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22nd out of 46 books
—
8 voters
The Marquise of O
An ingenious “whodunit” and one of the greatest works of German literature, The Marquise of O– subverts the 18th-century notion of the infallibility of man and reveals the true ambiguity and caprice of humanity. Held captive by a band of unspeakable ruffians, the Marquise of O– is rescued before they can subject her to a fate worse than death. So how can it be that, some m...more
Paperback, Hesperus Classics, 112 pages
Published
June 1st 2003
by Hesperus Press
(first published 1808)
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Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811) is a German writer of the early 19th century. He's not all that well known worldwide and even in Germany he remained a relative unkown for almost a century. His writing was so ahead of its time and he's been called the forerunner of modern drama. The Marquise of O is a collection of short stories - the writing is quite abrupt, dry, and straighforward. It's also impersonal and almost deliberately anti-literary. I love that it has such a contemporary feel to it.
In "...more
In "...more
I never would have found this if it hadn't been for Francine Prose. And it would have been a great miss. Three short stories in this thin volume; the title story, The Earthquake in Chile and The Changeling. All are strange, chilling in a philosophical rather than ghostly or horror way, though there is plenty of horror and a hint of the supernatural, and absolutely absorbing.
von Kleist was a German romantic, a one time collaborator with Goethe who managed to fit quite a lot into his 34 years. To...more
von Kleist was a German romantic, a one time collaborator with Goethe who managed to fit quite a lot into his 34 years. To...more
Man,
I heard about this story because it's supposed to be one of those perfect things that all wanna be authors should seek. I read it and wasn't disappointed at all. Long before Hemingway taught us all to use taut language, von Kleist was on top of it. It's fast. It's furious. It's fun. It's also highly recommended. I've written a plot summary of the story that I'll include as a link, but you should really give it a read yourself. The Plot Spot summary of The Marquise of O
I heard about this story because it's supposed to be one of those perfect things that all wanna be authors should seek. I read it and wasn't disappointed at all. Long before Hemingway taught us all to use taut language, von Kleist was on top of it. It's fast. It's furious. It's fun. It's also highly recommended. I've written a plot summary of the story that I'll include as a link, but you should really give it a read yourself. The Plot Spot summary of The Marquise of O
Heinrich von Kleist's The Marquise of O and Other Stories is a gratifying and rewarding read with many unexpected and unpredictable turn of events. His stories are often cast in an eerie, multi-dimensional reality.
To adequately comprehend and appreciate the richness, depth, and complexity of Kleist's prose, a careful reading is needed. His style is dense and intricate in its syntax, replete with lengthy passages, which, in some cases, seem to flow on and on like a spring cascade. The plot and s...more
To adequately comprehend and appreciate the richness, depth, and complexity of Kleist's prose, a careful reading is needed. His style is dense and intricate in its syntax, replete with lengthy passages, which, in some cases, seem to flow on and on like a spring cascade. The plot and s...more
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I know this book was a big scandal when it was first published and I really apprectiate Kleist's courage, but still it bored me to death and I just couldn't get into the story at all.
I read the translation by Ben Greenberg, so I'll speak to that version. Von Kleist's stories are stupendous, complex, mysterious, and masterful.
mir geht nicht ganz auf was daran jetzt das tolle sein soll. satzbau übrigens in bourdieuscher umständlichkeit.
I'm not quite sure yet where to put this one. It wasn't an unpleasant read, but I'm rather baffled by how the lady in question (the Marquise of O) so matter-of-factly marries the man who obviously raped her while she was unconscious... how she could even consider it. I'd probably have ripped his nuts off instead... but you never know - - - I do wonder though, whatever was going on in those minds? And probably still is, in some cases. Very generally speaking... Confusing, I know. Like I said, it...more
I took a long time to pick on Kleist. Nonetheless i found out now how magical words are, how vulnerable. And even when sentences are incomplete we still can understand
May 04, 2013
Rich Hard
marked it as to-read
Apr 28, 2013
Petwo
is currently reading it
Apr 11, 2013
Lilly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
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review of another edition
Shelves:
20xxㅣchallengeㅣ1000-books-book
Apr 07, 2013
Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
classico,
romanzi-repubblica
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The dramatist, writer, lyricist, and publicist Heinrich von Kleist was born in Frankfurt an der Oder in 1777. Upon his father's early death in 1788 when he was ten, he was sent to the house of the preacher S. Cartel and attended the French Gymnasium. In 1792, Kleist entered the guard regiment in Potsdam and took part in the Rhein campaign against France in 1796. Kleist voluntarily resigned from ar...more
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updated Jan 15, 2012 05:55am
Jan 15, 2012 02:17pm