This dissertation argues that the interpretive framework from which Fontane's Effi Briest is commonly approached limits discussion to metropolitan core culture and fails to address Fontane's path-breaking accomplishment. After outlining limitations of some prominent approaches to Effi Briest in chapter one, my next four chapters explore alternative reading strategies that instead situate the novel in the imperial context of the new German state inflected by transnational relations and problematize the tendency to see Germany as a space territorially and culturally homogenized and stable. Chapter two reads the novel through Foucault's notion of heterotopia to demonstrate Fontane's heterotopic strategies as a counter-model to the monolithic mapping of novelistic space. In chapters three and four I use Bakhtin's chronotopic strategies to show how Fontane "fuses together" fictional time and space into a productive force for depicting society in motion and change. I demonstrate how this "spatial turn" breaks with the traditional time-paradigm and opens up space for polyphony and dialogism. Chapter five discusses Fontane's Wanderungen contrapuntally to draw attention to Fontane's counter-strategies, which break with the master narrative in favor of small-scale ones, to show their relevance for Effi Briest. The rest of my dissertation focuses on the novel's Eastern Pomeranian/Kessin-based chapters. Chapter six addresses the spatial arrangement of Hinterpommern from the viewpoint of the ruling elites. Chapter seven treats Kessin as a hybridized "third space" that both resists the dominant and represents an unstable and ambiguous alternative to paralyzing dichotomies of opposites. I also look into Hinterpommern as a contested space between Germans and Poles - and their competing claims over the Kasubians, inhabitants of the strategically important Baltic area. In chapter eight I show how the Polish margins impinge on Fontane's fictional representation of Prussia and are articulated in both the content and structure of Effi Briest. In chapter nine I discuss Fontane's representation of Polish/Slavic-hyphenated characters in terms of their different responses/resistance to anti-Slav/Polish prejudices and measures. In revealing the creative and transformative powers of margins this dissertation models alternative ways of approaching canonical writers and contributes to the transnationalization of German studies in particular and cultural studies in general.

This thesis proposes a new view of space in Theodor Fontane’s writing as both a mode of literary expression and an object of literary inquiry: space serves a poetic function and is a thematic concern. The research draws on theories of literary space which focus on spatial structures and topographies, as well as those which provide critical tools for analysing individual passages of description, especially focalisation, which elucidates the influence of the viewing figure in the text. Significantly, the subjective experience of a perceptive observer is central to Fontane’s conception of aesthetic processes, and as a result, an analysis of spatial representation often uncovers reflexive discourses on art, its function and value. On the basis of this insight, this study provides new readings of a range of texts, including less well-established and non-fictional works, as well as recognised masterpieces. In Fontane’s local travelogues, the Wanderungen, the poetic function of space is rare, while many passages reflect on the environment’s potential significance. The early novels explore spatial representation as a means of constructing textual symbolism. Spatial representation in Vor dem Sturm functions as a strategy of relativisation; in Schach von Wuthenow and Graf Petöfy topographies and pregnant descriptions serve as commentaries on characters’ levels of awareness. The mature novels Irrungen Wirrungen and Unwiederbringlich explore the sources and practical implications of reading objects in the world as signs. Space retains its formal role, but the represented figural experience of the novels’ worlds becomes a vehicle for reflexive analysis of the world’s perceived meanings. Similarly, in Der Stechlin different types of relationships with exterior reality are expressed spatially, and, as elsewhere, the capacity for aesthetic appreciation is represented positively. This entails and indeed produces critical distance towards modernity: isolated Stechlin is a locus of poetry, a testament to literature’s importance and vitality.

Zugl.: Augsburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2009.

Zielsetzung der vorliegenden literaturwissenschaftlichen Studie ist es, einige Romanfiguren in Fontanes Roman Effi Briest (Ersterscheinung im Jahr 1896) im Spiegel der protestantischen Ethik näher zu betrachten und dabei Verständnis für ihr Agieren und für ihre Mentalität zu bewirken. Wissenschaftlicher Ansatz der Studie ist die diskurstheoretische Analyse mit Fokus auf die Interdiskurstheorie. Diese Studie hat die Hypothese formuliert, die sagt, dass die situations- und ortsbedingte Interpretation von Religion sich zum moralischen Verständnis entwickelt, die sich im sozialen Handeln als ausschlaggebend für die jeweilige Entwicklung der Einzelnen zeigt. Um diese Hypothese zu bestätigen, hat die Studie drei zentrale Fragestellungen in den disziplinären Untergruppen Literaturwissenschaft, Soziologie und Soziokultur ausgearbeitet. Erkenntnisfortschritte dieser drei disziplinären Untergruppen werden in einer längeren und thematisch zugeordneten Analyse, miteinander und im fließenden Text verbunden, um so einen interdisziplinaren fachlichen Zusammenhang zu bilden. Am Leitgedanken der Hypothese dieser Studie orientiert, wird belegt, dass Verständnis von Religion und Kultur nicht voneinander getrennt zu verstehen sind und dass die Romanfiguren in Effi Briest, dementsprechend, ein moralisches Verständnis erwirken, mit eine für sich perspektivierende Sicht der Wirklichkeit, durch die sie im sozialen Kontext agieren. Die Studie belegt auch, dass das normengeleitete und normenorientierte Handeln der Romanfiguren in Effi Briest, durch einen normenprüfenden Diskurs an Geltung gewinnt und dass ethische Diskurse, so als Prozesse der sprachlichen Erzeugung von Realität zu verstehen sind, die aus moralischen Begründungen und moralischen Einsichten entstehen.

Theodor Fontane’s famous novel Effi Briest (1895) has been widely discussed in secondary literature, and every single aspect of the novel’s complex content and style seems to have been analysed; however, the similarities in content and style between Fontane’s Effi Briest and his less known and discussed work Schach von Wuthenow (1882) have not yet been recognized. A remarkable and meaningful similarity between the two regarding the content is the portrayal of a close relationship between mother and daughter which is strongly influenced by the latter’s relation to the mother’s (former) admirer. The relationship of Josephine von Carayon and her daughter Victoire and that of Luise von Briest and her daughter Effi will be compared by means of an analysis based on Michel Foucault’s theories on discourse, truth and power; in particular, the discourse of beauty, illness, honour and love will be closely examined. A method based on Foucault’s theories facilitates an analysis of the female protagonists’ actions that is free of moral implications for the protagonists are understood in their non-freedom of action owing to their discourse-constructed identity. Since the constellations of power in which the female protagonists are living cannot be analysed without the male protagonists’ influence, the constitution of Schach and Innstetten’s characters will be closely examined, too. The analysis of the discourse of beauty and illness shows that those disourses are portrayed as inseparably connected. In the society outlined by Fontane in Schach von Wuthenow, Victoire is made an outsider due to the pockmarks in her face; during the private conversation at Prince Louis’ castle, however, the prince calls Victoire a beauté du diable whose beauty is based on the survival of a fatal disease which has resulted in a passionate character. Innstetten, on the contrary, considers Effi to be particularly beautiful when she looks pale, lethargic and frail for he connects Effi’s ill appearance with his wife finally becoming a woman. Beauty, however, is exposed as a construct in both of Fontane’s works: on the one hand, by the (in itself) contradictory argumentations of the characters; on the other hand, by the narrators who criticize and disprove the prince’s idea of Victoire, which is temporarily accepted by Schach, and Innstetten’s connection of illness, beauty and femininity. The examination of the discourse of honour and love reaches the conclusion that both of Fontanes’s works portray honour as a construct with changing truth. In Schach von Wuthenow honour is exposed and critiziced mainly by Josephine, in Effi Briest mainly by Innstetten and Luise because these characters are aware of the identity-constructing quality of the demands made by society. Nevertheless, Innstetten submits his love for Effi to the claims by the disourse of honour; Luise, however, realizes in her love for Effi a part of her human essence. Luise’s love for her daughter is completely accepted since it is considered natural; thus it turns out to be beyond the demands of honour. Josephine also acknowledges the greater truth of parental love and retreats from her strong wish to live a life in harmony with society in favour of her daughter. By means of their female protagonists, Fontane’s story Schach von Wuthenow and his novel Effi Briest demand a re-evaluation of the discourse of love. Not the love between a man and a woman but the love of a mother for her daughter is portrayed as natural and is thus considered beyond any demands of the disourse of beauty and honour.

Theodor Fontane’s famous novel Effi Briest (1895) has been widely discussed in secondary literature, and every single aspect of the novel’s complex content and style seems to have been analysed; however, the similarities in content and style between Fontane’s Effi Briest and his less known and discussed work Schach von Wuthenow (1882) have not yet been recognized. A remarkable and meaningful similarity between the two regarding the content is the portrayal of a close relationship between mother and daughter which is strongly influenced by the latter’s relation to the mother’s (former) admirer. The relationship of Josephine von Carayon and her daughter Victoire and that of Luise von Briest and her daughter Effi will be compared by means of an analysis based on Michel Foucault’s theories on discourse, truth and power; in particular, the discourse of beauty, illness, honour and love will be closely examined. A method based on Foucault’s theories facilitates an analysis of the female protagonists’ actions that is free of moral implications for the protagonists are understood in their non-freedom of action owing to their discourse-constructed identity. Since the constellations of power in which the female protagonists are living cannot be analysed without the male protagonists’ influence, the constitution of Schach and Innstetten’s characters will be closely examined, too. The analysis of the discourse of beauty and illness shows that those disourses are portrayed as inseparably connected. In the society outlined by Fontane in Schach von Wuthenow, Victoire is made an outsider due to the pockmarks in her face; during the private conversation at Prince Louis’ castle, however, the prince calls Victoire a beauté du diable whose beauty is based on the survival of a fatal disease which has resulted in a passionate character. Innstetten, on the contrary, considers Effi to be particularly beautiful when she looks pale, lethargic and frail for he connects Effi’s ill appearance with his wife finally becoming a woman. Beauty, however, is exposed as a construct in both of Fontane’s works: on the one hand, by the (in itself) contradictory argumentations of the characters; on the other hand, by the narrators who criticize and disprove the prince’s idea of Victoire, which is temporarily accepted by Schach, and Innstetten’s connection of illness, beauty and femininity. The examination of the discourse of honour and love reaches the conclusion that both of Fontanes’s works portray honour as a construct with changing truth. In Schach von Wuthenow honour is exposed and critiziced mainly by Josephine, in Effi Briest mainly by Innstetten and Luise because these characters are aware of the identity-constructing quality of the demands made by society. Nevertheless, Innstetten submits his love for Effi to the claims by the disourse of honour; Luise, however, realizes in her love for Effi a part of her human essence. Luise’s love for her daughter is completely accepted since it is considered natural; thus it turns out to be beyond the demands of honour. Josephine also acknowledges the greater truth of parental love and retreats from her strong wish to live a life in harmony with society in favour of her daughter. By means of their female protagonists, Fontane’s story Schach von Wuthenow and his novel Effi Briest demand a re-evaluation of the discourse of love. Not the love between a man and a woman but the love of a mother for her daughter is portrayed as natural and is thus considered beyond any demands of the disourse of beauty and honour.

This thesis deals with an analysis of chosen books written by a famous German writer Thedor Fontane. Particularly, there are three main books I have chosen for my analysis ? Desire, Torment, Effie Briest and L?Adultera. There is a theoretical part at the beginning of my thesis. I have focused on dealing with specialized foundation. This represents later a basic part for a following analysis in the second, practical part. The second part, the analysis of books, includes general information about the book, brief content of a book and attributes of main characters. It is followed by comparison of historical reality with reality shown in the book. At the end of the whole thesis, there is the third part ? comparison of all three novels, generally as well as from the point of view of the main characters and the historical fidelity of books.

Theodore Fontane is best known as the author of numerous women's novels, which he wrote in the last ten years of his life. This diploma thesis deals with the topic of women's emancipation on the basis of textual analysis of two latter novels by Theodore Fontane - Effi Briest and Mathilde Möhring. In the first part, it characterizes the topic of the period women's emancipation and puts the author's biography into context. In the second part, it creates the picture of position of the main women characters. The last part describes the personal development of the women characters, on the basis of which I determine how much the women's emancipation reflects in the author's work and what is his attitude towards it. This thesis deals with the interpretation of the author's intent to illustrate the creation of an advanced character like Mathilde Möhring. Key words: Theodore Fontane, women's emancipation, Effi Briest, Mathilde Möhring, development of women's characters, women's novels, interpretation, author's intent, counterpoint

This study concerns the growing women´s independence movement and the professional activity among women in Germany and Austria from 1880 to 1928. Three female novel characters are examples of women who worked at home, chose to become teachers, or, in the beginning of 20th century studied science at the university and worked as scientists. This study aims at finding out if the women in the novels are shown as independent; if both female and male gender norms are represented and what differences there are between the novels. The three novels are Lotti, die Uhrmacherin by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach and first published in 1880, Mathilde Möhring by Theodor Fontane and published in 1908 and stud. chem. Helene Willfüer by Vicki Baum, published in 1928. The analysis has shown that each one of the three novels expresses social criticism and describes problems the novel figures had because of their female gender. The chosen method for this study is a comparison between the novels and it is based on feminist literature theory. The comparison has shown that three novels have clear similarities and references to the year in which they were published and they discuss actual problems. Further research and analysis is relevant because of the complexity of women´s liberation and their path to equality.