What's Inside
This collection brings together varied narratives ranging from the legendary German romance of Farina to the biting social satires of English country life. The volume opens in medieval Cologne, where Gottlieb Groschen navigates a world of basalt-quarries and imperial threats. It shifts toward the comedy of manners in 'The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper,' where a modest military man is tormented by his neighbor’s artistic mockery. The selection includes unfinished dramatic scenes and realistic tales of coastal disaster, where personal eccentricities collide with municipal drainage disputes and rising sea levels. These works demonstrate a transition from the mythic Rhine to the specific, often absurd, constraints of British social circles.
Works & figures
- Gottlieb Groschen
A prosperous Rhinelander and merchant who fears for his daughter's safety. (in “Farina”)
- General Ople
A retiring, modest gentleman targeted by a series of cruel pen-and-ink sketches. (in “The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper”)
- Lady Camper
A neighbor who persecutes the General with preposterous and unwarrantable caricatures. (in “The Case of General Ople and Lady Camper”)
- Van Diemen
A successful man who argues over town sewerage before his house is flooded. (in “The House on the Beach”)
- Beau Beamish
A philosophical gentleman who enforces tyrannical social laws to ensure smooth intercourse. (in “The Tale of Chloe”)
- Professor Spiral
An intellectual whose presence disrupts a young suitor's attempts at romantic conversation. (in “The Sentimentalists”)
What it's really about
- Social Tyranny
- Rigid laws preventing the 'elbowing' of free citizens in social circles.
- Public Humiliation
- The use of art and gossip to dismantle a person's dignity.
Why it's memorable
- Aunt Lisbeth retreating to her bed as a fortified rock of defense against the Kaiser.
- General Ople stammering and talking to himself after receiving endless mocking letters in the post.
Where to start
Start with Farina for a vibrant, legendary chase through the streets and legends of old Cologne.
For your book club
- Whether Lady Camper's sketches represent a legitimate social critique or simple personal cruelty.
- The contrast between Gottlieb's commercial success and his total helplessness against imperial whims.