A Hidden Glimpse at Old Thailand? the "Siam Epi- Sode" in Fontane's Novel U Nwiederbringlich Reinhold Grimm* Abstract

turies following the Banise however I A Hidden Glimpse at Old . ' ' had been unaware of any treatments of Thailand? The "Siam Epi Thai topics in German letters; and the sode" in Fontane's Novel quite recent, though very important and U nwiederbringlich meritorious, exception to the rule, Rella Kothmann's collection ofvarious Thai texts in German rendition, her Das Reinhold Grimm* . siamesische Liicheln ("The Siamese Smile"),3 appeared only after I had Abstract penned and delivered my lecture-in fact, simultaneously, as it were, with my aforesaid book. Hardly ever do images of Thai or Thai land occur in German literature. Alas, such a paucity of evidence is by Granted, there exists an early if seem ingly isolated forerunner from the 17th no means restricted to the realm ofbelles lettres, nor ofliterary endeavors at large, century: namely, Heinrich Anshelm von either. The pertinent handbooks bear Zigler und Kliphausen's voluminous embarrassing witness to this. Neither in Baroque novel in titled Die asiatische Banise ("The Asian Banise" [which is Frenzels's Stoffe der Weltliteratur or Schmitt's Stoff-und Motivge-schichte the name of the heroine]).' I adduced it, der deutschen Literatur, nor in the and briefly discussed its opening scene, in my talk "What is a Good Dramatic Daemmrichs' jointly authored Themes Text? A German's Answer to a Thai's and Motifs in Western Literature and Wiederholte Spiegelungen: Themen und Question" that I gave in Bangkok almost Motive in der Literatur, 4 can the slight a decade ago, and which was subse est, the most fleeting mention of Thai quently published, in a Thai translation by Chetana Nagavajara, in Silpakorn land (or of Siam, for that matter) be University's Journal of the Faculty of 3 Das siamesische Liicheln: Literatur und Arts and, in its English original, in my Revolution in Thailand. Ed. Hella Kothmann book Versuche zur europiiischen (K61n: Neuer ISP Verlag, 1994). 2 Literatur of 1994. As for the three cen- 4 Cf. Elisabeth Frenzel, Stoffe der Weltliteratur: Ein Lexikon dichtungs *Professor, University of California geschichtlicher Liingsschnitte (Stuttgart: Riverside Kroner, 1963); Franz Anselm Schmitt, Stoff 1 Cf. Heinrich Anshelm von Zigler und und Motivgeschichte der deutschen Kliphausen, Die a siatische Banise [ect.]. ·· Literatur: Eine Bibliographie (Berlin/ New Vollastandiger Text nach der Ausgabe von York: De Gruyter, 1976); HorstS. and Ingrid 1707 unter Beriicksichtigung des Erstdrucks Daernmrich, Themes and Motifs in Western von 1689. Mit einem Nachwort von Literature: A Handbook (Tti"bingen : Wolfgang Pfeiffer-Belli (Miinchen: Winkler, Francke, 1987); dies ., Wiederholte 1965). Spiegelungen: Themen und Motive in der 2 Cf. Warasan Aksonsat Mahavithayalai Literatur (Bern! Miinchen: Francke, 1978). Silpakorn 15/2 ( 1993); Reinhold Grimm, Versuche zur europa ischen Literatur (Bern: Lang, 1994) 367-84. Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 06:31:32AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal ofHumanities 5.1, 2002 spotted, much less an entire entry Fontane unfolds with unsurpassed thereof; in point of fact, Arnold's monu mastery is Holk's fate and gradual suc mental and highly ambitious Kritisches cumbing to the allurements of two Lexikon zurfremdsprachigen women: Brigitte Hansen, wife of a cap Gegenwartsliteratur ("Criticle Lexicon tain, and Ebba von Rosenberg, a royal of Contemporary Foreign Literature"), maid ofhonor. And it is precisely in this while featuring, among other Asian lit context-between Brigitte and Ebba, so eratures, those of Korea, Indonesia, and to speak-that the passages which I have even Afghanistan in sizable essays, does labeled as the "Siam Episode" are situ not contain a respective one on Thai let ated, proving both to conceal and reveal ters. 5 Or should we, hopefully, rather the development of the plot. put it: not yet? In other words, the "Siam Episode" is Be t~at as it may, I did, all the same, in weighty enough, and thus can certainly the meantime discover an additional not be ignored or neglected. However, image of Thailand and Thai in German what do we notice to our utter astonish literature, and a most interesting one to ment? None of the foremost critics and boot. It was composed by the great, in scholars who have dealt with deed magnificent, novelist and ballad Unwiederbringlich pays any attention to eer Theodor Fontane (1819-1898) and said episode! Even Hans-Heinrich stems from his 1891 novel Reuter, in his authoritative two-volume Unwiederbringlich, which is set in the monograph so lapidarily entitled Northern German provinces of Fontane, does not mention it at all ; nei Schleswig-Holstein during the late ther Siam nor Thailand, let alone 1850s and early 1860s-then still part of Bangkok, is listed in his elaborate in Denmark-and in the Danish capital. dex of geographical names.7 Similar Copenhagen. (The title of its English findings apply to other, and otherwise translation, by the way, runs Beyond quite insightful, studies of Fontane's Recall; what it literally means, though, works and, specifically, of the novel in is "irretrievable" or "irreparable.") The question. Hubert Ohl, for instance, de protagonist of Fontane's powerful nar votes several compact pages to an in rative, which has been hailed as "one of terpretation of Unwiederbringlich and the ou~standing novels of the nineteenth rightly emphasizes the "manifold per century,"6 is a married German count spectival relations" ([die} vielfiiltigen and lord-in-waiting at the Danish court perspektivischen Beziige) pervading it; 8 named Helmuth Holk, and that which yet once again, neither the "Siam Epi- 5 Cf. Kritiches Lexicon zur fremdsprachigen 7 Hans-Heinrich Reuter, Fontane. 2 vols. Gegenwarts1iteratur. Ed. Heinz Ludwig (Munchen: Nymphenburger Verlagshand- Arnold (Munchen: edition text + kritik, 1ung, 1968). 1983ff.) IX. 8 Cf. Hubert Ohl, Bild und Wirklichkeit: 6 Thus Douglas Parmee in his introduction Studien zur Romankunst Raabes und to the English edition, which came out in fontanes (Heidelberg: Stiehm, 1968) 175- London in 1964; here quoted from Reuter 80; here p. 180. (see n.7 below) II: 882f. 2 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 06:31:32AM via free access A Hidden Glimpse at Old Thailand sode" nor, indeed, the character of much with regard to the novel's recep Brigitte, who occupies its very center, tion, the Czech-American scholar em are touched upon. Likewise, Ingrid barks on a veritable eulogy. Mittenzwei, who offers a much longer Unwiederbringlich, he exclaims, is and and far more detailed and penetrating will remain "the most flawless work of analysis of Fontane's novel, contents art of Fontane's" (das makelloseste herself with referring, in the most gen Kunstwerk Fontanes), chiseled and eral of terms, to "the somewhat fabu honed lous adventures of the Hansen' family" (die einigermaf3en miirchenhaften without any residue and senti Abenteuer der Kapitiinsfamilie mentality; cool, calm, con Hansen), 9 without ever mentioning Siam trolled; a book made wholly of or Bangkok. ivory; the sole German novel of that era that doesn 't have to shy But how about Peter Demetz, who, on away from vying even with the one hand, has provided the subtlest Turgenev or more impressively and most succinct investigation of still [according to Demetz}, Unwiederbringlich and, on the other, with Troll ope and William Dean heaped it with lavish praise, extolling it Howells.12 to the skies as Fontane's absolute nov elistic masterpiece? 10 Justly, Demetz Frankly, I feel this boundless encomium maintains 11 that this work had been is a little bit exaggerated and, perhaps, vastly underrated in Germany for many prejudiced-although I, too, admire years; only Swiss poets and critics such Unwiederbringlich and rank it among as, from the outset, Conrad Ferdinand the finest creations of its author. By con Meyer and, later on, Max Rychner---one trast, to be sure, Demetz's observations could add a couple ofBritishers-have concerning the role and function of been able, Demetz goes on, truly to Brigitte and her tightly knit if, as it were, gauge and appreciate the Fontane subterranean relationship to her 'rival' an achievement. And having stated that Ebba are definitely to the point. He clearly recognizes Brigitte's importance 9 Cf. Ingrid Mittenzwei, Die Sprache als for Count Holk's increasing confusion Thema: Untersuchngen zu Fontanes and sensual entanglement. With Brigitte, Gesellschaftsromanen (Bad Homburg v.d.H. admittedly, everything stays within lim [etc.]: Gehlen, 119-33); here p. 125. its, amounting to a mere albeit daring 10 0thers have meanwhile chimed in, at least flirtation and a mere albeit dangerous to a certain degree; cf. Espec. Reuter II: 882 playing with fire; with Ebba, however, (where Unwiederbringlich is, however, ranked as one of Fontane's who is so closely tied to her nonethe "Meisterromane," or masterly novels). less, everything becomes seriousness 11 For these and the following observations, and a sensuous as well as mental con see Peter Demetz, Formen des Realismus: flagration of sorts, duly mirrored in the Theodor Fontane. Kritische actual blaze ravaging exactly that part Untersuchungen (Munchen: Hanser, 1966) 164-77. 12 My translation; compare ibid. 166. 3 Downloaded from Brill.com09/30/2021 06:31:32AM via free access MANUSYA : Journal ofHumanities 5.1, 2002 of the castle where she and Holk had wife was accompanying him on one of just made love. In short, by passing from his voyages-the reason for this as well Brigitte to Ebba, Holk comes to proceed as a host of details are immaterial for from the possibility to the reality of adul our purpose-and it happened that, tery. It should be noted, though, that when leaving China, Captain Hansen Brigitte, despite this decisive change, is was so lucky as to secure a return cargo present nearly all the time, albeit ever to Bangkok. That's a big city in Siam, more in the background.

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