Other Literary Forms
Heinrich von Kleist’s fame as the author of short stories and novellas almost matches his fame as a playwright. The novella Michael Kohlhaas (1810; English translation, 1844), perhaps Kleist’s best-known narrative work, tells the story of a Reformation-era merchant whose thirst for justice becomes an obsession, overturning the social order but never achieving satisfaction. Die Marquise von O——— (1808; The Marquise of O———, 1960), incorporating themes of objective versus subjective reality often found in Kleist’s plays, presents the predicament of a young unmarried woman impregnated while unconscious. She knows herself to be virtuous, yet she is spurned by society. Other stories include “Das Erdbeben in Chile” (1807; “The Earthquake in Chile,” 1946), “Die Verlobung in St. Domingo” (1811; “The Betrothal in St. Domingo,” 1960), “Das Bettelweib von Locarno” (1811; “The Foundling,” 1960), and “Die heilige Cäcilie: Oder, Die Gewalt der Musik” (1811; “The Duel,” 1960). Much of Kleist’s fiction can be found in the two-volume Erzählungen (1810-1811; “The Marquise of O” and Other Stories, 1960).
Achievements
Perhaps the most misunderstood of German literary figures, Heinrich von Kleist was long considered a cheerleader of Prussian militarism. Critics misread the profound criticism of the military establishment in the play The Prince of Homburg, seeing only the highly emotional patriotism. There is still disagreement between those critics who consider Kleist an early Romantic with Ludwig Tieck and Clemens Brentano and those who emphasize his kinship with Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the giants of German classicism.
Kleist’s appeal to modern readers is attested by the many adaptations of his works. The best-selling novel Ragtime (1975), by E. L. Doctorow, follows closely the plot of Michael Kohlhaas, and director Eric Rohmer’s film Die Marquise von O (1976) received great critical acclaim. The French playwright Jean Giraudoux added his touch to the Amphitryon material in 1929 with Amphitryon 38. Georg Kaiser’s Zweimal Amphitryon (1944; twice Amphitryon) and the 1968 play Amphitryon by Peter Hacks (English translation, 1970) show the further adaptation of the mythological material Kleist himself had adapted from Plautus and Molière. Finally, poets from the early Romantics to the expressionists and existentialists have acknowledged their debt to Kleist.
Other Literary Forms
Heinrich von Kleist considered himself primarily a dramatist, and each of his several plays is recognized in the twentieth century as a masterpiece of its type. Der zerbrochene Krug (1808; The Broken Jug, 1930), Kleist’s comedy of unmasking, is one of the liveliest exhibitions of comic misunderstanding and double entendre in European drama. In Penthesilea (1808; English translation, 1959), Kleist restructures a Greek myth as a psychological tragedy. Das Käthchen von Heilbronn (1810; Cathy of Heilbronn, 1927) and Penthesilea are paired by Kleist as opposite expressions of identical inner impulses. Cathy of Heilbronn is a fairy tale in which the heroine’s forbearance and inner surety guided by dream win her a life of true happiness. Kleist also wrote a family tragedy, Die Familie Schroffenstein (1803; The Feud of the Schroffensteins, 1916), a patriotic play, Die Hermannsschlacht (1821), and Amphitryon (1807; English translation, 1962), an adaptation of Molière’s comedy of the same name. Kleist’s fragmentary tragedy, Robert Guiskard (1808; English translation, 1962), prompted Wieland’s celebrated comment that the play, if finished, would unite the spirits of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and William Shakespeare. Kleist’s last play, the internationally known Prinz Friedrich von Homburg (1821; The Prince of Homburg , 1875), follows the career of a young prince whose dream of future glory is playfully encouraged by the Elector and his guests, who come on the prince walking in his sleep. The prince wins a military victory but is sentenced to death for violating orders. When he sees his grave being dug, he recoils in...
(This entire section contains 311 words.)
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horror and begs for his life. Later he accepts his guilt and passionately yearns for death. When he is pardoned and celebrated as a hero after all, reality seems more illusory than the dream which opens the play.
Kleist was also a journalist, and he wrote a group of war poems and several aesthetic and political essays. These along with several of his stories first appeared in newspapers.
Achievements
Although he received little recognition during his lifetime, Heinrich von Kleist is considered a masterful writer of fiction and one of the greatest German dramatists. Critics rank his work second only to that of his great contemporaries, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. His short fiction (novellas), as well as his dramas, all confront the central problem of the elusive quality of truth, and even his highly individual writing style and syntax seem to reflect that problem by using an objective tone and a complex pattern of a clause within a clause, breaking the logical sequence of the reader’s thoughts. The world is presented as problematic or “torn,” bereft of its logical or sensible wholeness, and his characters are confronted with an irrational universe, barring the possibility of justice and happiness. Kleist’s tragic view of the contradictions in the world present an essentially modern viewpoint, a forerunner of the feelings of isolation and alienation in an unpredictable world so often presented by twentieth century writers.
Other literary forms
Although Heinrich von Kleist (klist) is perhaps now best known for his two novellas, The Marquise of O—— and Michael Kohlhaas, he earned his reputation in early nineteenth century Germany as a playwright. He wrote tragedies and comedies, family dramas, and political plays, and he adapted one of Molière’s plays for the stage. Kleist combined Greek tragedy and William Shakespeare in his plays, even as he attempted to fashion a national drama that would somehow echo and reflect the spirit of the age.
Kleist’s first play, Die Familie Schroffenstein (pb. 1803; The Feud of the Schroffensteins, 1916), is a tragedy in which humans must reckon with their own shortcomings and their inability to understand truth. The play reveals that individuals create their own fates and that no powers outside themselves intervene to alter that fate. At the same time, Kleist was working on Robert Guiskard (pb. 1808; English translation, 1962), a play that he never finished; it was modeled on the tragedies of Aeschylus. In 1807, he recast the legend of Amphitryon, and his version, unlike Molière’s, focuses on the faithful wife, Alkmene, and her reluctance to accept her fate. Amphitryon (pb. 1807; English translation, 1962) appeared while he was in prison in France after being convicted as a spy.
Penthesilea (pb. 1808; English translation, 1959), Kleist’s most famous play, breathes new life into the Greek legend of the love of the Amazon queen for Achilles and its tragic consequences. This play secured Kleist’s reputation as a poet of great power and feeling, though it did not bring him the immediate recognition he sought. With Der zerbrochene Krug (pr. 1808; The Broken Jug, 1939), Kleist gave Germany one of its great comic masterpieces. Much like Shakespeare’s comedies, the play features country bumpkins and earthy language as well as a portrayal of human foibles. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, impressed with the play, produced it, but it was a disaster. The failed production ruined Kleist’s hopes of earning national recognition and fame. Kleist’s political drama Die Hermannsschlacht (pb. 1821; Hermann’s battle) was an attempt to inspire Germans to unite in a national patriotic and military campaign against Napoleon I. In Das Käthchen von Heilbronn: Oder, Die Feuerprobe (pr., pb. 1810; Cathy of Heilbronn: Or, The Trial by Fire, 1927), Kleist portrays a Cinderella-like character who loves her beloved so much that she endures his constant abuse of her.
Achievements
Even with his prolific output of plays and tales, Heinrich von Kleist failed to achieve either fame or fortune in his own lifetime. His friends Goethe, Friedrich von Schiller, and German poet Christoph Martin Wieland greatly admired his writings, but his work did not win awards or receive significant public recognition. He had made several efforts to gain wider appreciation for his work. Kleist’s frustration and disappointment very likely led to his suicide in 1811. Today, Kleist’s plays and novellas are often recognized for their eloquent lyrical writing and their powerful themes, and he is honored as the namesake of the prestigious Kleist Prize for German literature.
In 1807-1808, Kleist and philosopher Adam Heinrich Müller published the journal Phöbus: Ein Journal für die Kunst (which appeared in book form in 1961), in which Kleist published an early fragment of Michael Kohlhaas and several excerpts from his plays and other stories. This journal did not succeed, though, and lasted only a few months. In 1811, Kleist edited the daily newspaper Berliner Abendblätter, but the publication lasted for six months only.
Discussion Topics
What gives rise to conflicts between the individual and the state in Michael Kohlhaas and Penthesilea? What, if any, political criticism is implied?
What elements in Heinrich von Kleist’s works point to a moral ambiguity that makes it difficult to assess particular characters?
How do gestures or other body language convey feelings that are not directly expressed by Kleist’s characters? To what themes do specific gestures point?
In what ways do Kleist’s characters transcend traditional gender roles or appear to be constrained by them? How does this affect relationships between men and women?
To what extent does unexpected information at the close of a novella or play by Kleist provide new perspectives on the main characters?
How does Kleist’s irony create distance or intensify tragic or comic moments?
Bibliography
Allen, Richard. “Reading Kleist and Hoffmann.” In Romantic Writing, edited by Stephen Bygrave. London: Routledge, 1996. Discusses irony, characterization, and the cultural and political context of Kleist’s story “The Betrothal on Santo Domingo.”
Allan, Seán. The Plays of Heinrich von Kleist: Ideals and Illusions. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. A critical analysis of the ideals and illusions in Kleist’s drama. Bibliography and index.
Allan, Seán. The Stories of Heinrich von Kleist: Fictions of Security. Rochester, N.H.: Camden House, 2001. Although this work focuses on the stories of Kleist, it sheds light on his plays. Bibliography and index.
Brown, H. M. Heinrich von Kleist: The Ambiguity of Art and the Necessity of Form. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. A thoughtful study on Kleist’s style.
Brown, Robert H. “Fear of Social Change in Kleist’s ‘Erdbeben in Chili.’” Monatshefte 84 (1992): 447-458. Argues that “The Earthquake in Chile” explores contemporary social conflicts with no simple solutions. Discusses the story as being focused on the collapse of the old order and the disintegration behind reform movements of the eighteenth century; the story’s subtext deals with modern challenges to harmonious cooperative hierarchy.
Dutoit, Thomas. “Rape, Crypt, and Fantasm: Kleist’s Marquise of O.” Mosaic 27 (September, 1994): 45-64. Discusses the implications of impregnation in Kleist’s story; argues that the story suggests a gap between the fact that something happened and the description of the event.
Dyer, Denys. The Stories of Kleist: A Critical Study. New York: Holmes and Meier, 1977. An excellent study of Kleist’s masterpieces of short fiction, intended for students and general readers with little knowledge of German literature. After a chapter on Kleist’s life and works, Dyer treats the stories individually so that each chapter is a self-contained interpretation. Chapter 8 summarizes the main points about Kleist’s themes and style. Contains an index and a bibliography, including some sources on individual stories (many in German).
Fischer, Bernd, ed. A Companion to the Works of Heinrich von Kleist. Rochester, N.Y.: Camden House, 2003. A general overview and guide to Kleist’s work.
Gearey, John. Heinrich von Kleist: A Study in Tragedy and Anxiety. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1968. A helpful and readable study of Kleist’s life and works. In studying the works, Gearey focuses on the problem of conflict, which he believes is caused by Kleist’s own puzzlement over the problem of human experience. Includes plot summaries and analyses of Kleist’s early dramas, some of his novellas, and his later major works. Supplemented by a chronology of Kleist’s life and a bibliography.
Grandin, John M. Kafka’s Prussian Advocate: A Study of the Influence of Heinrich von Kleist on Franz Kafka. Columbia, S.C.: Camden House, 1987. This study tracks parallels of style and theme in the works of the two writers. It is Grandin’s belief that much of Kafka can be better understood through “Kleistian eyes” and that some Kleist stories can be read “from the more modern Kafka perspective.” The comments on Michael Kohlhaas are particularly helpful. Complemented by an index and a bibliography.
Guenther, Beatrice Martina. The Poetics of Death: The Short Prose of Kleist and Balzac. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. Examines the short fiction of Kleist and Honoré de Balzac. Includes bibliographical references and an index.
Maass, Joachim. Kleist: A Biography. Translated by Ralph Manheim. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1983. A comprehensive biography of Kleist including detailed information about his family background, life, and attitudes. His works are also discussed in context. Includes photographs, a select bibliography, and an index of works and names.
Mehigan, Timothy J. Text as Contract: The Nature and Function of Narrative Discourse in the “Erzählungen” of Heinrich von Kleist. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1988. A discussion of Kleist’s short fiction from the point of view of language and communication. Mehigan believes that the narratives have a “strong sense of structure,” even when describing disorder, and he uses a narrative paradigm to show the relationship between pattern and disorder in the individual works. Contains an extensive bibliography.
Reeve, William A. Kleist on Stage: 1804-1987. Buffalo, N.Y.: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1993. An analysis of Kleist’s major plays and details about their staging and production history. Bibliography and index.
Reeve, William A. Kleist’s Aristocratic Heritage and “Das Käthchen von Heilbronn.” Buffalo, N.Y.: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1991. A closer look at Kleist’s familial background and its connection with his play Cathy of Heilbronn. Bibliography and index.
Silz, Walter. Heinrich von Kleist: Studies in His Works and Literary Character. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1961. A collection of essays on various works and aspects of Kleist’s literary expression. Includes separate chapters on “Das Erdbeben in Chili,” Amphitryon, “Über das Marionettentheater,” Michael Kohlhaas, and Prinz Friedrich von Homburg, and an excellent chapter on the recurrence of certain concepts and expressions in Kleist’s work. Supplemented by notes to each chapter, bibliographical references, and an index of names.
Stephens, Anthony. Heinrich von Kleist: The Dramas and Stories. Providence, R.I.: Berg, 1994. Critical analyses of many of Kleist’s works. Bibliography and index.
Ugrinsky, Alexej, et al., eds. Heinrich von Kleist Studies. New York: AMS Press, 1980. A collection of studies prepared for the Heinrich von Kleist bicentennial (1777-1977) and published in both English and German. After an introduction on Kleist’s life by Ilse Graham, the discussions are divided into various headings: drama; novellas; marionettes; comparative studies; education, linguistics, and science; and new perspectives. Includes an index and a reprint of the catalog of materials available on Kleist.
Werlen, Hans Jakob. “Seduction and Betrayal: Race and Gender in Kleist’s ‘Die Verlobung in St. Domingo.’” Monatshefte 84 (1992): 459-471. Discusses how the story reflects the struggle between the races in the seduction of Toni and her recasting into the image of Gustav’s dead bride. Uses Sigmund Freud’s concept of “suggestion” to discuss the effect of Gustav on Toni. Claims that the end of the story removes Gustav and Toni from their previous historical-political and racial context and erases its own central issues of race, sexuality, and culture.
