Editor: Helen Ferstenberg January 2008

Schnitzler and Vienna A Project by Stage One Students at the School of Modern Languages, Newcastle University Sex, Scandal and the Psyche: Exhibition on Schnitzler coming to Newcastle From 15 February to 11 March, 2008, an exhibition about the controversial Viennese writer Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) will be held at Newcastle University. Talks and a workshop on Schnitzler’s fascinating life, works and legacy will take place in conjunction with the exhibition, which is entitled ‘Schnitzler’s Hidden Manuscripts.’ See the back page for more details about the exhibition, and read on for an introduction to Schnitzler and his age by first-year students who are studying Schnitzler as part of their ‘Texts and Contexts’ module.

Who was Arthur Schnitzler? By Louise Watson and Judy Pybus

Arthur Schnitzler was born into an upper middle-class assimilated Jewish family in Vienna on May 15, 1862. His father was a prominent laryngologist, and Schnitzler also studied medicine. He re- ceived his doctorate from the University of Vienna, but he gradually turned away from medicine to pursue his writing.

His plays and novels, which were daring for his time, show a deep a understanding of the uncon- scious and the subconscious − he has often been classified as the creative equivalent of Sigmund Freud. His works were often controversial, both for their frank description of sexuality and their strong stand against anti-Semitism, and they often reflect his personal experiences.

Although Schnitzler had numerous sexual encounters with a variety of women, including a prosti- tute at the age of 16, his experiences with Marie Reinhard (who had a stillborn child by him and died of blood poisoning two years later) between 1894 and 1899 influenced his writing most exten- sively. He meticulously kept a diary from the age of 17 until two days before his death. The diary is almost 8,000 pages long and in it Schnitzler describes his sexual conquests − he was often in rela- tionships with several women at once. For some time he even kept a record of every orgasm. He died of a brain hemorrhage on October 21, 1931 in Vienna. Fin de Siècle Vienna By Hannah Penny and Helen Morgan

Arthur Schnitzler lived and wrote in a fasci- Hermann Bahr and Karl Kraus, and philoso- nating period and place, and the culture of fin phers Ernst Mach and Theodor Herzl were -de-siècle Vienna has long intrigued literary also active in the city in this period. historians. Vienna grew very rapidly in the second half of the The terms ‘fin de siècle’ 19 th century - the and ‘Wiener Moderne’ re- population increased fer to the nature of the from 440,000 in 1848 creative output of writers to 2 million in 1910. in turn of the century Vi- This was largely due enna. In the literature and to a huge number of thought of this period, immigrants moving to people often began to have Vienna during these an obsession with abnor- declining years of the mality and to search for a Austro-Hungarian more intense experience empire. than the everyday life they were leading. Many writers The years from were primarily concerned around 1890-1910 saw with the close observation a period of tremen- of the individual psyche dous creative activity and the internal world, and in Vienna. It was a it is significant that this period when many sig- coincides with the develop- nificant writers, phi- ment of psychology and losophers, psychoana- Sigmund Freud psycho-analysis in Vienna lysts and artists es- at the same time. tablished themselves in Vienna for example Schnitzler’s works show him to be an as- Sigmund Freud, whose ideas are still very in- tute observer of psychological matters, fluential today, and of course Arthur and indeed in a letter written in 1922, Schnitzler, whose writings were very shocking Freud called him his ‘Doppelgänger’. Impor- as he talked about subjects such as sex which tant figures at the time produced many until then had been quite taboo in an age when creative and unusual works and although social conventions were very important. In the some of these were seen as unsuitable or field of music, Arnold Schönberg pioneered shocking, they led people to see art and atonal music during these years and writing in a new light and represent impor- Gustav Mahler also worked in Vienna. Painters tant contributions to Modernism in many Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, writers fields of artistic endeavour. Peter Altenberg, Richard Beer-Hofmann,

Decadence and sexuality:

Images from Vienna By Sarah Starbuck

This image is a Gustav Klimt painting entitled The Kiss (1907). When one first looks at this painting it appears to be two lovers embracing, but if you look more closely there are small details which suggest oth- erwise; the woman has her head turned away from him, and her left hand appears to be pulling his hand away. Such details give the painting a feeling of male dominance, which is a strong theme in Schnitzler’s play Rei- gen . The way the woman is re- tracting from the man's affec- tions reminds me of the way most of the female characters in Reigen push away from the men's advances in many of the scenes.

This is a painting entitled Sitzender weiblicher Akt (1911) by Egon Schiele, an Austrian artist who was Gustav Klimt's protégé, and therefore working in Vienna at the same time as Schnitzler. His works also show the influence of debates on sexuality in Vienna at the time. I feel this is a strong image of how women are often used for sex, which is a running theme in Schnitzler’s play Reigen. This image appears to be a picture of a 'Dirne' , one of the characters of the play. A Literary Scandal: Schnitzler’s play Reigen by George Abbott and Chloe Brood

When Schnitzler wrote his play Reigen in the winter of 1896-7, he knew that the shocking nature of its content meant it could not be published or performed in Vienna . Reigen depicts ten characters – five women and five men – who each have sexual intercourse with two others in the play.

The play is interesting structurally as it is a cycle of ten dialogues in which all the scenes interlink. Every scene includes only two characters - one of whom is carried over from the previous scene. The title of the play refers to a traditional circular dance with all the participants holding hands, and this idea of a circle which joins up again at the end is important for the play’s structure. The circle is completed by the character of the ‘Dirne’ who is present in the first and last scene, therefore invok- ing the idea of a perpetual sexual merry-go-round.

Reigen is interesting thematically also as the characters come from a different social class in every scene. The play starts on the lowest rung of society with ‘Die Dirne und der Soldat’ but eventually ends up with the ‘Graf.’ This shows the idea that no matter what social class people are from everyone still has the same base desire to fornicate. The ‘Graf’ is put on the same level as the ‘Soldat’, since both have sex with the ‘Dirne’.

Reigen was eventually published in 1903. but was not performed on stage until 1920. The performance was immediately shut down, deemed obscene and not suitable for public viewing. During the fourth scene of the first performance, somebody shouted ‘Schweinerei’. The participants were made to stand trial, and the prosecutor leveled charges of indecency upon the director and the actors. The play was used by the anti-Jewish right wing of Germany as an example of ‘Jewish vulgarity’ and their propaganda leaflets contained references to Reigen . That is not to say that every- body else was comfortable with it – many ordinary people considered it a dangerous influence on the attitudes of young people towards sex and women.

A scene from the Nordharzer Städtebundtheater’s production of Reigen . Gender, Class and Sexuality in Reigen By Matthew Campbell and Nicola Hargreaves

This extract from the third scene of the play Das Stubenmädchen Aber, Herr Alfred! highlights some of the key themes in Reigen - Der junge Herr Komm, komm... daher... so, ja the difference in social classes, social “norms” so... for both men and women, and the contrast in behaviour before and after the sexual act. Das Stubenmädchen Aber wenn jetzt wer läutet! Der junge Herr Jetzt hören Sie schon einmal Like the majority of the dialogues in Reigen , auf...macht man höchstens nicht auf… es klingelt. this starts off with the man being extremely Donnerwetter...[...] Na, so schaun S‘ endlich nach − flirtatious towards the woman. After much per- durchs Guckerl. suasion the maid consents to have sex, yet af- Das Stubenmädchen Herr Alfred... Sie sind ter this it is interesting to see how both their aber... nein... so schlimm. attitudes have changed. The Chambermaid is affectionate whereas the Young Gentleman is Der junge Herr Bitt' Sie, schaun S' jetzt nach... cold and blunt. Not only is this shown through Das Stubenmädchen geht ab. the way the lines are delivered: “unangenehm berührt” and “streng” but it is also visually re- Der junge Herr öffnet rasch die Rouleaux. presented, since when the Chambermaid draws Das Stubenmädchen erscheint wieder Der ist near to him, he backs off. This contrast be- jedenfalls schon wieder weggangen. Jetzt ist nie- tween the woman wanting to be loved, and the mand mehr da. Vielleicht ist es der Doktor Schül- man wanting to become detached after having ler gewesen. sex is common throughout the play. Der junge Herr ist unangenehm berührt Es ist gut. The idea is heightened in this scene because of the difference in social classes. The Young Gen- Das Stubenmädchen nähert sich ihm. tleman is eager to leave and return to the cof- Der junge Herr entzieht sich ihr – Sie, Marie, – fee-house because he would not want to be seen ich geh' jetzt ins Kaffeehaus. with the Chambermaid. The gender and class Das Stubenmädchen zärtlich Schon... Herr Alf- differences are also highlighted at the end of red. the scene where the Chambermaid takes a cigar from the table. This is a very masculine action Der junge Herr streng Ich geh' jetzt ins Kaffee- in which she seems to take pleasure, and it haus. Wenn der Doktor Schüller kommen sollte... shows her defiance against social norms. The Das Stubenmädchen Der kommt heut nimmer. fact that the maid takes pleasure in smoking the cigar mirrors that of all the women in this Der junge Herr noch strenger Wenn der Doktor play seeking pleasure through sex. Schnitzler Schüller kommen sollte, ich, ich... ich bin – im Kaffeehaus. – Geht ins andere Zimmer. emphasises that no matter what the social class or gender, we all have sexual desires even Das Stubenmädchen nimmt eine Zigarre vom though it may not be deemed to be socially ac- Rauchtisch, steckt sie ein und geht ab. ceptable. Der junge Herr und die junge Frau: Adultery and Deception in Reigen By Gareth Hayes and Will Taylor

The stage directions in Reigen are crucial. They introduce the scene and the reader is immedi- ately able to distinguish the social class of the figures. In the excerpt below from the fourth scene, the stage directions show the young gentleman preparing for the arrival of the married woman. We can tell from the description of the room that the young gentleman is of a higher social class than the characters in the previous scenes. The stage directions also show how su- perficial the environment is, with the young gentleman making elaborate preparations in order to entice the woman, for example he sprays perfume on the bed and throughout the rooms, lights the candles, and even arranges himself in the armchair. He is solely driven by the idea of having sex with the married woman and this creates an aura of deception.

We learn that the married woman is wearing two veils to hide her identity; this shows us that she is very concerned about being found out, as in those days to be discovered committing adultery was disastrous for a woman. However, the fact that she comes anyway tells us that she is open to persuasion and is driven by the force of her sexual desire, which is one of the main themes of the play.

Abend. – Ein mit banaler Eleganz möblierter Salon in einem Hause der Schwindgasse. Der junge Herr ist eben eingetreten, zündet, während er noch den Hut auf dem Kopf und den Überzieher anhat, die Kerzen an. Dann öffnet er die Tür zum Nebenzimmer und wirft einen Blick hinein. Von den Kerzen des Salons geht der Lichtschein über das Parkett bis zu einem Himmelbett, das an der abschließenden Wand steht. […] Von dem Trumeau nimmt er einen Sprayapparat und bespritzt die Bettpolster mit feinen Strahlen von Veilchenparfüm. Dann geht er mit dem Sprayapparat durch beide Zimmer und drückt unaufhörlich auf den kleinen Ballon, so daß es bald überall nach Veilchen riecht. […] Vor dem großen Wandspie- gel bleibt er eine Weile stehen, richtet mit seinem Taschenkamm das Haar und den kleinen Schnurrbart. – […] Es klingelt. Der junge Herr fährt leicht zusammen. Dann setzt er sich auf den Fauteuil und erhebt sich erst, als die Tür geöffnet wird und die junge Frau ein- tritt. – Die junge Frau dicht verschleiert, schließt die Tür hinter sich, bleibt einen Augenblick stehen, indem sie die linke Hand aufs Herz legt, als müsse sie eine gewaltige Erregung be- meistern. Der junge Herr tritt auf sie zu, nimmt ihre linke Hand und drückt auf den weißen, schwarz tamburierten Handschuh einen Kuß. Er sagt leise Ich danke Ihnen. Power and Persuasion Reigen in by Linda Meinhardt & Constanza Mahuzier The extract below from the ninth scene of Rei- Performance gen is typical of the process of persuasion and seduction in the play, but here there is a role reversal: whereas it is usually the man who is dominant and persuades the woman to have sex, in this scene the Actress takes the initiative. She strokes the Count’s hair and tells him flirta- tiously that she acts only for him on stage be- fore ordering him to take off his sword. At the end, she becomes even more forward and orders him to kiss her, then will not let him go. She switches from using ‘Sie’ to ‘du’ when she ad- dresses him, initiating a new level of intimacy between them.

In general, it is evident in this play that Schnitzler has a great deal of sympathy for his women characters. Most of the women are in po- sitions of subservience and powerlessness due to poverty, their inferior social status as women or the norms of bourgeois society. In this scene the tables are turned and the Actress takes on the ‘male’ role as the dominant partner.

Schauspielerin Hierher. Sie zieht ihn an sich, fährt ihm mit der Hand durch die Haare Ich hab’ gewußt, daß Sie heute kommen werden!

Graf Wieso denn?

Schauspielerin Ich hab’ es bereits gestern im Theater gewußt.

Graf Haben Sie mich denn von der Bühne aus gesehen?

Schauspielerin Aber Mann! Haben Sie denn nicht bemerkt, daß ich nur für Sie spiele? […] So schnallen Sie doch wenigstens Ihren Säbel ab!

Graf Wenn es erlaubt ist. Schnallt ihn ab, lehnt ihn ans Bett.

Schauspielerin Und gib mir endlich einen Kuß. Scenes from productions of Reigen by the Theater in Graf küßt sie, sie läßt ihn nicht los. der Josefstadt, Vienna, and by the UCL Department of German.

Schnitzler on the Schnitzler’s screen and Hidden on Broadway Manuscripts

An exhibition at Newcastle University 21 February-11 March 2008 Percy Building Entrance

Official opening of the exhibition 21 February, in the Percy Building

4-5pm, room G5: Between Desire and Disenchantment: Reflec- tions on the Work of Arthur Schnitzler , by renowned Ger- manist and Schnitzler expert Martin Swales (UCL) on .

5-6pm, in the exhibition: Wine recep- tion and guided tour of the exhi- bition by its curator, Lorenzo The 1999 film ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, starring Bellettini (Cambridge University) Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and directed by Stanley Kubrick, is based on Schnitzler’s Traumnovelle (1926). ALL WELCOME

Nicole Kidman also starred on stage in Lon- don and New York in 1998 in The Blue Room , • A workshop entitled Traum- an acclaimed version of Schnitzler’s Reigen . novelle, Freud and Eyes Wide Schnitzler’s play was adapted by David Shut led by Cambridge lecturer Hare and one critic (in the Daily Telegraph) Lucia Ruprecht, 28 February, 4- famously described Kidman’s performance 6pm in the Old Library Building, in this play as ‘pure theatrical Viagra’. room 3.18.

For information about the School of Modern Languages and degrees in German please contact Lesley Sherrin, Tel: 0191 222 5082, e-mail: [email protected] or visit www.ncl.ac.uk/sml/german