Brigitte Martin: Nach Freude anstehen. ErzÃ

Brigitte Martin: Nach Freude anstehen. ErzÃ

GDR Bulletin
Volume 9
Issue 2 Spring
Article 15
1983
Brigitte Martin: Nach Freude anstehen. Erzählung
Margaret Morse
University of San Francisco
Follow this and additional works at: http://newprairiepress.org/gdr
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Morse, Margaret (1983) "Brigitte Martin: Nach Freude anstehen. Erzählung," GDR Bulletin: Vol. 9: Iss. 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.4148/
gdrb.v9i2.676
This Review is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in GDR Bulletin by an authorized
administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Morse: Brigitte Martin: Nach Freude anstehen. Erzählung
- 9 -
The n a r r a t o r awakens t o an a b s u r d s i t u a t i o n .
" A l s i c h zu mir
kam, l a g i c h i m Nachthemd i n e i n e r ... R i n n e ... p a r a l l e l
zum F u s s b o d e n . " (85)
Ke e x p e r i e n c e s a l l s o r t s o f f a n t a s t i c
i n c i d e n t s , and i s e v e n e n j o i n e d " t r e i w i l l i g i n e i n e s i n n r e i c h
e r d a c h t e F o l t e r m a s c h i n e z u k r i e c h e n . " (91)
O t h e r t i t l e s i n the c o l l e c t i o n a r e :
" D i e H e c k e , " "Der
S c h a t t e n , " " D i e W o l k e , " and " D i e V o l l e n d u n g des M e n s c h e n . "
They are a l l e x t r e m e l y i n t e r e s t i n g , but not always w i t h
s a t i s f y i n g conclusions.
The book i s n o t meant f o r l i g h t ,
informative reading.
B u t , i f one l i k e s p u z z l e s , d e c o d i n g ,
o r , as G r l l n i n g p u t s i t , r e a d i n g "gegen den S t r o m " (135) ,
t h e n t h e s e s t o r i e s w i l l p r o v i d e a s t i m u l a t i n g and c h a l l e n g i n g
exercise.
J . David S u l l i v a n
Blackburn
College
GDR
P u b l i s h e d t h r e e t i m e s a y e a r by the D e p a r t m e n t o f G e r m a n i c
L a n g u a g e s and L i t e r a t u r e s , James F. P o a g , C h a i r p e r s o n ,
Box 1104, W a s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y , S t . L o u i s , M i s s o u r i 63130.
Editor:
Barton
Byg
Departmental S t a f f
Book R e v i e w s :
F r i e d e r i k e E i g l e r , P r i s c i l l a Hayden, Marc
Iwand, Magdalene M u e l l e r , H i l d e g a r d P i e t s c h ,
Tineke Ritmeester
Bibliography:
F r i e d e r i k e E i g l e r , J a n e t F i n k e l , M a r c Iwand
Pugald Sturges
J o u r n a l N o t e s : B a r t o n Byg
Notes i n B r i e f :
Pugald Sturges
T r a v e l and E x c h a n g e : M a g d a l e n e M u e l l e r
V i s i t i n g Lecturers:
B a r t o n Byg
All
N a c h F r e u d e a n s t e h e n : Erzählung. By B r i g i t t e M a r t i n .
Berlin:
B u c h v e r l a g der M o r g e n , 1981.
160 p a g e s . 7,20
BULLETIN
d e p a r t m e n t s can
be
contacted
a t the a d d r e s s a b o v e .
M.
A t the b e g i n n i n g o f the s t o r y , the h e r o i n e , E d i t h , l i e s
awake a t the s i d e o f h e r b o y f r i e n d U l r i c h r e v i e w i n g h e r
l i f e situation with discontent.
E d i t h i s a d i v o r c e d mother
of two y o u n g g i r l s , w o r k s a t a c o m p u t e r c e n t e r , and has a
b o y f r i e n d who — s i g n i f i c a n t l y enough — w i l l n o t be s p e n d i n g
Christmas w i t h her.
E d i t h i s a new f o r m u l a t i o n o f t h a t c e n t r a l f i g u r e i n GDR l i t e r a t u r e and f i l m , the woman on h e r
own,
P r o b l e m e der L i t e r a t u r i n t e r p r e t a t i o n :
Zur P i a l e k t i k der
w o r k i n g , r a i s i n g c h i l d r e n by h e r s e l f and s e a r c h i n g f o r h a p p i I n h a l t - F o r m - B e z i e h u n g e n b e i der A n a l y s e und I n t e r p r e t a t i o n
n e s s . T h i s c u l t u r a l f i g u r e i s the s i t e o f most o f the p e r h a p s i r r e s o l v a b l e c o n t r a d i c t i o n s i n GDR s o c i e t y and the debat > l i t e r a r i s c h e r W e r k e . Von E. A r n d t , W. H e r d e n , U. Heuenkamp,
F. Hörnigk, E. Kaufmann. Einführung i n d i e L i t e r a t u r w i s s e n on s o c i a l o p t i o n s and v a l u e s i s c o u c h e d i n terms o f h e r l i f e
s c h a f t i n E i n z e l d a r s t e l l u n g e n . H r s g . v o n A n n a l i e s e Löffler.
c h o i c e s and c o n f l i c t s .
H e r e the c o n f l i c t l i e s i n the h e r o Leipzig:
VEB B i b l i o g r a p h i s c h e s I n s t i t u t , 1981.
221 S e i t e n .
i n e ' s c o n s c i o u s n e s s i t s e l f — E d i t h ' s two t h o u g h t s y s t e m s ,
two h e a r t s , the " z w e i S e e l e n " i n h e r b r e a s t :
i n her r e s t l e s s
The t i t l e , b o t h o f t h i s p a r t i c u l a r w o r k and o f t h e s e r i e s
m a s c u l i n e r o l e , E d i t h has m a s t e r e d the a n a l y t i c , g o a l - o r i e n t c 1
in which i t appears, says r e a l l y e v e r y t h i n g .
The a u t h o r s a r e
t h o u g h t and b u r e a u c r a t i c l a n g u a g e o f the c y b e r n e t i c g e n e r a c o n c e r n e d w i t h a s s e r t i n g ( d e f e n d i n g ? ) the a u t h o r i t y of l i t e r t i o n of s c i e n t i f i c s o c i a l i s m ( c f . Lutz i n K i n d h e i t s m u s t e r ) ,
a r y h i s t o r y and i t s r e s u l t a n t a n a l y s i s / i n t e r p r e t a t i o n methods.
the g o a l o f w h i c h i s m a s t e r y o f n a t u r a l and s o c i a l f o r c e s .
I n t h i s e f f o r t they would doubtless f i n d b i p a r t i s a n support
The a c t u a l i t y o f h e r work and c o n t i n u i n g e d u c a t i o n i s one
f o r many o f t h e i r o t h e r w i s e d i s t r u s t f u l n o n - s o c i a l i s t c o l o f p e t t y i n c i d e n t s w i t h c o - w o r k e r s and d o u b t f u l e f f e c t s on
l e a g u e s who a r e e q u a l l y d i s t u r b e d by the e r u p t i o n o f the dethe s o c i a l o r d e r .
The o t h e r E d i t h i s one who spends a s i g b a t e s d e r i v e d f r o m s t r u c t u r a l i s m and p o s t - s t r u c t u r a l i s m ' s
n i f i c a n t amount o f the n a r r a t i v e g e t t i n g h e r c h i l d r e j i d r e s s e d
i m p a c t on l i t e r a r y t h e o r y .
I n s h o r t , we can i m a g i n e h e r e
c l e a n i n g up a f t e r a k i t t e n , w o r r y i n g , m a k i n g h o u s e h o l d
the b e g i n n i n g s o f a f i r m f r o n t c r o s s i n g i d e o l o g i c a l l i n e s
r r . p a i r s , r i d i n g the subway -- and l o o k i n g f o r h e l p f r o m a l l
i n p u r s u i t o f the h i s t o r i c a l i n t e r p r e t i v e method. The
literquarters.
S p e n d i n g C h r i s t m a s w i t h mother e x p l o r e s the p o s a r y work means s o m e t h i n g , i s a b o u t s o m e t h i n g -- s o m e t h i n g
s i b i l i t y o f g o i n g home a g a i n , but r a i s e s i m p o s s i b l e demands
u l t i m a t e l y s o c i a l , and the t a s k o f l i t e r a r y s c h o l a r s h i p i s
t o bn a good w o r k e r , m o t h e r , d a u g h t e r and l o v e r . The c h a i n
t o g e t a t t h i s s o m e t h i n g and make i t c l e a r ( c l e a r e r a t l e a s t
of events a f t e r a p e t t y s h o p l i f t i n g i n c i d e n t i n v o l v i n g her
t h a n e v e r i t was o r i s i n the l i t e r a r y w o r k s t h e m s e l v e s ) .
daughter d i s p l a y s the i n s u f f i c i e n c i e s o f the school system
As Eva K a u f m a n n wo w e l l and so p l a i n l y p u t s i t c o n c l u d i n g
and o f p s y c h o t h e r a p y i n d e a l i n g w i t h the i n d i v i d u a l who i s
h e r i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f A n n a S e g h e r s ' Das w i r k l i c h e B l a u (pp.
s e n s i t i v e and l e s s c a p a b l e o f c o n f o r m i n g t o the norm.
In
1 1 5 f f ) , "Das w i r k l i c h e B l a u i s t e i n e künstlerische L e i s t u n g
t h e a r r a y o f f a m i l i a l and s o c i a l i n s t i t u t i o n s f r o m w h i c h
von hohem Rang. I n i h r 'Geheimnis' e i n z u d r i n g e n , m i t i h r
she s e e k s s u p p o r t , t h e r e i s n o t h i n g on w h i c h she can depend.
v e r t r a u t z u machen, i h r e Schönheit t i e f e r e m p f i n d e n und geThe s t o r y i s t o l d i n a d r y p r o s e o f d i s e n c h a n t m e n t , n o t
n a u e r s e h e n z u l e h r e n , s o l l t e Zweck der w i s s e n s c h a f t l i c h e n
w h a t one w o u l d e x p e c t f r o m the a u t h o r o f the l y r i c a l P e r r o t e
Bemühung s e i n " ( p . 144) .
Ballon.
B r i g i t t e M a r t i n i s p r e s u m a b l y s t i l l d e v e l o p i n g as
M o s t o f t h e s t u d e n t s o f l i t e r a t u r e a t Brown U n i v e r s i t y
an a u t h o r .
H e r e h e r n a r r a t i v e s t y l e i s n o t s a t i s f y i n g , but
and t h e i r t e a c h e r s w o u l d d o u b t l e s s f u l l y a g r e e w i t h t h i s
h e r a c c o u n t o f d a i l y l i f e r i n g s t r u e and h e r h o n e s t y o f f e r s
c o n c e p t i o n o f l i t e r a r y r e a d i n g and w i t h most of the o t h e r
no e a s y a n s w e r s . O n l y the n a r r a t i v e r e s o l u t i o n seems u n p r e l i t e r a r y readings presented i n t h i s " i n t r o d u c t o r y " textbook
p a r e d and t a c k e d - o n . I t i s n o t q u i t e a r e t r e a t i n t o p r i v a t e
( t h e l a t t e r my word) o f l i t e r a r y c r i t i c i s m ' s r a i s o n d ' e t r e .
l i f e , but r a t h e r t h e s u d d e n r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t she need n o t be
The 221 p a g e s o f s m a l l p r i n t c o n s i s t o f an a p o l o g i a f o r
d e f i n e d by the e x p e c t a t i o n s o f o t h e r s , t h u s the s u d d e n bethe c o n c e p t i o n K a u f m a n n p u t s f o r t h i n the f i r s t of t h r e e
c o m i n g o f a s u b j e c t . The book i s w o r t h r e a d i n g as an i m p o r exemplary readings or a n a l y s e s / i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s which comprise
t a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n t o c u l t u r a l debate, on v a l u e s and g o a l s and
t h e s e c o n d p a r t o f t h e book. The o t h e r two e x e m p l a r y r e a d i n g s
as the w o r k o f an a u t h o r o f p r o m i s e .
a r e F. Hörnigk on A l e x a n d e r Gelman's p l a y ( l a t e r f i l m e d ) whose
German t i t l e i s P r o t o k o l l e i n e r S i t z u n g , and U. Heuenkamp 's
M a r g a r e t Morse
r e a d i n g o f J o h a n n e s B o b r o w s k i ' s poem E b e n e . W. H e r d e n i s
U n i v e r s i t y o f San F r a n c i s c o
r e s p o n s i b l e f o r the l e n g t h y a p o l o g i a .
Needless to say,
Hörnigk's and Heuenkamp's c o n c e p t i o n s o f t h e t a s k o f l i t e r a r y
Published by New Prairie Press, 1983
1