2019 is "Fontanejahr" in which we celebrate the bicentenary of the writer's birth. It might seem odd that I would kick off the celebration with a review of Fontane's last novel - Der Stechlin - but I reread the book over the holidays in preparation for the "year of Fontane." Stechlin is Fontane's longest novel and lacks the tight narrative structure of Effi Briest (see my review) or his novellas such as Schach von Wuthenow (see my review). Nor is there much action in the 500 pages, as Fontane himself pointed out in a letter shortly after completing the novel:
"Zum Schluß stirbt ein Alter, und zwei Junge heiraten sich; – das ist so ziemlich alles, was auf 500 Seiten geschieht. Von Verwicklungen und Lösungen, von Herzenskonflikten oder Konflikten überhaupt, von Spannungen und Überraschungen findet sich nichts."
No, the novel is comprised almost entirely of long stretches of dialogue, in which the author has his final say concerning the decline of the Prussian aristocracy, represented here by the title character, Dubslav von Stechlin. Fontane was correct in writing that the novel lacks the dramatic love conflicts that result in tragedy (Effi Briest) or suicide (Schach). But there is conflict, nonetheless, between the old Junkertum and the upstart social democrats, between the cosmopolitan Berlin and rural Brandenburg, between religious dogma (represented by the sister Aldelheid) and free-thinking liberalism. But in Der Stechlin Fontane deals with these conflicts with good humor and his characteristic sunny melancholy. Dubslav may mourn the passing of his way of life, but he constantly summons the democratically-minded Pastor Lorenz for long debates on this subject or that, even - occasionally - admitting a grudging admiration for the new. "Und ich muß bekennen, es hat manches für sich, trotzdem es mir nicht recht paßt."
Dubslav von Stechlin has a strong personality - beloved by all, but, as is often the case with Fontane, a strong female character nearly steals the show. In this case it is the Countess Mesuline, whose intellectual exuberance and sparkling conversation are in stark contrast to her pale, rather introverted sister, Komtesse Armgard. It is not surprising that Stechlin's son - also a rather pale character compared to his father - chooses Armgard as his bride. The couple apparently remains childless, so the Stechlin lineage ends. Fontane gives Mesuline the last words: "[...] es ist nicht nötig, daß die Stechline weiterleben, aber es lebe der Stechlin".
But does something of the old Dublsav von Stechlin live on - and not just in a spiritual sense? As he gets closer to death, Stechlin summons 10-year old Agnes - the illegitimate daughter of a former maid Karline - to stay with him. The presence of this blonde, vital child provides comfort to the dying Dubslav even as it scandalizes his pious sister Adelheid. Then there is this telling exchange between Dubslav and Adelheid
Adelheid: " ich wiederhole meine Frage, wie kommst du zu dem Kind?“
Dubslav: „Ich hab’ es kommen lassen.“
Adelheid „Haha. Sehr gut; ‚kommen lassen‘. Der Klapperstorch hat es dir wohl von der grünen Wiese gebracht und natürlich auch gleich für die roten Beine gesorgt. Aber ich kenne dich besser. Die Leute hier thun immer so, wie wenn du dem alten Kortschädel sittlich überlegen gewesen wärst. Ich für meine Person kann’s nicht finden und sagte dir gern meine Meinung darüber. Aber ich nehme häßliche Worte nicht gern in den Mund.“
Dublsav doesn't exactly dispute his sister's suspicion.
In his novel Ein weites Feld, Günter Grass has a sequence where the young Theodor Fontane, then working as a pharmacist in Dresden, has an illegitimate child with the 18-year-old daughter of a gardener. Whether this actually happened, and whether Agnes in Der Stechlin is a reflection of his own daughter, will no doubt be debated during Fontanejahr.
See also my reviews of Irrungen Wirrungen and Unwiederbringlich,
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