Page images
PDF
EPUB

There is, however, but little of this lightness of character about our author. Freytag's views of life are deep and comprehensive; his knowledge thorough; his nature averse to intercourse; indeed, he has withdrawn himself, as it were, into a fortress.

[ocr errors]

Jan Piontek-the latter word is but a translation of the name Freytag,-who died in 1723, is the first "historic representative of the author's family, who were settled in Kreuzburg, in Upper Silesia. How and why he came to give himself this name, when tradition vouches for the existence of the German translation at a much earlier period, is not known. His son Adam, however, again adopted the German cognomen. In 1797, Adam's son, Gottlob Ferdinand Freytag, the father of our novelist, settled at Kreuzburg as a doctor. He was a good-hearted man, but, having been brought up in the school of life, he was somewhat hard and rough. Freytag's mother Henrietta, the daughter of Pastor Zebe, of Wüstebriese, Silesia, was of an altogether different stamp. She was of poetic temperament, touched with enthusiasm, and possessed of much sensibility for literary pursuits; indeed, she might almost be described as a bel esprit. a bel esprit. The married life of the couple was a happy one. Attracted and bound to each other by the opposite features of their characters, their happiness reached its apex when, on July 13th, 1816, a son was born to them, whom they christened Gustav. A second son was born later and

received the name of Reinhold.

Both boys passed their earliest years in the seclusion of the parental home. They were not taught by their father, whose professional duties forbade it, but by an uncle. Subsequently, however, as the boys gave evidence of possessing excellent parts, it became apparent that they ought to be sent to a superior school, where they would receive regular instruction. Consequently, in 1829, Gustav took his departure from Kreuzburg, and went to reside with another uncle in Oels, in which town he attended the "Gymnasium" (grammar school). It is not easy correctly to estimate the influence which his home-life had on the author. That it was not slight is shown in the last volume of Our Forefathers. While in the house of his parents, one seed was planted in Gustav Freytag's soul the fruit of which he has reaped and enjoyed throughout his whole life: love for the theatre and dramatic art. It was in 1824 he saw his first dramatic representation, given by a travelling company on a visit to Kreuzburg, when this, to him new, art forthwith gained his undying affection. At the "Gymnasium,' Gustav considerably distinguished himself. He was the favourite of the head-master, always stood at the top of his class, and in 1835 passed his final examination brilliantly. It was with regret that his master, as well as his uncle, to whose peculiar nature he

[ocr errors]

*J had quickly learned to adapt himself, saw his departure. In April 1835 he commenced his studies at Breslau University. He entered himself for several subjects, but did not study for a profession. He enrolled himself as a member of the powerful and illustrious corps of the "Borussen," and divided his superfluous time [or leisure ?] between the study of the various kinds of beer manufactured in Breslau, and visits to the theatre which, at that day, was accounted one of the best in Germany. As regards learning, nothing had any attraction for him, except the writings of the brothers Grimm, while among the professors, there was only Hoffmann von Fallersleben for whom he felt any personal liking. In October 1836 he left Breslau and went to Berlin. Here he attended lectures by Böckh, Bopp, Von der Hagen, and Lachmann-the most celebrated professors of those days in Germany-in Literature and Philology. He was not less regular in his visits to the Royal Theatre, and even tried his hand at drama in Falkenstein's Atonement, The Hussite, &c., none of which, however, saw the light of day-a clear proof of how much his pursuits and his inclinations were at variance; and that, as yet, he had no fixed and definite aim, is offered by his doctoral dissertation, "De initiis scenicae poëseos apud Germanos."

Many of his holidays, during this time, he was in the habit of spending on the estate of a family with whom he was intimate, taking great interest in the study of agriculture, which was there carried on on an extensive scale. To these holiday visits he owes much mental stimulus of various kinds; the masterly descriptions of the country and rural scenes, in his later novels, are in a great measure to be traced to the impressions he here received. When Freytag had finished his university career, he settled down in Breslau as an unattached professor. On May 1, 1839, he delivered his introductory lecture, "De Hrosuitha poëtria."

[ocr errors]

Freytag's discourse is not more interesting than such dissertations usually are, beside which it is wanting in that classical elegance with which, subsequently, he so well understood how to enliven the very driest disquisitions.

From 1839 to 1817 were for Freytag eight most pleasant years. True, neither his professorial duties nor his colleagues at the university contributed much towards rendering his residence in Breslau particularly agreeable. In the first place, he was himself not so much at home in the field of labour which he was cultivating, as to prevent him meeting with occasional obstacles in his path. The history of the German language and literature, as a department of science, was at that time not nearly so far advanced as it is to day. Moreover, the condition of things at Breslau university, in those years, was unendurable for young and

aspiring talent. The ruling spirit was one of pedantry. Even the merest externals were sufficient to occasion unpleasantness. As a young man, Freytag used to pay some little regard to his personal appearance, and would not rarely take his seat in the professor's chair, wearing light gloves, a circumstance which sufficed to draw upon him considerable annoyance from some of his elder colleagues. There were, in fact, only two of the latter with whom he cultivated any close intercourse: Hoffman von Fallersleben and Dr. Geyder. It was poesy and liberal views, both of which were capital crimes in the eyes of the rest of their colleagues, which united the trio. They collected ancient popular songs; took excursions, in company, into the charming mountain scenery of the neighbourhood, or to the castles of friendly magnates. One such excursion they made at Whitsuntide in the year 1840 to Gimmel, one of the estates belonging to Count Alexander von Dyhrn, in the district of Oels. The Count was a goodnatured, but gay and frivolous man, who wished to be looked upon as a bel esprit, but who in reality was a purely sensual character. The best thing about him was his wife, an interesting lady, at the age in which women are most dangerous. The Count was not the most devoted of husbands, and, moreover, left to his wife the entertainment of his guests. Freytag was so captivated by the sweetness and charm of the noble lady, that their stay, only intended to cover a few days, was extended over a whole week. This visit was fated to have important consequences on Freytag's future life, for the image of the Countess never again faded from his memory. That so fair a flower should be tended with so little love, was to him incomprehensible.

Freytag was not always the philosopher, as we know him today, solitarily retreating to his lone and lofty post of observation. In those years, on the contrary, he had a joyous temperament and was fond of life, and as, among his colleagues of that time, he could not find what his nature required-bright faces, laughter, familiar converse, and the ring of glasses-he sought it in other circles, and not last in theatrical circles.

It was about this time that his first poetical essays were made. As was to be expected from a German writer-although, at this period, he looked upon himself as far removed from the vocation of authorship-he began his literary career by writing some lyrics.. The collection, which is entitled, In Breslau, appeared in 1845, but the poems were composed, for the most part, in 1839-40. The volume opens with stanzas in rhyme of a serious, even a tragic, character, and coloured by local circumstances, treating of the misery suffered by the Poles, who, in consequence of the insurrection, had been expelled from their country, and, in large

numbers, had migrated to Breslau. These are followed by others on ordinary subjects, such as the rescue of fallen girls — a favourite topic with all young poets; then follow ballads of a more cheerful character, legends, and, last of all, some drinking songs. There are also some trifles of a political nature. The best piece of the collection, however, is the legend of "Junker Gotthelf von Habenichts." Apart from its numerous poetical beauties, the poem deserves a place in the history of Freytag's mental development, because it is here we meet, for the first time, with those figures which we must characterize as specially Freytag's types. One of these is that of a grave man who has had to undergo the hard discipline of life, but whose warm heart, nevertheless, often runs away with his head: an honest, upright, at times even rude, fellow; to whom every lie is an abomination, and whom his straightforwardness sometimes brings into the most awkward predicaments, out of which, however, after hard struggles, he generally manages to fight his way again, so that in the end he attains the desired goal and marries his love in triumph. With this character the author, as a rule, associates the wag, that refreshing complement of his nature, who now, playfully consolatory, stands by him ever ready to help, while sportively ridiculing and jesting at the rest of the community; then again, as a friend and equal, enlivens for him, by his good humour, the most trying and unpleasant situations, and contributes largely towards bringing everything to a happy termination. These figures are virtually nothing more than the personification of the distinctive qualities of the true German, in whose soul a weighty seriousness and a merry humour dwell side by side, and whose prototypes may be traced back to Wieland's Hüon and Scherasmin. The feelings, thoughts, and actions of Freytag's creations are always genuinely national, and this is the reason why they arouse in the German reader an interest so familiar that, after the first quarter of an hour's acquaintance, it seems to him that he has known them all his life, and that their types must belong to the circle of his daily intercourse. Freytag's female characters, also, preserve a certain family likeness. There are many pretty trifles among the poems, which deserve to be saved from oblivion. The mature poet may, perhaps, look down upon these youthful efforts with a slightly sarcastic smile, but to the literary historian they are in the highest degree interesting, and especially for this reason, that they are the first and last verses Freytag ever wrote.

After the death of King Frederick William III., during whose reign poetry had been unable to awaken any response of favour or support in his barren nature, his art-loving son and successor attempted to make amends for the shortcomings of the past. One

act of his with this purpose in view, useless indeed, but worthy of being gratefully acknowledged on account of its good intention, was the offering of prizes for good German comedies. In this competition Gustav Freytag took part, and he had the pleasure of seeing his piece, which was the first dramatic effort with which he had ventured to come before the public, honoured with a second prize. It was written in 1841, and published in 1844, under the title of Seeking a Wife; or, Kunz von der Rosen.

It is not to be denied that, dramatically considered, the piece has many weak points, its greatest weakness being the subject; and yet it has no mean excellencies. A wholesome breath of pure air blows through it from beginning to end; we feel ourselves thoroughly in harmony with these natural beings, every one of whom has preserved nature's bloom upon their cheeks. Maximilian, heir to the dominions of Austria, and his fool Kunz, are a pair of magnificently-drawn characters. The one, true-hearted, courageous, serious-a jest or a smile rarely passing his lips; the fool, full of jokes and pranks, watchful, clever, devotedly attached to his master, and unselfish even to self-sacrifice; yet, at the same time, anxiously concerned to conceal the very existence of his affection, as well as its expression. This wilful suppression of all warm feeling, hiding it under a rough or mocking exterior, is a peculiarity of almost all Freytag's male characters. They consider it unmanly to show tender susceptibilities, and yet they allow themselves to be governed by them, just like any other honest mortal. This peculiarity is almost invariably associated with a vein of sarcasm turned against its possessor, a conscious, jesting self-depreciation. This kind of irony is the most refined expression of feeling. Only a character in which the sensibilities are highly developed, a nature full of activity, and regardless of its own personality and tenderest feelings, is capable of using it. No one, as a rule, is more easily offended, or more sensitive to the jests of others, than your vulgar mortal, who frequently scents insinuations under the most harmless expressions. In his nature there is far more of self-conceit than self-depreciation.

Instead of giving himself now with renewed ardour to poetical work, and again producing something of merit, for the next three years Freytag allowed his pen to rust, and having then commenced a new work, he permitted even this to lie unfinished. When his play had been put upon the stage in Breslau, he, for the first time, became aware of his own shortcomings, and of how much was wanting to his perfection. He now resolved to study with all his might, and to this end went to school to the French, those masters of clever grouping; concise, truthful dialogue, and the art of drawing figures with a few characteristic strokes. While

« PreviousContinue »