Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane was a prominent German novelist and poet, recognized as a key figure in German Realism during the late nineteenth century. Born into a Huguenot family in Prussia, Fontane initially trained as an apothecary but eventually transitioned to journalism and literature, becoming a significant voice in the cultural landscape of Germany. His early exposure to English and Scottish ballads influenced his writing, leading to renowned works such as "Archibald Douglas."
Fontane's literary career gained momentum later in life, with his first novel being published when he was nearly sixty. He is best known for his insightful portrayals of Berlin society, addressing the complexities of social change amid the decline of the aristocracy and the rise of the middle class. His major novels, including "Effi Briest," "Trials and Tribulations," and "Jenny Treibel," are celebrated for their nuanced characterizations and masterful dialogue. Fontane's work has had a lasting impact on subsequent generations of German writers, and he continues to be honored for his contributions to literature, exemplified by commemorations such as the issuance of a stamp by the German post office on the anniversary of his birth.
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Subject Terms
Theodor Fontane
German novelist
- Born: December 30, 1819
- Birthplace: Neuruppin, Prussia (now in Germany)
- Died: September 20, 1898
- Place of death: Berlin, Germany
Biography
German Realism culminated in the late nineteenth century novels of Theodor Fontane (fawn-TAH-nuh). Born into a Huguenot family in Prussia, Fontane later portrayed that north German landscape unforgettably. Initially he chose the same profession as his father and trained as an apothecary, working in Berlin, Burg, Leipzig, and Dresden. When he was twenty-five he joined the apolitical Berlin literary society Der Tunnel Ober der Spree (tunnel over the spree), where he met weekly for many years with prominent writers and artists.
At the age of thirty, Fontane married and became a journalist, working in Germany and England for the Prussian press headquarters. At the same time he began to write ballads. Fontane was familiar with the English and Scottish ballad tradition, and he did not restrict himself to Prussian subject matter. One of his best-known ballads, “Archibald Douglas,” is about the Scotsman.
When he was forty, Fontane returned to Germany, where he worked for a decade as editor of the English section of the Kreuz-Zeitung, then from 1870 to 1889 as the theater critic for the Vossische Zeitung. During this time, Fontane, writing in a genre popular in Germany, reached a wide audience when he published four entertaining and informed accounts of his travels through the Mark Brandenburg region as well as a fifth volume about castles there.
Financial difficulties prevented Fontane from writing his first novel until he was almost sixty. He began with historical novels, as had the Scottish poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), whose work Fontane greatly admired. Vor dem Sturm and A Man of Honor are novels of the Napoleonic Wars. Fontane was almost seventy before he settled on the subject matter he portrayed best: Berlin society and the social issues arising from the decline of the aristocracy and the rise of the middle class. Trials and Tribulations, Jenny Treibel, Effi Briest, and The Stechlin are uncontestedly great works of literature, narrated with the wisdom and tolerance of maturity and economically constructed with rare stylistic finesse. Fontane was a master at writing dialogue; what is not said often reveals as much about a character as what is said.
Fontane’s works exerted a strong influence on many subsequent German novelists, among them Thomas Mann and Günter Grass, who used the well-known last words of Fontane’s masterpiece, Effi Briest, as the title of his 1995 novel Ein weites Feld (a broad subject). Effi Briest was filmed in 1939, 1955, 1968, and 1974. In 1994, the 175th anniversary of Fontane’s birth, the German post office issued a commemorative stamp, and a new, complete edition of his works appeared in German.
Bibliography
Bance, Alan. Theodor Fontane: The Major Novels. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1982. A discussion of all Fontane’s major fiction, with notes and bibliography.
Chambers, Helen. The Changing Image of Theodor Fontane. Columbia, S.C.: Camden House, 1997. Chapters on reviews and early criticism and a discussion of Fontane and the realistic novel. Includes notes and bibliography.
Craig, Gordon Alexander. Theodor Fontane: Literature and History in the Bismarck Reich. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Places Fontane in the context of authors and literary output in nineteenth century Prussia.
Doebeling, Marion, ed. New Approaches to Theodor Fontane: Cultural Codes in Flux. New York: Camden House, 1999. A collection of eight essays examines Fontane’s realist approach to literature and explores the difficulty and ultimate impossibility of a true mirroring of realism.
Garland, Henry. The Berlin Novels of Theodor Fontane. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. Contains detailed chapters on individual novels.
Robinson, A. R. Theodor Fontane: An Introduction to the Man and His Work. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1976. Provides a thorough examination of Fontane’s life and works.
Velardi, Carol Hawkes. Techniques of Compression and Prefiguration in the Beginnings of Theodor Fontane’s Novels. New York: Peter Lang, 1992. A somewhat specialized study, but there is a good introduction for the beginning student and a useful bibliography.
Wansink, Susan. Female Victims and Oppressors in Novels by Theodor Fontane and François Mauriac. New York: Peter Lang, 1998. An interesting combination of literary and cultural criticism situating Fontane in his time while also reading the novels as complex studies of the interaction between characters and societal norms. Includes notes and bibliography.
Zweibel, William I. Theodor Fontane. New York: Twayne, 1992. The starting place not only for beginning students but also for scholars wishing to review research on the subject. Situates Fontane in his times and explores antiquarianism and romantic destiny, balladry and psychology, Fontane’s treatment of the Prussian state, and his later fiction. Provides a chronology, notes, and an annotated bibliography.