Else Lasker-Schüler Criticism
Else Lasker-Schüler (1869-1945) was a German poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, and essayist known for her Expressionist style and the fictionalization of her life experiences in her work. Born into a cultured German Jewish family, she married twice and mingled with key cultural figures, such as painter Franz Marc and poet Gottfried Benn. Her work was published in the Expressionist journal Der Sturm, edited by her second husband, Herwarth Walden. As the Nazi regime rose to power, Lasker-Schüler fled Germany and settled in Palestine, where she lived in poverty until her death.
Lasker-Schüler's writing is characterized by its imaginative portrayal of real-life individuals as extravagant characters in fantastical settings. Her autobiographical elements are evident in works like Das Peter Hille-Buch and her poetry, where she often idealized family members. Her final poetry collection, Mein blaues Klavier, reflects her sense of loss and exile, as illustrated by the poignant imagery of a "blue piano" symbolizing her lost creativity.
Critics have often debated the enigmatic nature of Lasker-Schüler's work. Her poetry is marked by a deeply personal voice, which she defended as her only authentic source of expression. Despite accusations of egocentrism, some critics like G. Guder and Durchslag and Litman-Demeestere have praised her ability to transcend personal experience to capture universal themes of homelessness and artistic struggle. Further analysis by Heinz Politzer highlights her role in the evolution of Jewish-German literature, underscoring her enduring influence and the timelessness of her poetic symbols.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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The Blue Piano of Else Lasker-Schueler
(summary)
Politzer was an Austrian-born American educator, editor, and critic who became personally acquainted with Lasker-Schüler in Palestine, and has written a number of scholarly works on the role of Jewish writers in German literature. In the following excerpt, he surveys Lasker-Schüler's career, noting especially her wordplay, and her role in the evolution of Jewish-German literature.
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The Poetry of Else Lasker-Schüler
(summary)
In the following essay, Guder surveys the major themes of Lasker-Schüler's poetry, examining her work from the publication of her first volume of verse, Styx, in Berlin, 1902, to Mein Blaues KinFier, written in exile and published in 1943 in Jerusalem, noting that her poetry was the expression of one unchanging experience throughout her life.
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The Significance of Love in the Poetry of Else Lasker-Schuler
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In the following essay, Guder compares Lasker-Schüler's concept of love to that of the German Expressionists, and examines the effect of her personal experiences on the emotional outlook of her poetry.
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The Play Element in the Poetry of Else Lasker-Schüler
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In the following essay, Blumenthal discusses Lasker-Schüler's use of childhood and play imagery in her love poetry.
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The Swing of the Pendulum: The Backward Movement, Withdrawal
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In the following excerpt, Cohn examines several of Lasker-Schüler's works, demonstrating the departure from reality evidenced in her poetry. It is my intention to show the bipolar structure of Else Lasker-Schüler's mode of being, as it manifests itself in her poetry. I have chosen to start with an examination of the various manifestations of her tendency to withdraw from reality, and to follow this with a consideration of the opposite tendency, her outgoing search for contact.
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Else Lasker-Schüler and Her People
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In the following excerpt, Hessing discusses Lasker-Schüler's regard for her Jewish heritage and its influence on her works.
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An introduction to Hebrew Ballads and Other Poems
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In the following excerpt, Durchslag and Litman-Demeestere survey Lasker-Schüler's career and discuss major images and themes in her poetry.
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An introduction to Your Diamond Dreams Cut Open My Arteries
(summary)
In the following excerpt, he provides an overview of Lasker-Schüler's career and the criticism on her works.
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The Blue Piano of Else Lasker-Schueler
(summary)
- Further Reading