du und der Florian habt einen Vater." She was 
 very much crushed by such news, and her pain was almost 
 unbearable to Reindorfer: "Leni, Leni," he cried, "Thu 
 nicht so wirr, iveine lieber noch einmal." When she left 
 him, he could scarcely control himself: "Soil ihr nichts 
 iibles beifallen oder zustossen," ^ he murmured. 
 
 As a result of this new condition of affairs, Magda- 
 lena leaves home, followed by the best TNishes of old 
 Reindorfer, land gets employment with the Grasboden- 
 bauer, Avhose wife has died and left him Tvith a little girl 
 afflicted with a nervous disease. Magdalena becomes the 
 little girl's companion, and finally wins the love of the 
 Grasbodenbauer, Avho asks her to marry him. She tells 
 him the history of her life, and of Florian, now dead, but 
 he wishes her anyway. She, after a time, gives him her 
 promise, and the Grasbodenbauer makes the journey to 
 ask Reindorfer for the girl. He arrives the day of the 
 wedding of the son, Leopold, and is told that the old man 
 is out in the garden. A letter from "Leni" had preceded 
 him, and the mention of that letter is all that it takes to 
 put the old peasant at ease : "Er ist von meiner Jiingsten 
 
 (1.) Der Schandfleck, page 115. 
 (2.) Der Schandfleck, page 130. 
 
40 Anzcngruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 von der Leni.'' After a conversation of some length, the 
 father says: "Ja, mein lieber Grasbodenbauer, das wollt 
 ich bereden dass dich wohl befremden mag, dass die Dirn 
 nix mitkriegt aber so leid mir g'schieht, ich kann nit.'^ * 
 Being informed by the Grasbodenbauer that everything 
 has been told, and that he takes all as it stands, the old 
 man becomes easier in mind. At last, as the Grasboden-' 
 baiier is leaving, Reindorfer, in his characteristic manner, 
 said: ^'Behiit dich Gott, Grasbodenbauer. Thii mir die 
 Ijeni schon grtlssen nnd Gottes Segen tiber euch all 
 zwei.'^ ^ 
 
 The marriage of the Grasbodenbauer and Magdalena 
 took place, and they were happy. Leni wrote to the old 
 man, her father, as she called him, but the letters were 
 destroyed by the ill-tempered wife of the son, Leopold. 
 Finally, this woman made life so miserable for her father- 
 in-law that he left his old home, the home of his fathers, 
 and went to seek a place with his daughter. She, now a 
 mother with many children, will not keep' him, but sends 
 him back toward the place from which he started. Rein- 
 dorfer persuades the servant who is driving back with 
 him to leave him just at the edge of the old farm. He 
 looks at his home : ^'O du mein Hof , du mein lieber Hof — 
 du Fleck, Avorauf ich geboren bin und hingehor, bis ich 
 weg sterb." Then he thinks of the dishonest wife of his 
 son, and cannot bear to go back. He has become some- 
 what childish: ''Und ich sollt nebst all bitterm Gal- 
 lentrank noch das gebrannte Herzleid in mich hinein- 
 schlucken, dass ich dich so langsam versiechen slih'. Nein, 
 nein, lieber geh' ich gleich betteln.'^ ^ Thus he turned, 
 aud started to find tlie vSchaudfleck, :Magdalena. After 
 two days, exhausted and ready to die, the old man fell 
 across the threshold at Magdalena's. Here is oue of 
 the most touching scenes. The love of the aged peasant 
 for the woman, once his greatest flesh-sore, and, on the 
 
 (1.) Der Schandfleck, page 290. 
 (2.) Ibid. Page 296. 
 (3.) Ibid. Page 308. 
 
Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 41 
 
 other hand, her deep, genuine affection for him. "Du hast 
 kein anderes Kind als mich, bin ich gleich nit als das 
 geboren, ich bin es geworden, ich hab' auch dein Denken." ^ 
 This she tells Reindorfer when they find him at the door. 
 They take himi, care for him, and weep at his death ; that 
 which his real children do not do. 
 
 After reading the story, Reindorfer and his life seem 
 as real as though he were an actual person. His life bor- 
 dered on the tragic, yet, owing to his nature, it was gradu- 
 ally changed by the rough experiences rather than being 
 broken in any way by those testing ordeals. When the 
 wife died, he had forgiven her, and treated her as though 
 she had ever been faithful to him. 
 
 In Reindorfer's life we find much which borders upon 
 the tragic, as stated before. In the character, Thomas? 
 Hammer, different from the former, there is nothing of a 
 genuine tragic nature. Each of these characters repre- 
 sents a class of Anzengruber's neutral characters. For 
 that reason we shall briefl}^ consider Thomas Hammer as 
 an example of a purely neutral individual. 
 
 Thomas Hammer, the younger son in a family of 
 very moderate circumstances, has seen all the attention 
 of the parents given to the advancement of the older son. 
 Finally, this older son, having been helped in his ambition 
 for an education by the two old people, assisted by the 
 younger son, became a doctor of laAv. He married tlie 
 daughter, and came into the business of his former 
 employer. For years he has apparently forgotten those 
 who gave him his first assistance. The younger brother, 
 Thomas, after the death of the father, took charge of the 
 household, and supported liis mother by means of his 
 modest business as a toy tradesman. The old mother, still 
 thinking of her favorite son at all times, does not appre- 
 ciate the kindness of the younger son. Uncomplaining, 
 however, he continues his faithful service, and is even 
 thoughtful enough to buy Christmas presents each year. 
 
 (1.) Der Schandfleck, page 311. 
 
42 Anzengruber's Pwtrayal of Character 
 
 and have them sent tO' his mother as remembrances from 
 the elder brother, who has forgotten, for years, to perform 
 such an act of filial love. 
 
 Doctor Hammer, through costly living, has failed 
 financially, and on Christmas Eve is on his way to throw 
 himself into the Danube. Thomas saves him from the 
 act, takes him to his mother, and the next day gets the 
 Doctor's family, and all are installed in the little home. 
 They are supported by this brother, Thomas. Throughout 
 he is a typical example of a good-natured, forgiving char- 
 acter, one of the common, though necessary, people of the 
 world's activities. He and Reindorfer are excellent 
 examples in support of Anzengruber's naturalistic-realism. 
 
 Gormcal, or Humorous Characters. 
 
 There are many characters in Anzengruber's works, 
 humorous at times, who cannot be classified definitely as 
 humorous characters. Those which are classed here are 
 the characters in whom the comic vein is always present, 
 or else those, who, from their pronounced peculiarities, 
 are at every turn doing something causing merriment. 
 Among the first might be mentioned Kohlenbrenner- 
 Tomerl, Tomerl in ^tahl und Steln^ Poldl of Doppelselhst- 
 mord. As examples of the second class we might mention 
 the extreme, Foliantenwalzer, and the milder types, 
 Dusterer in G^wissenswiirm, Doctor Knorr in Elfriede, 
 and Schrauder and Fahnlein in Heimg'funden. Alto- 
 gether, in their humor, they represent many different 
 degrees and phases, quite true to reality in nearly every 
 case. Professor Foliantenwalzer, perhaps, being the most 
 exaggerated in his humorous peculiarities. 
 
 Foliantenwalzer is a type of the comic figure, made 
 so by magnifying certain peculiarities and defects of a 
 person naturally a little odd. He is a teacher and philolo- 
 gist, who, because of his extreme interest in his chosen 
 work, has gradually lost interest and acquaintanceship in 
 the life about him. To spend a vacation he has come 
 out to a country place, to pass a fcAV days with Pfarrer 
 
Anzengruhcr's Pof^trayal of Character 43 
 
 Doppler. Here he gets into all sorts of trouble, and 
 makes himself ridiculous before all those about him. 
 Being given access to a bookcase full of old books, he 
 finds a rare old volume, of which he had often attempted to 
 obtain possession. Absent-mindedly he decides to take 
 this book secretly, and add it to his library. The succeed- 
 ing ridiculous situations into which he is gotten by the 
 fun and joke loving Kohlenbrenner-Tomerl are numerous. 
 
 Kohlenbrenner-Tomerl is light-hearted, and some- 
 what frivolous; yet, along with his mere fun-making, he 
 shows a keen understanding. A cheerful charcoal-burner, 
 he lives alone in his hut, and, like Steinklopferhanns, is 
 known by all in that neighborhood. Never causing him- 
 self any trouble, but satisfied with conditions as they force 
 themselves upon him, he has time to help others, and also 
 to see a joke in whatever happens. 
 
 Kasper, in trouble over the new rival for Regerl, is 
 asked by Tomerl for some money almost in the first 
 moment after their meeting. In the next, he promises to 
 help Kasper in his new trouble. The absent-minded 
 Foliantenwalzer, who asks for a place to rest in the hut, 
 is used, unknown to himself, as a, man of wonderful 
 powers in the plot against Simmion-Simmerl, the rich 
 suitor, and Rasper's rival. He, Tomerl, invents a ridic- 
 ulous story of the mea,ning of certain marks upon the 
 face of a girl, and their significance, for the discomfiture 
 of the simple Simmion. Regerl had those identical markSw 
 Simmion is led to believe that they mean the early death 
 of the first husband, and that, for that reason, he should 
 to save himself let Kasper be the first husband. Thus 
 continue the humorous plans and acts of Kohlenbrenner- 
 Tomerl. 
 
 Better are humorous personages such as Schrauder 
 and Fahnlein; each a character with a peculiarity devel- 
 oped in a certain direction. In the case of Schrauder, it 
 is the tendency to leave worry alone, with Fahnlein it is 
 the opposite tendency, a nervous fussiness, Avhich, no 
 matter how serious the time, cannot fail to affect us in 
 
44 Anzengrtihers Pot^trayal of Character 
 
 but one way, as comical. The thing of special interest in 
 these last two characters is their naturalness. Every one 
 has seen the large, good-natured Schrauder, and, likewise, 
 the nervous, little Fahnlein. Anzengruber has written 
 some master comedy, and, Avhile in almost any of his 
 works the reader will find real, genuine, wholesome 
 humor; yet, as a class, his characters of this type show 
 his true power to a lesser degree than any of the other 
 types. They are less real, |as a class, and uncertain 
 in their development. However, such characters as 
 Schrauder in Bcimrffiinclcn, or Kernhofer in Altc Wiener^ 
 cannot but appeal to one because of their extreme natural- 
 ness. 
 
 The best humor to be found in Anzengruber is that 
 which unexpectedly and spontaneously makes its appear- 
 ance at almost every turn in all of his works. It is that 
 natural humor coming from the naivete of his characters. 
 Even a pessimist like Hauderer, by his quaint expressions 
 and his unexpected situations, is not entirely lacking in 
 that respect. 
 
Chapter III. 
 
 Problems With Which the Characters Deal. 
 
 Anzengruber has been called a "tendenz" poet; i. e., 
 >ne who has busied himself with problems of the age and 
 place; one who has used the drama, and the novel as an 
 instrument for the agitation of social questions, such as 
 were before the people of his country. To a certain 
 extent that view is correct. As will be shown later in 
 the discussion, many of the general themes of his works 
 were of such a type. But in his characters themselves 
 he has always placed a deeper problem, a problem of life 
 itself, interesting for all peoples, and for all times. In 
 the play, Der Meineidbauer, one of the things brought to 
 the attention of the reader is the idea,, so firmly ingrained 
 in the belief of the main character, Mathias Ferner, that, 
 no matter what is done, it may be absolved by a priest at 
 confession. No doubt the author did intend to aim a 
 blow at that false idea of Catholicism taught by world- 
 minded leaders of the faith. Nevertheless, the real motive 
 of the play is clearly a deeper one. The art of the play, and 
 the thread of the tragedy, is rather in the gradual over- 
 whelming of a strong, yet selfish, grasping character by 
 the forces which are the result of his own selfish acts. 
 In other words, as in the creations of every other drama- 
 tist, so in Anzengruber's works, there is the outer skeleton, 
 or general theme, and the inner soul confiict, represented 
 in one or more of the individuals of the drama. The 
 general theme may be of interest to a certain period or 
 place, but the real value of a work is in the inner problems 
 of the individual himself. 
 
 In Der Pfarrer vwi Kirchfeld, the general basis of the 
 play is a question of the relation of church and state, 
 and the two minor related ideas, the celibacy of the priest- 
 hood and the churches control of marriages. The real 
 interest of the play, however, centers about the youn^ 
 
46 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 priest, who, thinking only of the good he may do others, 
 lias his actions wrongly interpreted by some who mean 
 him harm. His struggle against the forces thus set loose, 
 his integrity to conviction regardless of opposition, form 
 the inner motive of the production. Along with that 
 inner motive, and inseparable from it, are the soul strug- 
 gles of a Wurzelsepp, the revengefulness of a Finsterberg, 
 and the womanliness of an Annerl. 
 
 Hand und Herz contains a general criticism of the 
 position of the church concerning marriage. This position 
 is voiced by the monk, Augustin, when petitioned by 
 Katharine: "Weller verlassen — wohl dem ersten (Gorg) 
 folgen?" as he answers: ^^Null und nichtig ist diese 
 zweite Ehe." ^ According to that decree, she must 
 leave a good husband and a happy life, and go back to 
 her former misery as the wife of the degraded Priedner. 
 Therein is the "tendenz'' theme of the play. The interest, 
 liowever, again finds itself in the heart anguish of Kathar- 
 ine and the desperation of Weller, which results so 
 tragically in the destruction of his happiness, the murder 
 of G(")rg, and the accidental death of the fleeing woman. 
 
 Die Kreuzelsclireiber pictures a. similar general 
 theme in a comical dress. The church, through its clergy, 
 had incited the wives against their husbands, in order to 
 cause those husbands to renounce the si caning of a paper 
 obnoxious to the priesthood. The general theme is spoken 
 by Anton in the Avords: ^'Ich mocht doch wissen, wie s' 
 dazu kamen, dass sie sich zAvischen Mon und Weib ein- 
 mischen." ^ Through the resourcefulness of Steinklop- 
 ferhanns, however, the humanness of the peasant wins 
 over the unnatural demands. The humanness of the indi- 
 vidual characters is the interesting feature of the w^ork. 
 Steinklopferhanns stands out as a masterfully developed 
 personage, a. true representative of real life. 
 
 Agnes, the skillfully drawn character in Der ledige 
 Hof, had been kept from members of the other sex of her 
 
 (1.) Hand und Herz, Act 3, Scene 3. 
 (2.) Kreiizelschreiber, Act 2, Scene 5. 
 
Anzengrubcr's Portrayal of Character 47 
 
 age till she was a mature woman. Her head-servants, the 
 old Thomas and Oresenz, wished to see her estates go to 
 the church. That is not the main thread of the play, how- 
 ever. The theme is the influence of love, and its reaction 
 as a result of deception, as shown in the character of 
 Agnes. The whole interest jof the production centers 
 ahout this one character. In Die Trutzige, the idea that 
 a woman who makes her own way in life should be as 
 independent and free as a man in similar circumstances, 
 is given a prominent place. Here, also, the interest is in 
 tlie strong, somewhat rough character. Die Trutzige, and 
 her final submission to her wooer, Martin Wegmacher. 
 Elfricdc has as its theme the rights of woman, and this 
 idea is brouglit out in the reconciliation of Eifriede and 
 Gustav, and the latter's recognition of liis wife's actual 
 worth. 
 
 Magdalena Reindorfer, one of the principal person- 
 ages in Der Schandfteck, and the Einsam, the leading 
 character in Der Einsam, are representatives of the type, 
 "das Siindekind." Magdalena., a normal person, attains 
 a happy position in life as the Avife of the Grasbodenbatier, 
 after having experienced the unfortunate love affair with 
 l^'lorian Weninger, afterward proved to be her brother. 
 But with the Einsam it is far different, and the conditions 
 of his forced environment bring him, after a life of tragic 
 events, to a tragic end. A He Wiener, which represents 
 the life of the suburbs of Vienna,, with its lightness and 
 touches of laxness in moral tone, is rather a collection of 
 interesting pictures : of scenes full of wit and satire. It 
 is difficult to give any special statement of the things of 
 particular interest in the comedy. Such characters as 
 Schmalhofer, Gustav, Sophie, and Martin Kernhofer oft'er 
 fascinating studies, as individuals. 
 
 Heimg^funden has as its general thought, that oul\ 
 honest employment and living in accord with one's means 
 are honorable. Dr. Hammer, and his failure through dis- 
 obeyance of this law, is the special picture brought to our 
 attention. In this play, also, such characters as Thomas 
 
48 Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 
 
 Hammer, Sclirauder, etc., are subjects of value and inter- 
 est. The comedy, Doppelselbstmord,. and the tragedy, 
 Das vierte Gebot, depict two different results of interfer- 
 ence of the parents in the "affairs of the heart" of their 
 children. In the former, the young people followed their 
 own inclinations, and the resulting scene is bright. In 
 Das vierte Gehot, Hedwig gave up her true lover, and 
 married, at the demands of her father, a rich good-for- 
 nothing, a man whom she could but despise, and a man 
 who had been the betrayer of Pepi. Her future was 
 ruined, and her life became a tragedy. Likewise, through 
 ihe influence of their corrupt parents, the lives of Martin 
 and Pepi, the son and daughter of Schalanter and his 
 wife, Barbara, Avere wrecked. In order not to leave only 
 this pessimistic view before the minds of his readers or 
 observers, Anzengruber shows in the same play the happy 
 family life of the gardener, Schon, and his wife, Anna, 
 Avhose son, Eduard, chose his career, followed by their 
 sympathy and material aid, though they must deny them- 
 selves much to make that career a possibility. 
 
 Der Fleck auf der Ehr^ brings to view Franzel, driven 
 to desperation because a charge, of which she is innocent, 
 but for which she has served a sentence in prison, has 
 become known to her husband. The person who brought 
 forward the charge had known for a long time that it 
 was wrong, but had never made the fact known. Her 
 indifference almost resulted in the self-destruction of the 
 accused. The "tendenz" turn of the drama is in the criti- 
 cism of the indifference of the rich' with respect to those 
 in a lower stratum of society. G'unssemvurm. presents 
 Grillhofer, a wealthy peasant, now in ill health, troubled 
 by the thought of a past relationship with a maid-servant. 
 The continued reminder of this folly exists in the person 
 of his brother-in-law, Dusterer, ^who Avishes him to show 
 repentance by distributing his property among the poor. 
 He, Dusterer, is poor, so Grillhofer sliould giA^e the 
 property to him and his family, in order to save the mis- 
 led girl from everlasting torture. The final discovery of 
 
Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 49 
 
 the o^irl, now a wife, and with twelve children, and later 
 of the child, now a strong and honest maiden, destroys 
 the scheming influence of Dusterer. The characters, 
 Dusterer and Horlacherlies, show a fine contrast of nature. 
 Thus, in a very brief way, are shown the general 
 problems in Anzengruber's works. While there is a trace 
 of the "tendenz" poet, yet the main thought of his dramas 
 and novels is one of actual life. He is concerned with 
 the problems of love, of hate, of ambition, of human trials, 
 and progress. The principal interest is in the develop- 
 ment of the individual characters, and their relation with 
 one another. In other words, the inner motive throughout 
 is humanity, and its struggle for betterment through the 
 efforts of the individual. The poet's hope for progress 
 was laid in the strength of each person's moral fibre. 
 
Chapter IV. 
 
 The Dramatic Situations. Naturalness of the Characters. 
 
 The dramatic situations may be regarded in two dif- 
 ferent ways: First, the general dramatic situation witli 
 reference to the entire story or play, and, second, the 
 particular situations as they are to be found at any point 
 in the development of the individual work. They must, 
 partially at least, be considered separately, from the fact 
 that the general dramatic situation may be real, while 
 special scenes in the same work are idealized. 
 
 In both cases, Anzengruber has held closely to* reality 
 in the greater number of dramatic situations. They are 
 as happenings of actual life; and his characters appear 
 as ordinary people, each busy with his or her own special 
 work or plans. The tragic conflict in each case is merely 
 the result of some individual's activities coming into 
 opposing relations with the general activity of the com- 
 munity, society, or of some one individual. 
 
 Among the works of the serious type, including the 
 two novels, Der Schandfleck and Der Sternsteinhof^ only 
 one is idealized in its general dramatic situations, and 
 here it is, but to a small degree. In Der Pfarrer von 
 Kirchfeld the tone is an idealized one throughout, but 
 there only with regard to the two characters, Pfarrer 
 Hell and Annerl. Hell, to whose life the word "Menschen- 
 liebe" is the keynote, is a character somewhat ideal. He 
 is not idealized to the extent of being an impossibility, 
 but onl^^ as rather improbable, removed from the ordinary. 
 Annerl also carries with her an atmosphere of the ideal- 
 istic. In the other characters there is a close adherence to 
 actual conditions of life. 
 
 In his comedies there is more exaggeration in the 
 plot and in the dramatic situations. In the plays of this 
 latter class, also, he has held remarkably close to life, in 
 the general outlines. Heimxj'funden, in tlie general facts 
 
Anzengruher's Portrayal of Character 51 
 
 of its plot, is a picture from actual tragedy caused by 
 social ambition. Like statements might be made as to 
 the realism of the plots of the comedies, G'wisseyiwurm, 
 Doijpelselbstmord, Alte Wiener, and Die Trutzige. On 
 the other hand, the general situation in Die Kreuzel- 
 schreiher has, in places, the element of improbability, 
 though many of the individual characters and scenes are 
 examples of realistic masterwork. In Die Kreuzelschrei- 
 her, however, the germ of the plot is, in fact, a real 
 occurrence. 
 
 In ASf' Jungferngift several of the general conditions, 
 as, for example, the rivalry of Kasper and Simmion-Sim- 
 merl for the hand of Regerl, are quite real. The scenes 
 and the motives ruling the actions of the characters, as 
 furnished largely by the comical Kohlenbrenner-Tomerl, 
 are such as one Avould expect in a mere farce. The charac- 
 ters themselves appear with their natural traits exagger- 
 ated, some of them till they are ridiculous. However, it 
 must not be forgotten that the play is a very light comedy, 
 and that we sliould expect things to appear somewhat 
 magnified. 
 
 In special scenes, there are but a few with a tinge of 
 tlie idealistic, or with an appearance of exaggeration. 
 Anzengruber made use of music, influenced to some extent 
 by precedent, and somewhat by his knowledge of theat- 
 rical effect. This is partially the cause for the seemingly 
 overdrawn effect of two of the fcAv scenes which go beyond 
 the real. One is tlie death scene of Jakob in Dcr Melncid- 
 hauer. He dies in his grandmother's arms while singing 
 a favorite song. Another scene somewhat unreal is tlie 
 shooting of Franz in Dcr Meineidhaner. The closing scene 
 in Dcr Pfarrcr von Kirchfeld is idealistic with regard to 
 Annerl. It is not probable that an actual character of her 
 station of life would have said what she said. Tlie sudden 
 change Avhich came over Grillhofer in G^tmssensumrm, 
 when his illegitimate daughter, Horlacherlies, is made 
 known to hiiu through a letter, which she herself deliv- 
 ers, is not a perfectly natural change. He, miraculously 
 
52 Anzengi'uhei^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 almost, changes from a weak paralytic to an active old 
 man. 
 
 The conduct of Poldl and Agerl, the young lovers in 
 Doppclselbst7yiord, is exaggerated in the Inn scene. But 
 here, again, we deal with comedy, and the poet has pur- 
 posely exaggerated the prominent characteristics of his 
 personages. Other examples of such exaggeration of 
 personal traits might be given from almost every scene in 
 '^ Jungfcrngift. In his comic characters, Anzengruber 
 never does more than to augment the natural peculiarities 
 of a person with strongly marked tendencies in certain 
 directions. In other words, if the abnormally developed 
 nearsightedness, shyness, and absent-mindedness of the 
 Professor Foliantenwalzer were gradually decreased, the 
 result would be a somewhat timid scholar, inclined to 
 dream over his books. 
 
 Though lie has used material representing patholog- 
 ical conditions of society as a whole, yet Anzengruber 
 presents but few individuals who appear as pathological. 
 This is in harmony with one of the strongest ideas of the 
 poet, and one Avliich appears in each of his important 
 characters: that advancement depends upon the indi- 
 vidual rather than upon the aggregate. Now and then 
 he does show us the effects of those general pathological 
 conditions as they must appear in individuals so unfor- 
 tunate as to oppose them directly. Anzengruber's char- 
 acters are always men and women of full mental vigor. 
 In this respect they are unlike the greater number of 
 similar characters, creations of later dramatists of the 
 na,turalistic school, with whom the pathology of the mind, 
 1. e., the psychology of mind patholog\% is seemingly of 
 highest worth. Hauderer can say of his daughter and 
 her lover, whom some think to have committed suicide: 
 "Na, na^ Sentner, zu so ein' Thun g'hor'n Lent' mit einer 
 grauslicher Selbstigkeit, was nui* af sich denkt und einer 
 Boshaftigkeit af andere; es ist a ung'sund's Wesen, a 
 ung'sund's Wesen. I^nsere Kinder sein brav, do wissen 
 schon, wann man ainal af der AVelt ist, g'hort sich a, da>ss 
 
Anzengrnher's Portrayal of Character 53 
 
 mer sich drein schickt, unci dass kein Respeckt war', sich 
 vorm Vatern in d'Gruben einidrangen." ^ 
 
 Leutenberger-Urban, of whom but a fleeting picture 
 is given in Der Schmidfleck; Gorg Friedner in Hand und 
 Eerz; and Florian Weninger, after the loss of Magdalena, 
 are pathological characters. They represent characters, 
 who, through the influence of some happening in early 
 life, lost all respect for themselves, and, as a result, chose 
 the downward way. Each met violent death as a reward. 
 Florian, however, different from the other tAvo, died doing 
 a noble deed: he was killed defending the honor of a litle 
 girl from Leutenberger-Urban. Htibmayr, in Der Fleck 
 auf derEhr", is pathological. He has been in prison for 
 dishonest acts, and, at the time of the play, is a careless, 
 but cheerful, sneak-thief. His position is most clearly 
 seen in his statement : "Und was hatt' i denn a davon, da 
 heraussten? Drinnet (Strafhaus) ah ja drinnet, da hab' i 
 mein g'sund's trocken's Wohnen, mei' zureichend's Essen, 
 d' Reinlichkeit, kann in Hof Luft schnappen und wann i 
 krank werd, is der Doktor glei' bei der Hand." ^ 
 
 Wurzelsepp and Burgerliese are characters wlio h«ave 
 become pessimistic toward their fellow men, and toward 
 the higher Power. Wurzelsepp turned from the world 
 because it had denied him the Avisli of his heart, and spent 
 his life digging roots in the mountains. It was only by 
 the noble action of Hell, at the burial of his mother, that 
 Sepp was brought from his condition of extreme hatred 
 for everything connected with church matters. Burger- 
 liese became a doubter of human kindness and divine 
 justice when her daughter, with two helpless little chil- 
 dren, was driven from home and rights by the ^feineid- 
 bauer. Grillhofer represents a pathological mental state 
 brought on by continual stings of the conscience at the 
 thought of a former sin, those stings being always renewed 
 by the artful Dusterer. Hauderer became pessimistic 
 and somewhat pathological in his relation to the world 
 
 (1.) ' Doppelselbstmord, Act 3, Scene 6. 
 
 (2.) Der Fleck auf der Ehr', Act 1, Scene 3. 
 
54 Anzengruber^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 about him because he was deceived by those in whom he 
 had trusted most. He resigns himself to ever increasing 
 poverty, and the view that everything ^'is a Dummheit." 
 
 The most pathological character in Anzengruber's 
 works is the Einsam. He has a clear mental power, but 
 a proud, ruling nature, inherited from his father, has 
 grown through the influence of his environment to a hos- 
 tile opposition toward all, to- a desire to live in complete 
 isolation. The murder of the slanderer of his mother, the 
 resulting recognition of the truth of the murdered man's 
 remarks, his new relation to normal society, his term of 
 sentence in prison : all united to sicken his keenly sensi- 
 tive being. He shrank from his fellows, but not beca,use 
 of fear: "Wie in oaner Mauer a lockerer Stoan, den nix 
 lialt't und er selber nit, musst' mer bald Avieder li'raus- 
 fallen. Zwoafach bin ich von so (die Gemeinschaft) 
 g'schieden, durch do unehrliche Geburt und durch mein 
 Thun.'' 1 
 
 In his pathological characters the poet always sought 
 to bring out a grain of goodness. He never brought a 
 thoroughly depraved person into a strong light. In fact, 
 he never created such a character, with the possible 
 exception of Leutenberger-Urban, and he is not before us 
 enough to be judged accurately. He was evil, but he is 
 only brought to view for a short time, and meets death as 
 a reward for his villainous intentions. Gorg Friedner is 
 a character of almost disgusting meanness, but the reader 
 must have some sympathy for him Avhen the history of 
 his downfall is known. They are all personages of ordi- 
 nary intellectual power, i. e., they are not mental degener- 
 ates, yet, though, some of them do show moral degeneracy. 
 
 Anzengruber's characters are nearly always psycho- 
 logical in their development. He first presents them in 
 such a way that their characteristics are quite clear to 
 the reader or observer, then, under the influence of sur- 
 rounding forces working upon them, these characters 
 
 (1.) Der Einsam, Act 3, Scene 2. 
 
Anzcngruher^s Portrayal of Character 55 
 
 gradually change, so in harmony with their individual 
 nature, that they cannot lie^p but stand out as real men 
 and women. His personages seem to be planned to act 
 in accordance with psychological laws, so truly do they 
 conform, yet they are far from being dry psychological 
 machines. They are men and women, so accurately fash- 
 ioned by the creator that they mtcst be psychological in 
 their development. 
 
 To be more specific, let us take a few individual 
 examples of characters who show psychological develop- 
 ment. Agnes Bernhofer, in Der ledige Hof, has grown up 
 practically isolated from members of the other sex, who 
 were of like age. She had come to be a mature woman 
 without ever having experienced the passion of love. She 
 meets Leonhardt Trilbner, a handsome young man, 
 recently become her head-servant. He wins her heart. She, 
 intensely happy in her new experience, believes her lover 
 implicitly till the Pfarrer tells her of the girl at Abtsdorf 
 with a child, which is Leonhardt's. Immediately she 
 makes the journey there, and finds the girl and the child. 
 She defends Leonhardt whenever he is attacked in any 
 way by the girl, Therese, though in her heart she feels that 
 the charges are true. 
 
 She returns home disappointed because her newly- 
 found lover has deceived her. Yet, prompted by love, she 
 determines to give himi one more chance to tell her the 
 truth. They meet, and she asks him if he ever loved an- 
 other, hoping that he will tell her the truth, but he 
 replies : "Keiner andern.'' Then she, with great feeling, 
 says : "Was ftir 'ne Straf ' soil darauf stehen, Leonhardt, 
 wenn du gelogen hast?'' The answer comes back imme- 
 diately : "Soil der Tod darauf stehen." On the impulse 
 of the minute, she acts on the suggestion of those last 
 words, and sends him over the lake for fish, in the face of 
 an approaching storm. ^ 
 
 The following scenes of her repentance ; of her actions 
 ais she imagines him perishing, the victim of the waves; of 
 her joy at his safe return; and then of the ruling power 
 
5(1 Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 of her will over her feelings as she sends him from her out 
 into the world : show a masterful understanding of human 
 character as it exists in a mature woman of strong will 
 power. 
 
 . The Einsam, in his development, is a valuable char- 
 acter for psychological study. Another powerfully drawn 
 personage of this type is the Meineidbauer, as his purpose 
 gradually settles around the idea of material wealth, and 
 his nature develops in harshness and unjust determina- 
 tion, the result of his first dishonest act : the denial of the 
 existence of the will. In time, he becomes willing to 
 destroy his own son to save himself. "Wir besitzen nicht 
 viele Charaktere in unserer dramatischen Literatur, die 
 an psychologischer Tiefe, an Rundheit, an sicherer Gegen- 
 wart diesem Meineidbauer gleichkiimen/' ^ 
 
 The change which came over Florian Weninger, a 
 cheerful, kind-hearted man, when he lost his lover, Magda- 
 lena, is a marked example of Anzengruber's knowledge of 
 man. But in his novel, Der Bternsteinhof , he has appar- 
 ently taken his characters from actual life, and transferred 
 them to that interesting story. Each character is inter- 
 esting, but the one personage who surpasses all the rest 
 is Helene. 
 
 When a little child, sitting in front of her mother's 
 miserable little home, she had watched the setting sun 
 cast its last rays upon the Stemsteinhof on the heights 
 above. Then she had longed to be there, and the longing 
 increased until it became the one purpose of her life. 
 She won the love of Toni, the Stemsteinhof bauer's son; 
 she afterw^ard refused the money which the old Bauer 
 offered her for her lost honor; she even spat in contempt 
 in the face of Toni when he marched away to serve his 
 years in military training. 
 
 Afterward she married Muckerl Kleebinder, a weak 
 man physically, to save her good name. When Toni 
 returned from his service in the army, and in compliance 
 
 (1.) R. M. Meyer, page 672. 
 
Anzengruher^s Pcyrtrayal of Character 57 
 
 with the demands of his father married Sali Kasbienii ar- 
 tel, her plans seemed to have failed. But, no. Sali became 
 an invalid as the result of childbirth, and Helene and Toni 
 met each other often in a clandestine manner. Finally, 
 Muckerl, her husband, died, his death being hastened by 
 his wife's coldness toward him. 
 
 Then Helene was taken to Sternsteinhof by Toni, as 
 a nurse of Sali. The recoonition by the latter of the fact 
 that Helene, a beautiful, healthy woman, was her rival, 
 brought on her early death. In a short time after her 
 death, Toni and Helene were married, and Helene had 
 reached the goal of her ambition. No character of more 
 fascinating interest can be found, and she is true to 
 Anzengruber's naturalistic-realism. Bartels says of the 
 novel : "Aber dieser Koman ist mit bewunderungswtir- 
 diger psychologisclier Kunst durchgefiihrt, es ist ein 
 Werk, das man den grossen psychologischen Romanen der 
 modemen europaischen Bertihmtheiten an Bedeutung 
 recht wohl an die Seite stellen kann." ^ And R. M. 
 Meyer says of the character, Helene: "Der Oharakter 
 der Heldin wtirde allein gentigen, um Anzengruber in die 
 Reihe unserer grosst^n Psychologen zu stellen." ^ 
 
 The examples given are tlie most important and 
 prominent instances of genuine psychological characters 
 to be found in his works. Every personage in his produc- 
 tions, however, bears the same stamp of faithfulness to 
 actuality. Though the poet worked according to the 
 models fashioned in his own mind, rather than from direct 
 observation, yet his knowledge of human nature made him 
 almost unerring in the concrete results of those ideas as 
 represented by his characters. 
 
 Joined with that feeling for the psychology of his 
 characters was the equally exact judgment- as to what 
 would harmonize with the specific environment. He was 
 exact in his recognition of the influence of environment 
 upon a character. Never does one of his peasants speak 
 
 (1.) Bartels, page 620. 
 
 (2.) R. M. Meyer, page 677. 
 
58 Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 other than as a peasant. All of the traditions, prejudices, 
 and false ethical interpretations of right and wrong, as 
 they existed in the peasant class, appear here and there 
 in the actions of his character. His language has the 
 roughness and naivete of his peasant life; his jokes are 
 the puns of their gatherings, understood by all of his 
 companions. 
 
 They are the expressions used in their every day life, 
 i. e., in their work. The Grasbodenbauer, in reprimand- 
 ing his daughter, Burgerl, says to her: "Vermaledeiter 
 Saufratz.'' '^ It would sound entirely out of place if 
 such a remark had been made by a cultured father to his 
 daughter, but to the Bauer it was a natural phrase to 
 use. Again, Kohlenbrenner-Tomerl (^8 Jtmgferngift) 
 makes a characteristic remark to Kasi)er: ^^D' arme 
 Dummheit bleibt versteckt und im Schatten macht der 
 grosste Ochs kein so a Ansehn wie 's Kailbel in der Sunn','' 
 and later, in the same scene, as Kasper is about to leave: 
 "Aber a Wartl nebenher, Kasper. D' Wochen fahr' ich mit 
 Kohlen in d' Stadt. Kinnst mer bis dahin a acht Gulden 
 leihen?" Kasper: "Leihen?" Tomerl : "Na siehst, mir 
 scheint, bis in 'n Sack langt dein Glauben a nit." ^ 
 
 Scene after scene, with expressions just as natural 
 and characteristic, might be cited, but they would only 
 add to the number already given without proving any- 
 thing ncAv. On the other hand, it will be necessary, also, 
 to give a couple of examples to show these peasants' 
 interpretation of right and wrons:, in accordance with the 
 letter of the ethical law, rather than the spirit of that law. 
 The ^leineidbauer says to Franz in his disappointment at 
 finding that the latter is determined not to be a priest: 
 "Ich hab's ja seit damol neamand anvertrau'n konnen, 
 was nur Avir zwei auf der Welt wissen und unser Herr da 
 droben — verstehst, Franz, wie das druckt, wie a Miihlstein 
 liegt's auf mir und nilchtij? glaub' ich oft, ich Averd' 
 irrsinnig, wann ich denk', ich hab's Abendmahl so oft 
 
 (1.) Der Schandfleck, page 257. 
 
 (2.) 'S Jungferngift, Act 3, Scene 1. 
 
Anzengruhvr's Portrayal of Character 59 
 
 g'nommen und davon nie etwas 'beicht. Franz, 's keiner 
 auf der Welt, deia icli's nit z' sagen braucli' und der doch 
 davon weiss, wie du — du bist der einzige, der mich ohne 
 Ked' und Gegenred' entstindig'n, der mir in meiner letzten 
 Not eimnal die Stind' aussegnen kann." ^ 
 
 A similar manner of such a stereotyped manner of 
 looking at problems of that sort is found in Der 8terfh- 
 steinhof. Helene and her mother have gone up to the 
 Sternsteinhof to demand of the Bauer that his son marry 
 Helene, and save her from shame. The girl carries in 
 her hand a written promise, written and signed by Toni, 
 to the effect that he will marry her. She shows this paper 
 to the Bauer, Avith the words: ^'Schau; was ich schriftlich 
 von ilim hab'." The Bauer answers: "'s hat kein Giltig- 
 keit,'' and later, as he tears up the written promise : "Da 
 sieht man, was dabei, h'rauskommt, wenn Bub'n, kaum 
 aus der Schul,' sich in solche Sachen einlassen. Lass dir 
 dein Lehrgeld z'rtickgeb'n. Schreibst du, seinzeit und 
 sollt'st doch Avissen, dass's nach der Schrift, seiner Zeit^ 
 heissen muss." ^ 
 
 The fact that his son had given his word to do a 
 certain thing had no value in the eyes of the old man, so 
 long as that son had not attained his majority. To him 
 it Avas not ethically Avrong to declare that promise null 
 and void, though the girl was left in disgrace as a result. 
 
 (1.) Der Meineidbauer, Act 2, Scene 3. 
 (2.) Der Sternsteinhof, page 115. 
 
Chapter V. 
 
 Anzengruher^s Field and Motive. 
 
 In subject matter, Anzengruber was limited, the 
 characters which he successfully handled were representa- 
 tives of the common people. Even this field he worked 
 with greater acquaintance and power when he pictured 
 the lives and problems of the peasants of his own country, 
 rather than those of the neighboring Switzerland. 
 Another field with which he was thoroughly acquainted, 
 and the life of whose people he represented with success, 
 was the suburbs ( Vorstadte) of Vienna. Tliree of his plays 
 have their setting in those Vorstadte.^ Here, as in his 
 Bauernstilcke, he never attempts to give form to the life 
 and habits of any but the common people. 
 
 In the fragment of the tragedy, Bertha von Frank- 
 rcich, we find Anzengruber digressing from his regular 
 path of activity. In this play a queen is one of the chief 
 characters, but, since only one act was ever written, we 
 need not seriously regard this wandering from his ordi- 
 nary field. Flfriede, the little "Schauspiel," as the author 
 calls it, pictures the scene of a husband and wife of the 
 middle class; and here, also, the two principal characters, 
 Elfriede and Gustav Wellenberg, are rather vague and 
 uncertain in outline. They are not to be compared with 
 such personages as the Meineidbauer, Steinklopferhanns, 
 Helene of Der Sternsteinhof , or the Trutzige : those char- 
 acters so true to life. 
 
 Anzengruber's real service to German Literature was 
 to give to it the true Volksstuck, where the peasant appears 
 not as a Hanswurst, but as a genuine, human personage, 
 reflecting the problems of actual life. Here the author 
 was at home, and it is from this side that he appears 
 in his full strength. As Servaes puts its : "Er war nichts 
 
 (1.) Heimg'funden, Das vierte Gebot, Alte Wiener. 
 
Anzengriiher^s Portrayal of Character 61 
 
 anderes und Avollte nichts anderes sein als ein eclites 
 Volkskind. Seine besten Sachen dichtete er in der 
 lieimaitlichen Mnndart. Heimatliche Begrenzung bedeuet 
 in der Kunst nicht eine Beschrankung, sondern eine 
 Bekraftignng." ^ And in the same strain run the 
 words of his biographer, Dr. Friedmann: "Sein Gebiet, 
 auf dein er init Selbstherrlichkeit waltet, ist das Volks- 
 sttick, Oder noch genaur, das Bauemsttick. Er hat diese 
 Gattung zu litterarischer Ehre erhoben. Er wurzelt fest 
 im Boden des osterreichischen Dorfes. Und sobald er ihn 
 Terlasst, verliert er wie der Riese Antaus, seine Kraft.-' ^ 
 
 Anzengruber was the founder of the genuine Volks- 
 sttick. Others had Avritten Volksstticke, but rather for 
 the purpose of giving amusement, and nothing else to the 
 observer, than as a means of bringing before the world 
 the problems of the characters whose station of life was 
 shown. Their motives were different from those of the 
 man, the subject of our study. He saw the life of the 
 peasant and of the people about Vienna in its true light. 
 And in that light, unchanged by attempts at coloring, he 
 nought to represent it. In the words of Robert Proelss: 
 ^^Nun in Ludwig Anzengruber — erwuchs dem Volksstuck 
 wieder ein bedeutendes Talent, das sich aber auf einem 
 ganz anderen Boden, der Dorf-geschichte, und in einer 
 ganz anderen Richtung, der social-tendenziosen, psycho- 
 logisch vertieften Sittenschilderung bewegt, und, wenn 
 auch nicht ohne Humor, doch von einem; durchaus ernsten 
 Charakter ist." ^ "Anzengruber's Yerdienst ist nun, 
 das Bauernsttick geschaffen und zu kunstlerischer Wtirde 
 erhoben zu haben." ^ And Adolf Bartels says : "Anzen- 
 gruber, der Schopfer des Bauern dramas." ^ 
 
 If Anzengruber's motives in showing to the reader 
 or observer the peasant, or the character from the common 
 walks of suburban life, were different from those of other 
 
 (1.) Servaes, page 22. 
 
 (2.) Dr. Friedmann: Anzengruber, page 91. 
 
 (3.) Page 227. 
 
 (4.) Friedmann, D. D. Drama, page 149. 
 
 (5.) Page 463. 
 
62 Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 writers of that time and before, the question is, what 
 were his motives? At the close of his novel, Der Stern- 
 steinhofy is found the key to that question. He realized 
 that many might ask: why is a selfish character like 
 Helene, who had allowed nothing to stand between her 
 and her ambition, pictured as she is at the close of the 
 story? The story closes with Helene, her desires attained, 
 represented as living happy and prosperous, looked up to 
 by all the people in the country about the Sternsteinhof. 
 The answer wliicli Anzengruber gives to this may be 
 taken, it seems to the writer, as the key to the general 
 question : what Avere his motives for writing as lie did? 
 Warum erzahlt man solclie Geshichten, die nur aufweisen, 
 wie es im Leben zugeht? — es geschieht dies nicht in dem 
 einfaltigen Glauben, dass dadurch Bauern als Leser zu 
 gewinnen waren, noch in der spekulativen Absicht, einer 
 mehr und mehr die ^lode kommenden Kichtung zu huldi- 
 gen, sondern lediglich aus dem Grunde, weil der einoje- 
 schrankte Wirkungskreis des landlichen Lebens die Char- 
 aktere Aveniger in ihrer Natilrlichkeit und TTrsprtinglich- 
 keit beeinflusst." ^ 
 
 His purpose Avas to picture for his readers and 
 hearers, "Wie es im Leben zugeht." He had seen many 
 cases, no doubt, where some person Avas living in the 
 enjoyment of this world's material blessings, for the 
 acquirement of which others had been crushed : and tlie 
 story of Helene Avas the result of that observation. On 
 the other hand, he had met persons Avhose greed for 
 property led them to dishonesty, and later to their final 
 ruin, and we need but turn our attention to the masterful 
 character, the Meineidbauer, to see this scene of life 
 depicted. Through the characters, the Einsam, Florian 
 Weninger, and Steinklopferhanns, are brought forAvard 
 the lives of those thoughtlessly led into tliis world as 
 the consequences of unnatural social conditions, many 
 examples of which he had seen or knew to exist among the 
 
 (1.) Der Sternsteinhof, page 287. 
 
Anzefigr liber's Portrayal of Character 63 
 
 people whose lives his plays were to represent. Instances 
 of an old father, or an old mother, being almost deserted 
 by sons and daughters likewise had come to his 
 notice, and the concrete result is found in the close of the 
 life of Keindorfer in Der Schandfleck. He had seen chil- 
 dren forced into distasteful and unnatural marriages, thus 
 we have the drama, Das vierte Gehot. So individual 
 characters, one after another, might be mentioned, each 
 showing some special phase of life. His motive, then, 
 was to represent actual life, and from its dark as well 
 as from its bright side. He never could give to one thor- 
 oughly acquainted with his characters the idea that he 
 was a pessimist, but only the impression that he was a 
 naturalistic-realist, in the earlier meaning of that term. 
 He painted conditions as they appeared to him : thus we 
 have both pessimistic and optimistic characters in his 
 productions. His view of the world's progress was opti- 
 mistic, and is voiced in Vroni's Avords to her lover, Franz : 
 "Franz, wenn d' wieder frisch bist, geht mit mir in die 
 Berg', und A^on der hochst' Spitz' woll'n wir 'naus 
 jauchsen ins Land. Aus is 's und vorbei is 's, do sein 
 neue Lent' und die Welt fangt erst an." ^ 
 
 As a general survey is taken of Anzengruber's char- 
 acters, the observer cannot help but be impressed by 
 the unwavering manner in which they all stand true to 
 that one thought. Each personage is a part of life itself, 
 and in a very few cases are the salient points in the life 
 of tlie character exaggerated in order to make them stand 
 out in relief, as it were. Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld is 
 idealized to some extent, yet about him there is that 
 atmosphere of reality thoroughly characteristic of Anzen- 
 gruber. If he does exaggerate, or idealize at all, it is 
 usually in his comedy, and always rather in the general 
 situations than in the individual character. 
 
 Now, it was in the life of the peasant especially that 
 he found those various impulses of the human soul show- 
 
 (1.) Der Meineidbauer, Act 3, Scene 6. 
 
64 Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 ing forth most clearly. In city life, everywhere among 
 the higher classes^, in fact, the same feelings Avere the 
 impelling factors for exactly similar acts, in their essence ; 
 but the acts themselves, and the results, were more hidden 
 by the complexity of that life's activities. On the other 
 hand, in the simple life of the plebeian class near Vienna 
 and among the peasants, there was retained to a much 
 greater degree that original naturalness of action, which 
 had long since been forgotten or become hidden among 
 the higher social classes. Men and women moved in 
 response to suggestion, less hampered by external, arti- 
 ficial laws. Love and hatred, envy and goodwill, selfish 
 greed and unselfish helpfulness, were expressed almost as 
 felt. As Anzengruber remarks in the last words of Der 
 Htcrnstcinliof : "Wie denn auch in den iiltesten, einf achen, 
 wirksamsten Geschichten die Helden und Ftirsten Her- 
 denztichter und Grrossgrundbesitzer waren und Sauhirten 
 ihre Hausminister und Kanzler.'' ^ 
 
 Anzengruber was not the first writer to use the cus- 
 toms and environment of the peasant as the setting for 
 his literar}^ work. Raimund, Friedrich Kaisar, and 
 Nestroy, and Mosenthal had all used material from the 
 same source, or were doing so at the time of his active 
 period. Also, Auerbach in his stories had depicted this 
 peasant life. Anzengruber was influenced by those men 
 to some extent, and, perhaps, most by Auerbach : though 
 the latter was highly idealistic, and Anzengruber was just 
 as much realistic in his method of treatment. He was 
 not a follo^^ or of any other person's style to any appre- 
 ciable degree. Through his pen the peasant was freed 
 from the fantastic, comic character, heretofore his dress 
 in all literary work, and set forth in his natural environ- 
 ment. Sometimes he appears with sufjerstitions and 
 prejudices, with ideas of right and wrong, interpreted to 
 the letter rather than to the spirit. He comes on the 
 stage in the midst of his daily work, busy with the com- 
 
 (1.) Page 288. 
 
Anzengriibefs Portrayal of Character 65 
 
 mon duties of a peasant life. All of the bri^rbt and all 
 of the dark side of that life is shown, intermingled as it 
 is in the world of reality. Here we have a scene of fun 
 and frolic in the Inn, and, directly following, we have a 
 highly tragic occurrence, such as the death of the old man, 
 Brenniger, in Die Krcuzelschreiber. 
 
 Anzengruber was a realist, and Avith a strong ten- 
 dency toward naturalism. By naturalism is not meant 
 that naturalism, so called, of later German writers, which 
 it were more correct to designate as unnaturalism ; i. e., 
 that naturalism which consists in portraying unnatural, 
 pathological conditions exactly as they exist. 
 
 Anzengruber's naturalism is of the earlier type, hence 
 more nearly allied to realism. He depicted life, giving gen- 
 eral pathological conditions if they Avere present; but his 
 characters, with a very few exceptions, are strong men and 
 women, not representatives of a degenerate class as are 
 found in the productions of Hauptmann, and others. If 
 he did represent such characters as the personages, Leuten- 
 berger-Urban and Gorg Friedner, he did so hesitatingly, 
 and, in each case, sought to give them some grains of 
 goodness. The Einsam in Btahl und ^tein^ and Josepha 
 in Das vierte Gehot, show to us the results of pathological 
 conditions of society, but they, as individuals, are strong 
 characters. The scene between Josepha and Johann 
 brings that out so well when she says: "Ich denk' gar 
 nimmer ans Heiraten ; ftir ein Brayen war' ich a Ungltick 
 und ein' Schlechton mocht' ich selber nit." And a little 
 later: "Wann S' aber amal hor'n, ^ass ich g'storb'n bin, 
 dann kommen S' zu meiner Leich', — g'wiss — damit doch 
 ein ehrlicher ^lensch dabei is, 's andere wird eh' lauter 
 G'lumpert sein." ^ 
 
 He has been accused of being a pessimist, but, as 
 Pollak says: "Anzengruber's realism captivated the 
 world as Auerbach's idealism had captivated it thirty 
 years before. Shadows predominate in the greatest dramas 
 of the Austrian as does Sunshine in the poet of the Black 
 
 (1.) Das vierte Gebot, Act 3, Scene 4, 
 
66 Anzengruhers Portrayal of Character 
 
 Forest ; and yet no one who has seen or read of Anzen- 
 gruber's masterpieces can deny that he caught the poetry 
 of peasant life as fully as he grasped its realism, and that 
 his sense of humor was as keen as his pathos was 
 deep." ^ 
 
 If he painted many scenes of life somewhat dark, it 
 was because they existed thus. ^'Von der' Kunst der 
 Idealismus' macht er fast nie, und wenn einmal, so nur 
 in dezen tester Weise, Gebrauch. Hier (Der Sternstein- 
 hof ) leben besonders die Menschen in Gutem und Bosem 
 so ungeniert, dass man die Empfindung hat, der Dichter 
 habe auf's Geratewohl ein Sttick aus der Welt herausge- 
 schnitten." - So are found scenes in every one of his 
 works so true to reality that the characters are recognized 
 by the reader or spectator as genuine acquaintances. 
 
 Anzengruber brings forward his personages un- 
 changed from their natural environment. All of his best 
 characters speak a dialect, using idioms almost impossible 
 to literar}^ German. Thus he raises Austrian dialect 
 German to a higher plane by putting it into the mouths 
 of his strongest and most prominent characters. He leads 
 it from the limited use of the clown, of the burlesque, 
 out into a wider field. He gives back to it the natural 
 charm and dignity which every dialect should possess, 
 from the very fact that it represents the live language of a 
 certain district, and has assimilated in its idiom many a 
 picture of past fancy and reality. 
 
 (1.) Pollak, page 22. 
 
 (2.) Otto Ernst, page 216. 
 
Chapter VI. 
 
 Conclusion. 
 
 In conclusion, as a result of this study of Anzen- 
 gruber's characters, and the manner in which they are 
 brought before the reader, we must regard him as a skilled 
 dramatist. Sometimes one of his plays, considered as a 
 whole, is dramatically faulty. For example. Das vierte 
 Gehot has the threads of three quite unrelated tragic 
 events . One is the marriage of Hedwig to the "verlebte'' 
 Stolzenthaler, and its tragic results; a second is the 
 gradual corrupting of the morals of Josepha, principally 
 through the agency of this same Stolzenthaler, and her 
 parents, till she has tasted deeply of vice, and can say 
 to Hedwig : "Wir sind ja docli zwei verkaufte." ^ The 
 third tragic theme is the tragic life of Martin, culminating 
 in the murder of Frey, and the resultant death punish- 
 ment of ^lartin. Individually considered, however, those 
 same personages are shaped by a master hand. They are 
 true to themselves as influenced by their environment. 
 
 None of Anzengruber's characters, if we except 
 Pfarrer Hell, could be taken as an ideal, because they only 
 represent persons of ordinary moral stamina,, battling 
 against the temptations common to their natural sur- 
 roundings. In that everyday world, however, he luis been 
 able to depict almost every phase of emotional and pas- 
 sionate action. At one time he cliarms his reader or 
 hearer by the quiet and peace of the picture: as tlie Sun- 
 day-morning scene between Vroni and the Grossknecht, 
 her mother's old lover, in the opening act of Der Melncid- 
 haiirr; and, at another time, he makes the blood fairly 
 tingle by presenting a scene filled with intense excitement 
 and uncontrollable passion, as when the ^Feineidbauer, 
 nearly crazed at Franz's refusal to give back the desired 
 
 (1.) Das vierte Gebot, Act 4, Scene 4. 
 
08 Anzcn(jruhefs Portrayal of VJiaracter 
 
 letter, shoots that son, and watches him fall into the little 
 mountain torrent, with the remark: ''Tief liegt er jetzt 
 imt' — der Wildbach reisst ilin mit.'^ ^ 
 
 Again, he knows how to picture the first love passion 
 of a mature woman in the person of Agnes Bernhofer. 
 "Ich niocht' ^ern, dass du niir keinen (Vorwurf) machst. 
 Es ist eigen, es war eine Launigkeit von mir. Seit meine 
 Eltern verstorben sind, zehn Jahre sind's her, hat mir 
 niemand gesagt, dass er mich lieb hatt' — ich wollt's 
 wieder einmal horen." ^ Then, as her lover leaves her : 
 ''Sauber ist mein Schatz, und die Welt gerat't ilim nach, 
 Avie heut' alles freundlich ist. Es ist eigen, doch gar eigen, 
 's erste Mai in mein' Leben verspiir' ich jetzt, dass ich 
 Weib bin — ^mein Gott — und es geschieht mir nit hart 
 dabei." ^ 
 
 In the next picture we have an equally true scene 
 of her soul anguish, because she thinks her lover, now 
 proved false, has perished in the lake as a result of her 
 own designs. "Wie es heraufweht vom See — ^^'ust — es 
 liegt eine Leiche — (Mondschein fallt in das Zimmer; 
 fSllitdie Hande). O du lieber Mondschein, Avie siehst 
 mich heut', gar anders als gestern, hiltt'st dir's nit gedacht. 
 Wie war mir sonst immer so leicht ums Herz, bis heut. 
 (AVirft sich auf die Knee) O, himmlischer Yater, Avenn 
 mir's nun jenials wieder so werden konnt'." ^ 
 
 In Die Kreuzclschreiher he portrays the tragic lone- 
 liness and misery of the aged Brenniger, Avho, through 
 the action of the Avomen, as urged on by the priests, is 
 separated from his Avife, his companion for fifty years. 
 " — nah' zu fufzig Jahr haus' ich hitzt schon mit meiner 
 Annerl, und Avann man so viel Kinder — lass schau'n — 
 sieben Stuck— die Mirzl— D' Kosl— 'n Sepp— und ^s 
 erste — weiss nimmer Avie dos glieissen hat — ja,, ja— sieben 
 in Freud' und Leid auf 'zogen hatt, und muss dann sehn, 
 
 (1 ) Der Meineidbaiier, Act 2, Scene 10. 
 
 (2.) Der ledige Hof, Act 1, Scene 7. 
 
 (3.) Der ledige Hof, Act 1, Scene 8. 
 
 (4.) Der ledige Hof, Act 3, Scene 6. 
 
Anzcngruher^s Fot'trayal of Character G9 
 
 eins nacli 'm andem 'naus-trag'n auf 'n Gottesacker — ja, 
 do g'wolmt man sich sclion ins Alleinsein uns scliickt sich 
 eins vollig ins andere. Ich hon eh' nix mehr z' suclien auf 
 derer Welt. Und mein' Ordnung lion ich a nimmer — und 
 wo ich mein' Ordnung nit hab'.'' 
 
 From the most cheerful to the pessimistic; from the 
 child to the old man or woman; from, the young lovers 
 to the lovers of fifty years, he was ahle to create characters 
 true to life, and scenes true to his characters. As one 
 reviews the scenes in which Gorg Friedner, then Pfarrer 
 Hell, then the scheming Dusterer, then the selfish Meineid- 
 bauer, or the ambitious Helene appear, he begins to 
 realize the poet's power in i>ortraying character. If he 
 still continues to call to mind various personages, and 
 lets each live his life; if he hears the pessimistic remark 
 of Hauderer of Doppelselbstmord: "Es is a dummheit," 
 or the stereotyped, ^'Beispielmiissig" of Dusterer; and, 
 later, the cheerful words of Steinklopferhanns : "Du 
 g'horst zu dem alPn und dos alF g'hort zu dir. Es kann 
 dir nix g'schehn," the full range of Anzengruber's ability 
 to represent human activities and human character 
 becomes apparent. He busied himself with a rather limited 
 world, but in that world he was acquainted with every 
 inhabitant, and wrote their experiences true to reality. 
 He caused his personages to live out before his reader or 
 observer: "Wie es im Leben zugeht." 
 
Anzengruher^s Portrayal of Character 
 
 Bibliography. 
 
 Ludwig Anzengruber, Gesammelte Werke in zelin 
 Banden, Dritte durchgesehene Anflage. Stuttgart, 1897. 
 
 Adolf Bartels; Gescliichte der Deutschen Literatur. 
 Zweiter Band. Leipzig, 1905. 
 
 Anton Bettelheim; Anzengruber: Der ^lann — Sein 
 Werk — Seine Weltanschauung, Berlin, 1898. 
 
 J. J. David; Anzengruber. Die Diehtung, Heraus- 
 gegeben von Paul Bemer. Band II. Berlin und Leipzig. 
 
 Otto Ernst; Buch der Hoffnung. Band I. Hamburg, 
 1890. 
 
 Dr. Sigismund Friedmann; Ludwig Anzengruber. 
 Leipzig, 1902. 
 
 Dr. Sigismund Friedmann; Das deutsche Drama des 
 Neunzehnten Jalirhunderts in sein Hauptvertretern. Band 
 11. Leipzig, 1903. 
 
 Budolf von Gottscball; Die doutsche Nationalliterii 
 tur des neunzehnten Jalirhunderts. Band III. Breslau, 
 1902. 
 
 Richard M. Meyer; Die Deutsche Litteratur des 
 Neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Berlin, 1900. 
 
 Gustav Pollak; Franz Grillparzer and the Austrian 
 Drama, New York, 1907. Chap. II. Ludwig Anzengruber. 
 
 Franz Servaes; Praeludien : Ein Essaybuch. Berlin 
 und Leipzig, 1899. 
 
 Life-Sketch. 
 
 The writer, Emory Nelson Ferriss, was born on a 
 farm near Toledo, Iowa. In the fall of 1897 he entered 
 Western College Academy, and, in 1900, he began a col- 
 legiate course in the College proper, receiving the degree, 
 Bachelor of Philosophy, in 1904. In September, 1904, he 
 began graduate work at the State University of Iowa, by 
 which institution he was granted the degree of Master of 
 Arts in June, 1905. During the year of 1905-6, he was 
 Scholar in German in the State University of Iowa, and 
 
Anzemjruher^s Portrayal of Character 71 
 
 FelloAV in German durino- the year of 1907-8. During the 
 year of 1906-7, he Avas Principal of the High School at 
 Pocatello, Idaho. 
 
 His graduate work has been in German Literature, 
 (lermanic Philology, and Education. 
 
 For valuable assistance and inspiration throughout 
 tlie time of his graduate work, the writer wishes to 
 express his great indebtedness to the following persons: 
 Professor Charles Bundy Wilson, Dr. George T. Flom, 
 Dr. Frederick Elmer Bolton, Dr. Clarence Willis East- 
 man, and Professor Frederick Bernard Sturm. 
 
THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW 
 
 AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS 
 
 WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN 
 THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY 
 WILL INCREASE TO 50 CENTS ON THE FOURTH 
 DAY AND TO $1.00 ON THE SEVENTH DAY 
 OVERDUE. 
 
 MAR no 19.?4 
 
 MAY 6 193B 
 
 lJun'b9ES| - 
 
 nEC'V 
 
 fiAV ): 8 iSS : -f 
 
 LD 21-100m-7,*33 
 
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY