Debit and Credit

I am a fan of 19th century German writers and in my reading about the period and some of the authors whose books I have enjoyed, I kept bumping into Freytag’s name and this book, said to be one of the most famous and widely read German novels of the 19th century. It is a substantial (560+ pages) book, written in the realist manner of the day. Having read it, I can say that I’m mostly glad that I took the time to read it but I can also say that it is not among the best or even the most representative work of the period. And yet. I read what is apparently the only English translation available, made in 1857 (it was first published in 1855) but I had virtually no trouble at all with this version. The story recounts the education of show more Anton Wohlfart, a young man who traveled to the capital where he joins a trading company owned by a highly respectable and honorable businessman. On his journey, he encountered two people: a young woman of a wealthy family, Lenore von Rothsattel, and Veitel Itzig, a young Jew and former schoolmate, on his way to seek his fortune. The book celebrates and extols the solid, estimable qualities of the German middle class and links individual character with quality of work (and individual worth). Freytag had little use for the nobility, whom he believed to have little talent and less judgment, people he believed were more concerned with honor than any “worthwhile” values or abilities. The book’ enormous success might well be attributable to its idealized view of German history and society though it is not honest in its portrayal of German society, which was far more complex than the book remotely suggests. The book is sometimes criticized for its antisemitic and anti-Polish sentiments. Although the several Jewish characters (and most of the Polish ones) are caricatures and although Freytag makes abundantly clear that he had little use for either group, I think that criticism is overblown. That said, I am inclined to agree with an article I read drawing a direct line between the almost unthinking celebration of German virtues and superiority and the growth of the Nazi state. I think the argument is overdone but it’s not entirely a foolish one. Enjoyable mostly for the story. show less

Der Beamtensohn Anton und der gleichaltrige, mittellose jüdische Jüngling Veitel Itzig, beide aus Ostrau stammend, beginnen in Breslau eine Kaufmannslehre. Während der redliche Anton Karriere macht, ruiniert sich der überehrgeizige Itzig. Jahre später begegnen sie sich im Haus des Freiherrn von Rothsattel wieder, und fortan scheinen ihre Lebenswege auf dramatische Weise miteinander verwoben. Mit seinem imposanten, ganz seiner Zeit verhafteten bürgerlichen Roman »Soll und Haben« avancierte Gustav Freytag (1816-1895) zu einem der meistgelesenen deutschen Autoren seines Jahrhunderts.
Quelle: Amazon.de