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A Village Romeo and Juliet is a bitter-sweet tragedy telling the tale of two young lovers kept apart by a family feud. Inspired by the story of two real-life sweethearts and set in rural Switzerland, it evokes the overwhelming beauty of young love and nature, but is ultimately pessimistic about the possibility of such beauty surviving in the real world.Although it attracted controversy when it was first published in 1856, Keller's timeless novella has now rightfully entered the canon of show more world literature and is widely considered as one of the finest examples of nineteenth-century poetic realism. show lessTags
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Unless I very much miss my guess, the only non-German-readers of this little volume have been motivated by curiosity about one of two musical connections to it. First, Keller was a great favorite of Richard Wagner, and we have accounts of his reading Keller's DER GRUENE HEINRICH to members of his later-life entourage. I myself couldn't whack-up anywhere near that kind of enthusiam, no matter how many others I share witth old RW. Second, this portion of Keller's DIE LEUTE VON SELDWYLA is the basis for Frederick Delius
incomparable opera A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET, which I have reviewed elsewhere on LT. A reading of this text is instructive. The jist of Keller's story remains in Delius' libretto, but the emotional tone is very different. show more Whereas the opera is delirious heart-on-sleeve romanticism -- decades after the high-water mark of capital-R Romanticism -- Keller's original has a curiously reserved tone, even though he himself lived and worked in that earlier passionate age. The combination of gentle sympathy and yet something approaching cynicism recall Stendhal, believe it or not. Read the story, and think good thoughts about Vreli and Sali. show less
incomparable opera A VILLAGE ROMEO AND JULIET, which I have reviewed elsewhere on LT. A reading of this text is instructive. The jist of Keller's story remains in Delius' libretto, but the emotional tone is very different. show more Whereas the opera is delirious heart-on-sleeve romanticism -- decades after the high-water mark of capital-R Romanticism -- Keller's original has a curiously reserved tone, even though he himself lived and worked in that earlier passionate age. The combination of gentle sympathy and yet something approaching cynicism recall Stendhal, believe it or not. Read the story, and think good thoughts about Vreli and Sali. show less
Sad and romantic story, as the title itself could make clear. Beautiful description, mature style, classic story of two houses - or better families in this context - and a pair of star-cross'd lovers.
Definitely amusing story, but I do not feel the tragedy (which is inherent in Shakespeare’s drama). Good as a fairy tale, although with no happy-end, but nothing I would long to read for a second time.
Definitely amusing story, but I do not feel the tragedy (which is inherent in Shakespeare’s drama). Good as a fairy tale, although with no happy-end, but nothing I would long to read for a second time.
This was a set book when I was at school. We all went to see a blakc and white film of the book at Southampton University and all fell about laughing in the wrong places. I got to like the story and the tragedy and moved on to enjoy other stories by Keller.
This is an excellent story - the sad story of Vrenchen and Sali who because of the family dispute between their fathers end up taking their lives by drowning.
Another school read I didn't enjoy. This time I'm not sure I would have rated it better if it hadn't been an obligatory read. Gottfried Keller just isn't my sort of author.
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German Literature
518 works; 55 members
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Author Information
This Swiss German-language poet and novelist, born in Zurich, is known for his widely read realistic short stories of Swiss provincial life.The Saturday Review wrote of his autobiographical Green Henry (1854-55), "The book's instantly captivating quality is the charm with which a quietly sequential life of curiosity and perception is narrated in show more the pellucid recollection of the mature poet. Keller's eye for the colorful scene and his skill in endowing the concrete particular with something like archetypal significance make him an artist of rare integrity." His best work, A Village Romeo and Juliet (1876), "tells of the tragic fate of two youthful lovers who are prevented from making an honest marriage by the sins of their fathers" (Ernst Rose). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Der grüne Heinrich / Die Leute von Seldwyla / Züricher Novellen.: 3 Bände by Gottfried Keller (indirect)
Werke II (Die Leute von Seldwyla; Sieben Legenden; Das Sinngedicht; Martin Salander) by Gottfried Keller (indirect)
Goldmann Klassiker mit Erläuterungen : Keller : Die Leute von Seldwyla by Gottfried Keller (indirect)
Is an adaptation of
Has as a study
Has as a supplement
Has as a commentary on the text
Has as a student's study guide
Königs Erläuterungen : Gottfried Keller : Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe [2020] by Walburga Freund-Spork
Hamburger Lesehefte plus Königs Materialien : Gottfried Keller : Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe by Walburga Freund-Spork
Reclam Erläuterungen und Dokumente : Gottfried Keller : Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe [1971] by Jürgen Hein
Has as a teacher's guide
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe
- Original title
- Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe
- Original publication date
- 1856; 1875 (final version) (final version)
- People/Characters
- Marti; Manz; Vrenchen; Sali; Il violinista nero
- Important places
- Seldwyla, Switzerland (fictional); Switzerland
- Related movies
- Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe (1941 | IMDb)
- First words
- Diese Geschichte zu erzählen würde eine müssige Nachahmung sein, wenn sie nicht auf einem wirklichen Vorfall beruhte, zum Beweise, wie tief im Menschenleben jede jener Fabeln wurzelt, auf welche die grossen alten Werke geb... (show all)aut sind.
Narrare questa storia sarebbe un'inutile invenzione se essa non si basasse su un fatto veramente accaduto a dimostrazione di quali profonde radici abbiano, nella vita degli uomini, le belle storie su cui sono costruite le gr... (show all)andi opere di poesia. - Quotations
- Immediatamente si abbracciarono e si baciarono e continuarono a lungo, finché per il momento ne furono stanchi, o come vogliamo altrimenti definire ciò che accade quando i baci di due innamorati sopravvivono a se stessi per... (show all) due o tre minuti e fanno presagire la caducità di ogni vita nell'ebbrezza stessa della fioritura.
Nella meraviglia di questi spettatori si mescolavano stranamente la pietà per la loro sventura, il disprezzo per la degradazione e la cattiveria dei genitori e l'invidia per l'armonia e la felicità di quei due che si mostra... (show all)vano legati da un amore e da un'esaltazione del tutto fuori del comune e quasi sublimi, e che per la dedizione incondizionata e l'oblio di sé apparivano tanto estranei al rozzo popolino quanto per la loro miseria e per la loro solitudine.
Liberi da ogni assillo camminarono giù per la riva, più veloci della corrente, tanta fretta avevano di trovare un posto dove distendersi: perché adesso la passione che li dominava vedeva soltanto l'ebbrezza della beatitudi... (show all)ne racchiusa nella loro unione, e tutto il valore e il significato della vita si concentrava in quell'ebbrezza; ciò che sarebbe venuto dopo, tramonto e morte, era per loro un soffio, un niente, e ci pensavano meno di quanto uno sconsiderato pensi a come vivrà l'indomani mentre dissipa i suoi ultimi averi. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Es sei dies Ereignis vermutlich in Verbindung zu bringen mit einem Heuschiff aus jener Gegend, welches ohne Schiffleute in der Stadt gelandet sein, und man nehme an, die jungen Leute haben das Schiff entwendet, um darauf ihre verzweifelte und gottverlassene Hochzeit zu halten, abermals ein Zeichen von der um sich greifenden Entsittlichung und Verwilderung der Leidenschaften.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Quell'evento doveva presumibilmente essere posto in relazione con una barca carica di fieno proveniente dalla stessa zona e approdata in città senza nessuno a bordo: si supponeva che i due giovani avessero trafugato la barca per celebrarvi le loro nozze disperate e sacrileghe, sintomo ulteriore di quanto l'immoralità fosse ormai dilagante e le passioni degenerate. - Original language
- German
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 833.8
- Canonical LCC
- PT2374.R3
- Disambiguation notice
- 3458324569 1984 softcover German insel taschenbuch 756
This is a study guide. Please do not combine it with the original work.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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