Arthur Schnitzler's Critical Reception in Vienna: The Liberal Press and the Question of Jewish Identity

This paper investigates Schnitzler's critical reception in the Viennese press throughout his lifetime, and is based on the articles contained in his press cuttings collection, which is housed at the University of Exeter. It shows that, contrary to the conclusions of much existing scholarship, the liberal press failed to offer an effective defence of Schnitzler's works in the face of anti‐Semitic attacks from the right‐wing press, and that it was indirectly responsible for the negative reception of Schnitzler's early works. This paper challenges the suggestion that Schnitzler's works received an overwhelmingly positive reception in the liberal press, and demonstrates how the Jewish identity of many liberal critics negatively influenced the reception of Schnitzler's works. This is achieved by focusing on the critical reception of Leutnant Gustl , Der Weg ins Freie and Professor Bernhardi . It also suggests reasons why the liberal press behaved in this way, and assesses the significance of the question of Jewish identity in offering an explanation for that behaviour.