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The Stechlin
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The Stechlin - May BOTM
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I just finished this today, so if there isn't a host already, I can take this one.
Mod
Thank you Amanda. I was on vacation so I didn't get a chance to follow up with questions. Thank you!
I've finished. The only book by Fontane that I'd read before was Effi Briest, and The Stechlin was a disappointment after that.I read the Kindle version with the slightly weird translation, so perhaps that's to blame. I agree with one Amazon reviewer that it reads like Google should get the credit for the translation. Mostly I figured out what was meant, but sometimes I was lost, and it made the conversations seem flat and unmemorable to me.
Sometimes the translation made me laugh. I particularly liked "the dominatrix" for a lady who should have been called "the abbess" :o
I know very little about Germany in this period between the Franco-Prussian war and WWI. I did know that links between England and Germany were strong, with a lot of English people visiting Germany and admiring the culture, and this book shows it went both ways. With this level of mutual appreciation you wonder how WWI happened - but I think that was all about empires and alliances.
If this is really a great piece of literature, I think I missed a lot.
Hey all: apologies for not bringing questions... It's been an iffy health month and I completely forgot I signed up for this. Here is some for those that have read:
1) This story takes place in late 19th century Prussia: what did you know about this period before starting the book (if anything), and did you learn anything about this period in history from the book?
2) Who were the Junkers and what impression did you get of them from reading this book?
3) How would you characterize the main character, Dubslav von Stechlin? How does his characterization and that of his staff/other characters (even his estate itself) reflect the themes of the novel?
4) The novel isn't particularly plot heavy, so where do you feel the interest/conflict in the book comes from?
5) Did this novel remind you of any others you've read either on or off the list?
6) and as always do you think this book deserved it's place on the list, why or why not?
1) I teach and tutor European history for a test prep company, so I am fairly familiar with this stage of Prussian/German history, although definitely not an expert. I could place this in the context of the fairly recent Industrialization and unification of Germany, and removal of Otto Von Bismarck as chancellor by the Emperor and the beginning of the decline of the Junker class. This background knowledge did help in appreciating the work. The more specific differences in opinion between Von Stechlin and that of his military more "new nationalism" son were interesting and not things I would have necessarily known. 2) The Junkers were the Prussian traditional landed gentry, and were particularly politically active during the chancellorship of Von Bismarck who was himself from that class, and largely in opposition to more expansive democracy. To some extent, this book really seems to romanticize the Junkers- it does make the point that the world is moving on without them- but it seems to suggest this is something to be mourned. Fontane was apparently a strong critic of the militarism of the German Empire in its wars with Austria, France, and Denmark in the 1860s-70s. I wonder if his intent was for this book to be more of a send-up of the Junkers than it comes across as, or if he associates them more with the traditional Germanic provinces (like Prussia) versus the more modern unified German military machine (exemplified more by Von Stechlin's son).
3) Dubslav von Stechlin comes across as a laid back, not politically concerned, amiable man who just wants to tend to his estate and socialize with his staff and local people. He is kind of presented to make the point about the Junkers being too comfortable and detached from public life to have remained relevant in the face of modernization, and I'm not sure this is the most accurate way to characterize them at this point in history on the whole. Him and the decaying estate seem to represent a changing of the guard from the traditional to the modern.
4) Most of the interest/conflict in this book is supposed to stem from the long political discussions and how different positions (traditional, military nationalism, and progressivism) clashed with each other at the time, and the sense of looming doom of houses like Von Stechlin. It worked for me to a certain extent, but it certainly wasn't the most exciting book I've ever read and as a modern reader, the scope of the book now seems incredibly fishbowl-y.
5) Gail mentioned in the review thread that it is similar to Buddenbrooks in being about the decay of the old Germanic aristocracy. On the whole, I definitely found Buddenbrooks to be stronger.
6) It's hard to say given the meh quality translation (I agree with Rosemary- the use of dominatrix where abbess was the correct word was hilarious). But, that aside, I'm not sure the perspective and action/lack of action would have been exponentially increased with better translation. That said, it was a fine book that served as an interesting capsule to this class and point in history. I gave it 3 stars, and if I wrote the list would potentially bump it for something else.
1. I did not know much about this time in German history - even had to look up the definition of Junker!2. The Junkers were country squires who owned a lot of land and kept peasants in serflike conditions. More importantly they supported and supplied the officers for the Prussian army. They were generally very conservative and disliked moves towards a more democratic Germany. It could be argued that their opposition helped Hitler’s rise.
3. Stechlin was affable and humble. He wasn’t comfortable with changes in society but did not actively oppose them. He was best friends with a progressive clergyman.
4. Frankly, I found it quite a slog. The interesting bits were the descriptions of the countryside because they were quite lyrical and well translated. The meat of the novel was in the conversations and they were mostly unintelligible. Things like “cots” came up in conversation and I had no idea what they were referring to. The translation did not sound like any real conversations.
5. No, actually, one thing you could say about this translation is that it was unique!
6. It garnered praise and it is on the list, so it must have merit, but this was lost on me.
Mod
2) Who were the Junkers and what impression did you get of them from reading this book? As others have identified. The Junkers were a privileged class and this is about the ending of that privilege. It reminded me that change is constant in the march of history.
3) How would you characterize the main character, Dubslav von Stechlin? How does his characterization and that of his staff/other characters (even his estate itself) reflect the themes of the novel? He is the last of that period and class of men.
4) The novel isn't particularly plot heavy, so where do you feel the interest/conflict in the book comes from? the conflict is the change that is occurring in the society especially politically. It was definitely not plot driven. I really felt so sorry that Dubslav died without his family around. How very sad.
5) Did this novel remind you of any others you've read either on or off the list? it reminded me of other books that are about the same thing, the end of an era, the end of a family.
6) and as always do you think this book deserved its place on the list, why or why not? I liked his other book that is on the list more than this one. This was a hard month of reading because both books this month did not hold my interest much and falling asleep was so easy. I finished 5/31/23 at 11:45 pm.
Looks like there is a mini series that was done in 1975. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181258/