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How it seems and how it is: Marriage in Three Stories by Siegfried Lenz
Author(s) -
Elstun Esther N.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
orbis litterarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.109
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1600-0730
pISSN - 0105-7510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0730.1973.tb01028.x
Subject(s) - theme (computing) , wife , realm , motif (music) , literature , action (physics) , psychoanalysis , philosophy , art , psychology , aesthetics , history , theology , physics , computer science , archaeology , quantum mechanics , operating system
The article examines Lenz's treatment of disintegrating marital relationships in Ein Haus aus lauter Liebe, Der langere Arm and Der sechste Geburtstag . In all three stories the central theme is seen to be the devastating discrepancy between appearance and reality: Ein Haus aus lauter Liebe presents the appearance of familial love and the reality of marital infidelity; in Der langere Arm the apparently successful, self‐assured husband is revealed as a contemptible blackmailer; in Der sechte Geburtstag the appearance of festivity contrasts sharply with the reality of the son's impending death. The structure of all three stories is shown to be an integral part of Lenz's treatment of the central theme, with the external action serving two purposes: depicting the realm of appearances and functioning simultaneously as a frame for Lenz's portrayal of the inner reality. This effective juxtaposition of the two realms intensifies the reader's awareness of the discrepancy between them. The motif of failure, a variation of the theme of guilt, is discussed as another element the stories have in common. In each case both husband and wife are shown to be “Versager” and at the same time “0pfer” ‐ victims of themselves and of each other.