Die Klavierspielerin
Encyclopedia
The Piano Teacher is a novel by Austria
n Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek
, first published in 1983 by Rowohlt Verlag.
The novel follows protagonist Erika Kohut, a sexually and emotionally repressed piano teacher, as she enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with her student, Walter Klemmer, the results of which are disastrous. The book features many unusual stylistic elements, like the near-constant capitalization of words (such as "her") that refer back to the protagonist. Also, like much of Jelinek's work, the chronology of the events in the book are interwoven with images of the past and the internal thoughts of characters.
While the English work was titled The Piano Teacher, the title in German means "the piano player." It is also clear that the player is female.
The novel was adapted into a 2001 film of the same name
, directed by Michael Haneke
.
and still lives in an apartment with her very controlling mother, who Erika shares her parents' marriage bed with. The very strained relationship between Erika and her mother is made clear in the opening scene, in which Erika rips out some of her mother's hair when her mother attempts to take away a new dress that Erika has purchased for herself. Erika's mother wishes the money to be used toward a new, future apartment with her, and resents Erika's spending of her money on possessions distinctly for herself; her mother cannot wear Erika's clothing. Erika herself does not wear it, but merely strokes it admiringly at night.
Erika expresses this latent violence as well and need for control in many other scenes throughout the book. Erika takes large instruments on trains so that she can hit people with them and call it an accident, or kicks or steps on the feet of other passengers so that she can watch them blame someone else. She also has fascination with voyeurism
. She often views peep shows and pornography
on her way home from work. When she catches a couple having sex in a park, Erika is so affected that she urinates. As well, a memory of a visit from her cousins as a child, in which her mother takes delight in the handsome cousin as he enjoys his day, but forces Erika to practice piano, results in Erika's self-mutilation.
Walter Klemmer, an engineering
student, is introduced very early on. He comes early to class and watches Erika perform. He eventually becomes Erika's student and develops a desire for his instructor. Erika sees love as a means of rebellion or escape from her mother and thus seeks complete control in the relationship, always telling Klemmer carefully what he must do to her, although she is a sexual masochist. The tensions build within the relationship as Klemmer finds himself more and more uncomfortable by the control, and eventually Klemmer beats and rapes Erika in her own apartment, her mother in the next room. When Erika visits Klemmer after the rape and finds him laughing and happy, she stabs herself in the shoulder and returns home.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek
Elfriede Jelinek is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2004 for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."-...
, first published in 1983 by Rowohlt Verlag.
The novel follows protagonist Erika Kohut, a sexually and emotionally repressed piano teacher, as she enters into a sadomasochistic relationship with her student, Walter Klemmer, the results of which are disastrous. The book features many unusual stylistic elements, like the near-constant capitalization of words (such as "her") that refer back to the protagonist. Also, like much of Jelinek's work, the chronology of the events in the book are interwoven with images of the past and the internal thoughts of characters.
While the English work was titled The Piano Teacher, the title in German means "the piano player." It is also clear that the player is female.
The novel was adapted into a 2001 film of the same name
The Piano Teacher
The Piano Teacher is a 2001 film directed by Michael Haneke, starring Isabelle Huppert and Benoît Magimel. The film is based on the novel Die Klavierspielerin by Elfriede Jelinek who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004.- Plot :...
, directed by Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke is a German born Austrian filmmaker and writer best known for his bleak and disturbing style. His films often document problems and failures in modern society. Haneke has worked in television‚ theatre and cinema. He is also known for raising social issues in his work...
.
Plot synopsis
The novel follows Erika Kohut, a piano teacher in her late thirties who teaches at the Vienna ConservatoryVienna Conservatory
The Vienna Conservatory may refer to:*Konservatorium Wien, established in 1938 as Musikschule der Stadt Wien *University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, which incorporates the older Vienna Conservatory dating back to 1817, established by the Gesellschaft der MusikfreundeOther music education...
and still lives in an apartment with her very controlling mother, who Erika shares her parents' marriage bed with. The very strained relationship between Erika and her mother is made clear in the opening scene, in which Erika rips out some of her mother's hair when her mother attempts to take away a new dress that Erika has purchased for herself. Erika's mother wishes the money to be used toward a new, future apartment with her, and resents Erika's spending of her money on possessions distinctly for herself; her mother cannot wear Erika's clothing. Erika herself does not wear it, but merely strokes it admiringly at night.
Erika expresses this latent violence as well and need for control in many other scenes throughout the book. Erika takes large instruments on trains so that she can hit people with them and call it an accident, or kicks or steps on the feet of other passengers so that she can watch them blame someone else. She also has fascination with voyeurism
Voyeurism
In clinical psychology, voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other activity usually considered to be of a private nature....
. She often views peep shows and pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
on her way home from work. When she catches a couple having sex in a park, Erika is so affected that she urinates. As well, a memory of a visit from her cousins as a child, in which her mother takes delight in the handsome cousin as he enjoys his day, but forces Erika to practice piano, results in Erika's self-mutilation.
Walter Klemmer, an engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
student, is introduced very early on. He comes early to class and watches Erika perform. He eventually becomes Erika's student and develops a desire for his instructor. Erika sees love as a means of rebellion or escape from her mother and thus seeks complete control in the relationship, always telling Klemmer carefully what he must do to her, although she is a sexual masochist. The tensions build within the relationship as Klemmer finds himself more and more uncomfortable by the control, and eventually Klemmer beats and rapes Erika in her own apartment, her mother in the next room. When Erika visits Klemmer after the rape and finds him laughing and happy, she stabs herself in the shoulder and returns home.