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.