DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For
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BETWEEN BECOMING AND BEING: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN FRIEDERIKE HELENE UNGER’S NOVELS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Amber Suggitt Graduate Program in Germanic Languages and Literatures The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Bernd Fischer, Advisor May Mergenthaler, Co-Advisor Katra Byram Copyright by Amber Rae Suggitt 2015 ABSTRACT Over the course of the 18th century a new concept of the individual began to emerge, grounded in the philosophical theories of Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and many others. The evolving conceptualization of the modern subject entailed an understanding of an individual imbued with moral freedom, responsible for his actions on both a moral and a social level. This increased focus on man is reflected in the literature of the period and reaches a high point in the latter half of the 18th century. Novels such as Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre or Anton Reiser engage with the individual as both a product of and influence on his environment. The various ways in which authors choose to present their protagonists reflect greatly on the authors’ perspectives regarding the formation and status of the individual; taken collectively, they serve to form a canon for 18th-century literary anthropology. One author, Friederike Helene Unger, engages extensively with such representations of the modern individual in several of her novels – three of which I analyze here. Over the course of her literary undertakings it becomes increasingly clear that Unger does not consider individuality to be an achievable goal for every character: the level of “success” emerges in direct relationship to an individual’s nature, early formation, and ability to exert influence on her environment. These various factors result in characters who stand between being and becoming, and who are subsequently more or less capable of representing themselves as autonomous individuals. Furthermore, this individuality is reflected at the textual level; the more narrative control a character exerts, ii the more of an individuality he or she possesses. When read in conjunction with each other, Unger’s novels reveal an attempt to explore various possibilities for individuals of her time, with a focus on the fragile, constructed nature of the self. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to begin by thanking my wonderfully supportive dissertation committee: Dr. Bernd Fischer, Dr. May Mergenthaler, and Dr. Katra Byram. Without their expertise and guidance, I would never have succeeded in completing this project. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to May Mergenthaler for the many, many hours spent in discussion with me or reading over my writing. She is an excellent soundboard on whom I can always count for extensive feedback. I am indebted to Bernd Fischer for the freedom he gave me in working so closely with May, while being available himself to offer additional, incredibly valuable perspectives and insights. Finally, I greatly appreciate Katra Byram’s aid in pointing me to useful narrative theory and her many insightful comments that have significantly helped me to structure some of my analysis. My committee has helped me in more ways than I can truly thank them for. There are, of course, many others at OSU who have aided and supported me invaluably over the years during which I worked towards and on this dissertation; they include the faculty of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures as well as many of the graduate students – particularly those ABD students, past and present, who spent time reading over my chapter portions and providing me with constructive feedback during our Dissertation Colloquium sessions. iv I would also like to thank my parents, Dr. Jo Doran and Randall Suggitt, and my sisters, Jule Thomas and Miranda Suggitt – they were very encouraging and never stopped believing in me. My mother’s recent successful dissertation defense and my sister’s current work on hers have, furthermore, been very inspirational in helping me work towards my own successful completion. v VITA June 2007 .......................................................B.A. German, Western Michigan University June 2007 .......................................................B.A. French, Western Michigan University June 2009 .......................................................M.A., German Language and Literature, The Ohio State University September 2007 to May 2013 ........................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, The Ohio State University August 2013 to present ..................................Full-time Instructor, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Northern Michigan University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Germanic Languages and Literatures vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Vita ..................................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Who is Julchen Grünthal? The Interference of Unreliable Narration and a Case of Backward Development ....................................................................................... 48 Chapter 3: The Makings of a Beautiful Soul and Unger’s Vision of Genius ................. 130 Chapter 4: The Nature and the Nation of the Individual ................................................ 196 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 248 Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 252 vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1.1 Overview The 18th century witnessed a number of revolutionary changes, from the political revolutions in France and America to the social, philosophical, scientific, and cultural revolutions that dominated that time period. Earlier theories by Hobbes and Locke, which postulate that all humans have equal rights, culminate in the philosophies of the Enlightenment, most notably in Kant’s theories of moral philosophy and Rousseau’s arguments concerning the social contract. From these evolving theories emerges a new concept of the individual, one who is - because of his freedom - responsible for his actions on both a moral and a social level.1 This increased focus on man is reflected in the literature of the period and reaches a high point in the latter half of the 18th century. This is especially true in Germany, where novels such as Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre or Anton Reiser engage with the individual as both a product of and influence on his environment. The various ways in which authors choose to present their protagonists reflect greatly on the authors’ perspectives regarding the formation and status of the individual; taken collectively, they serve to form a canon for 18th-century literary anthropology.2 Unfortunately, most of the 1 Charles Taylor points to this “new understanding of individual identity that emerges at the end of the eighteenth century” and “its starting point in the eighteenth-century notion that human beings are endowed with a moral sense” (Politics of Recognition 28). 2 Helmut Pfotenhauer’s work on Literarische Anthropologie explains: “Die Kardinalfrage » Was ist der Mensch? « wird durch die andere, nicht minder berechtigte ergänzt: » Welch ein Mensch bin ich? « In ihrem Zeichen einen sich Menschenkunde und Selbstbiographie zur literarischen Anthropologie” (15-16). The concept of literary anthropology is also explained in further detail below on pp. 19, ff. 1 canonical texts examined under this hermeneutical category belong to male authors - names such as Goethe, Herder, Moritz, Rousseau, Wieland, Schiller, and so on. In fact, any presence of a female name under such an analysis can typically only be found in reference to titles (such as Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse). Missing from this list is an author who was well-known during her time and whose own contributions to the 18th-century preoccupation with the individual should not be overlooked: Friederike Helene Unger. Unger’s novels, situated at the cusp of a shift in German literary and sociopolitical thought, span a period from late Enlightenment to early Romanticism; they witness the evolution of the modern novel, the French Revolution, the emergence of nationalism, and the rise of the French Empire. It is important to take note of these developments, for Unger’s novels and characters engage both with these historical developments as well as with the very concept of development, particularly as it relates to the modern individual. As she makes most explicit in her last novel, the “how’s” and “why’s” of the individual’s life are of great interest to her (indeed to the educated German at large). By presenting a variety of figures in various situations, Unger offers insights into possible developments, lifestyles, and limitations for her protagonists.