HANS WAGENER, ED. of thousands of copies in the Germany of Zeitkritische Romane des 20. the 1920ies), we see how "tame," imprac­ tical, and hopelessly "weltfremd" those Jahrhunderts: Die Gesellschaft in der German novelists were. Many seem to have Kritik der deutschen Literatur had no contact with the masses what­ Stuttgart: Reclam, 1975. Pp. 392. ever; they wrote their books without giving a thought to the intellectual (or even stylistic) level of the people who—they In his preface, Wagener says that, in thought—should be influenced by their the case of most authors, it would not be works. Frank, Fallada, and Anna Seghers wise to differentiate between "Zeitkritik" could—potentially—be understood by the on the one hand and "Gesellschaftskritik" masses; all others had little chance of on the other. The epoch covered in reaching a large readership. Kästner began Wagener's book is subdivided into the fol­ to produce popular literature only when it lowing periods: 1. The Society of the was too late. "Kaiserreich," 2. The Weimar Republic, 3. The Third Reich, 4. The Immediate Things changed after 1945. There is no Postwar Period, 5. The Affluent Society doubt about the popularity and integrity since about 1965. Sixteen authors are of Frisch, Walser, Böll, and Grass; they considered: Heinrich Mann, Alfred Dublin, are, in every respect, more sensitive and Leonhard Frank, Hermann Broch, Hans much more influential than their prewar Fallada, Erich Kästner, Hermann Kesten, colleagues; no wonder, they seem to survive Anna Seghers, Ernst Glaeser, Stefan the concerted attacks launched against Andres, Wolfgang Koeppen, Max Frisch, them from the political right. Heinrich Böll, Martin Walser, Günter Grass, Uwe Johnson. The editor explains There are two points which should be why he left out Bruno Traven, Robert mentioned. One: When Wagener speaks Musil, and Joseph Roth: the latter two, for of Germany, he means—after 1945—West instance, were clearly more concerned Germany only. Two: most critics are not with Austrian than with German society. "Literatursoziologen"—as Wagener points Broch, on the other hand, while not being out himself. The terminology used in this a German citizen, wrote mainly about Ger­ book, therefore, is often not the best man society and is, therefore, included; possible. All in all it is an excellent book, Frisch's case is a special one: his criticism carefully edited, beautifully set and print­ of Swiss society applies to West-German ed—a pleasure to read. society as well. Having established his canon, Wagener Ingrid Schuster had to Find sixteen critics who would hand in their manuscripts by the deadline. He has succeeded in lining up an impressive number of experts; all essays are compe­ tent and some are outstanding; neverthe­ less, the sensitive reader is bound to feel RUTH NICOLS that, here and there, a scholar is struggling Song of the Pearl hard to fulfil his commitment while silently Toronto: Macmillan, 1976. cursing his author and himself. Ulrich Pp. 158. $7.95. Weisstein has written about Heinrich Mann again and again; by now he must find it difficult to say anything new. Several other scholars are in a similar position. This is Ruth Nicols's fourth book. Her first fiction work, Ceremony of Innocence, was This reader has learnt most from two also intended for adults, whereas A Walk essays on authors who, today, are not in out of the World and the award winning the limelight: Klaus Weissenberger on L. The Marrow of the World were primarily Frank and Thomas Koebner on Ernst addressed to children. Glaeser. Quite objective is Hartmut Steinecke on Hermann Broch; Broch—like The major theme of the book is the other German authors between 1918 and quest of the protagonist, Margaret Red­ 1945—was, at least politically, inefficient. mond of Toronto, for the secret of the If we compare him and omers to writers profound love-hatred she feels for her like Upton Sinclair (who sold hundreds uncle. 196 The International Fiction Review, 4 ( 1977) Aware that Freudianism in fiction has had This book has nothing to tell about its hey-day, Ruth Niçois does not resort to the exploration of human passions or the the heroine's childhood experiences in subtle art of expressing and integrating order to discover the roots of the involve­ them. For all her extensive journey, Mar­ ment which ultimately leads her to an garet Redmond never becomes a full char­ untimely death. Nor does she employ the acter, and, because of the insistence on much used and abused dream-vision tech­ actual reincarnation, the minor characters nique. Instead, she adopts the framework cannot be interpreted either as elements of of a journey beyond the physical death of a mythos, or as spiritual clues to the the very woman whose self she wants to - peculiar nature of the protagonist. No probe and explore. Indeed, if "Who was subtleties of psychological reading con­ I?" and "Why did I love and hate my tribute anything to the reader's under­ uncle?" are the major questions asked by standing of the human nature in general, Margaret Redmond, the different episodes or lead to his progression towards self- of the journey mark out and carry forward knowledge. her progression towards finding the answers. This arrangement gives the However, an impression of youthful novelist scope for complexity, but what enthusiasm is communicated in Ruth follows is rather a disappointment. Nicols's descriptions of the heavenly land­ scape where the journey beyond death After dying of asthma, Margaret finds takes place. This author certainly has herself in a very earth-like heaven, an eye for color and an ear for sound. travels extensively backward in chronologi­ The song of a bird, the rain on a roof, or cal time, and discovers that she had also the mistry green of a valley at dawn are been Elisabeth Love in sixteenth century occasions for ecstasy. There are also a few England; Zawumatec, a slave in the long noteworthy attempts at coaxing language houses of the Iroquois; and, regardless to divulge its potential for meaning and of sex, Tirigan, a warrior prince in ancient rhythm. Summer. Thus, for those who are totally devoted to reincarnation, there are special Ruth Niçois is definitely an imaginative rewards on almost every page. Those who writer, yet the images she conceives have do not share this belief will, however, find the effect not only to create feasts of the book a hard morsel to swallow. Elisa­ illusion, but also to destroy illusion. When beth hated her husband for his fickleness, we probe the significance of the search for Zawumatec hated her master for having Margaret Redmond's self, the book be­ enslaved her, and Tirigan hated Utuhegal comes more improbable dian the rudest for having deposed him. Hence, by sketch. Song of the Pearl is a promising Nicols's simple equation, Margaret hated book, but it is not yet the promise come her uncle who was the triple reincarnation true. of the husband, master, and usurper. Ruth Niçois packs Margaret Redmond's Ofelia Cohn-Sfetcu observations into a bracing set of maxims. These pieces of wisdom not only heavily intersperse the narration, but also make the presence of the author herself regret­ tably conspicuous. Finally, solemnities MARTINE MAISANI-LEONARD such as "Paradise is to want for nothing" André Gide ou l'ironie de l'écriture usher in a conclusion which, in the absence Montreal: Les Presses de of an effective answer to the main ques­ l'Université de Montréal, 1976. tion asked in the book, is both disarming and deflating. At the end of her journey, Pp. 273. $13.75. Margaret finds true love in the person of Paul, a young Chinese of the Tang dynasty. Both will be reborn, this time in the United In the introduction to Andre' Gide ou States, will get married, live happily, and l'ironie de l'écriture, Madame Maisani- procreate. This, of course, leads to a Léonard situates her approach to Gide's possibility which may be appealing, but may works at the level of the narrator and his not convince us all: death is no longer style, which it is her task to demystify, the inescapable end of human existence, but in order to reveal die relationship between a blithe migration from one physical state the narrator and his narration. Gide saw to another. this relationship as a struggle between the Brief Mentions 197 .