Effi Briest
Reading a textbook quickly turns into a tedious and repetitive process. Even though a textbook provides us with important factual events and dates, it fails to enlighten us on the actual morality and functioning of society at a specific period. Filling those gaps are authors and other historians who have written more pleasurable novels that emphasize societal structures, morals, manners. An example of such would be the admired and highly looked upon novel by many historians, Effi Briest, by Theodor Fontane. In this novel, Fontane exhibits societal pressures and its loss of morals due to expectations and beliefs. Through Theodor’s use of language, style and most importantly content of the novel, we are given a clearer perspective of what
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it truly meant to live in the 1880’s. Effi Briest, the novel that maps out the truth about society and its pressures along with the ties between politics, manners, and morals, is one of many of Theodor’s novels that contain the reality in the hardships endured of living an aristocratic life, especially that of a woman. In the novel, Effi Briest, a young girl is forced into a marriage to an older Prussian diplomat and a former admirer of Effi‘s mother. Effi’s life soon is spent within the walls of her and her husbands, Baron Geert von Innstetten,’s home in Kessin, where Effi feels isolated and locked away from the world around her. Effi’s longing for her past life along with neglect she feels, causes her to commit adultery with Major Crampas. Years later, her Prussian husband, learns of Effi’s wrongdoing and challenges Crampas to a duel eventually killing him. Instetten then receives custody of their daughter and divorces Effi, leaving her to die alone years later. Theodor Fontane’s reason for his use of adultery is important in explaining what cannot be read in textbooks.
In his novel, he attempts to show the tensions between following social norms and fulfilling one’s desires, in this case those of a young aristocratic woman. Placing her into higher class society as the wife of an important Prussian diplomat is meant to show the hardships and societal expectations one feels obligated to follow. The authors aim justifies his use of Effi Briest as the main character. Effi, being as young and free spirited as she is, is faced with a decision when her boredom and lack of spontaneity tempt her towards adultery which society finds unforgivable and abominable. Effi’s problem was that she was unable to undergo the social shift from her former self because in doing so she would deny her true, natural self and her desire for risk-loving nature. After Effi commits adultery she is shut away from society forcing her to lead a life of isolation and shame. Innstetten divorces Effi, leaving her to live and provide for herself with the little resources she had. Fontane’s use of age difference too plays an important role. The age gap between the married couple represents a society in the process of change in which the old values have lost their ethical validity but not to an extent to which they can not nullify the approaching generation. The age difference also represents the political status which questions the hold of the old age over the
new. Another very important event in the novel lays in the actual duel between the two men. Innstetten is forced to a decision he believes to be inevitable. He challenges Major Crampas to a duel but for reasons much different than those of jealousy or revenge. Innstetten’s basis for his decision lies in the expectations and pressures placed on him by society. Innstetten feels the only way to preserve his high, domineering status and political position is to prove himself as a man of discipline and rule through a duel with Crampas. He feared the status of his reputation, believing he would be rejected by society by seeming weak and undisciplined if he was to not kill Crampas., which was a risk he was unwilling to take. Hence, in order to preserve not only his reputation but political status as well as respect from society, he felt killing Crampas was crucial. Years later, the feeling of remorse had not left Innstetten and he regrets taking the life of Crampas. Through this event, Fontane demonstrates societal pressures and expectations of the 1880’s that were unavoidable especially in high status positions. One’s life depended on other’s expectations, and if one chose to live free of them, they were looked down upon as a reject of society. And so, essentially, German society was the basis of one’s morals. Effi’s death plays a major role in displaying society as a type of prison hardly possible to escape. Effi wished her gravestone to bear the name “Effi Briest” instead of her former name which had consisted of “von.” She felt, by doing so she was freeing herself from social oppression and proving her strength in being able to hold on to her inner integrity, that she had not lost to society. Yet, sadly the only way this was possible was through death. This implied that it was impossible to survive independent of a social context. No matter how wrong society’s values are, one had no choice but to either accept the idea that the only possible existence is social existence or be completely rejected by society in trying to live a free, independent life based on one’s own morals and values. This representation is an important factor in the shaping of Fontane’s novel and the meaning he desired to portray. In the Bismarck period, which is the setting of the novel, political and social outlook is an important element of society. In this period, Germany is on their way to becoming a domineering country with high hopes of becoming a leading nation. And so, in order to do this many factors have to come into play. Discipline becomes a huge constituent of leading officials which essentially migrates to German society in general. Yet, what Fontane proves in his novel is the amplifying of discipline to a whole new level which results in extreme modification to society’s values and morals. Eventually, societal pressures become so great they override morals of human beings. Fontane’s aim in his novel is to show expectations of society that blur morality. People became wrapped up in their statuses and expectations which in turn caused them to lose their identity, true integrity and independence, along with their morals. Fontane’s goal in writing this novel is to demonstrate social life in Germany in the 1880’s, rather than the actual historical accounts that are given to us through textbooks. In Effi Briest, the reader is given an idea of what it means to live in Germany during the time period and the societal pressures one had to encounter. Through this novel, Fontane not only addresses the historical context and life in the 1880’s, but he mostly displays what he believes to be the biggest issue, the place of an individual in society and the possibility of rejecting societal oppression and its consequences. Fontane’s interest in writing the novel lies in society’s role in social isolation, nature versus social structure, societal oppression, and the loss of morality and values. Effi Briest, a must read, provides us with a better understanding of life in the 1880’s in a rapidly growing nation and society’s influence in the lives of German citizens.
it truly meant to live in the 1880’s. Effi Briest, the novel that maps out the truth about society and its pressures along with the ties between politics, manners, and morals, is one of many of Theodor’s novels that contain the reality in the hardships endured of living an aristocratic life, especially that of a woman. In the novel, Effi Briest, a young girl is forced into a marriage to an older Prussian diplomat and a former admirer of Effi‘s mother. Effi’s life soon is spent within the walls of her and her husbands, Baron Geert von Innstetten,’s home in Kessin, where Effi feels isolated and locked away from the world around her. Effi’s longing for her past life along with neglect she feels, causes her to commit adultery with Major Crampas. Years later, her Prussian husband, learns of Effi’s wrongdoing and challenges Crampas to a duel eventually killing him. Instetten then receives custody of their daughter and divorces Effi, leaving her to die alone years later. Theodor Fontane’s reason for his use of adultery is important in explaining what cannot be read in textbooks.
In his novel, he attempts to show the tensions between following social norms and fulfilling one’s desires, in this case those of a young aristocratic woman. Placing her into higher class society as the wife of an important Prussian diplomat is meant to show the hardships and societal expectations one feels obligated to follow. The authors aim justifies his use of Effi Briest as the main character. Effi, being as young and free spirited as she is, is faced with a decision when her boredom and lack of spontaneity tempt her towards adultery which society finds unforgivable and abominable. Effi’s problem was that she was unable to undergo the social shift from her former self because in doing so she would deny her true, natural self and her desire for risk-loving nature. After Effi commits adultery she is shut away from society forcing her to lead a life of isolation and shame. Innstetten divorces Effi, leaving her to live and provide for herself with the little resources she had. Fontane’s use of age difference too plays an important role. The age gap between the married couple represents a society in the process of change in which the old values have lost their ethical validity but not to an extent to which they can not nullify the approaching generation. The age difference also represents the political status which questions the hold of the old age over the
new. Another very important event in the novel lays in the actual duel between the two men. Innstetten is forced to a decision he believes to be inevitable. He challenges Major Crampas to a duel but for reasons much different than those of jealousy or revenge. Innstetten’s basis for his decision lies in the expectations and pressures placed on him by society. Innstetten feels the only way to preserve his high, domineering status and political position is to prove himself as a man of discipline and rule through a duel with Crampas. He feared the status of his reputation, believing he would be rejected by society by seeming weak and undisciplined if he was to not kill Crampas., which was a risk he was unwilling to take. Hence, in order to preserve not only his reputation but political status as well as respect from society, he felt killing Crampas was crucial. Years later, the feeling of remorse had not left Innstetten and he regrets taking the life of Crampas. Through this event, Fontane demonstrates societal pressures and expectations of the 1880’s that were unavoidable especially in high status positions. One’s life depended on other’s expectations, and if one chose to live free of them, they were looked down upon as a reject of society. And so, essentially, German society was the basis of one’s morals. Effi’s death plays a major role in displaying society as a type of prison hardly possible to escape. Effi wished her gravestone to bear the name “Effi Briest” instead of her former name which had consisted of “von.” She felt, by doing so she was freeing herself from social oppression and proving her strength in being able to hold on to her inner integrity, that she had not lost to society. Yet, sadly the only way this was possible was through death. This implied that it was impossible to survive independent of a social context. No matter how wrong society’s values are, one had no choice but to either accept the idea that the only possible existence is social existence or be completely rejected by society in trying to live a free, independent life based on one’s own morals and values. This representation is an important factor in the shaping of Fontane’s novel and the meaning he desired to portray. In the Bismarck period, which is the setting of the novel, political and social outlook is an important element of society. In this period, Germany is on their way to becoming a domineering country with high hopes of becoming a leading nation. And so, in order to do this many factors have to come into play. Discipline becomes a huge constituent of leading officials which essentially migrates to German society in general. Yet, what Fontane proves in his novel is the amplifying of discipline to a whole new level which results in extreme modification to society’s values and morals. Eventually, societal pressures become so great they override morals of human beings. Fontane’s aim in his novel is to show expectations of society that blur morality. People became wrapped up in their statuses and expectations which in turn caused them to lose their identity, true integrity and independence, along with their morals. Fontane’s goal in writing this novel is to demonstrate social life in Germany in the 1880’s, rather than the actual historical accounts that are given to us through textbooks. In Effi Briest, the reader is given an idea of what it means to live in Germany during the time period and the societal pressures one had to encounter. Through this novel, Fontane not only addresses the historical context and life in the 1880’s, but he mostly displays what he believes to be the biggest issue, the place of an individual in society and the possibility of rejecting societal oppression and its consequences. Fontane’s interest in writing the novel lies in society’s role in social isolation, nature versus social structure, societal oppression, and the loss of morality and values. Effi Briest, a must read, provides us with a better understanding of life in the 1880’s in a rapidly growing nation and society’s influence in the lives of German citizens.