Wallenstein (novel)
Encyclopedia
Wallenstein is a 1920 historical novel
by German author Alfred Döblin
. Set in Central Europe during the Thirty Years War, the novel's plot is organized around the polar figures of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
, on the one hand, and Albrecht von Wallenstein
, on the other. Döblin's approach to narrating the war differed from prevailing historiography in that, rather than interpreting the Thirty Years War primarily as a religious conflict, he portrays it critically as the absurd consequence of a combination of national-political, financial, and individual psychological factors. Döblin saw a strong similarity between the Thirty Years War and the First World War, during which he wrote Wallenstein. The novel is counted among the most innovative and significant historical novels in the German literary tradition.
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
by German author Alfred Döblin
Alfred Döblin
Alfred Döblin was a German expressionist novelist, best known for the novel Berlin Alexanderplatz .- 1878–1918:...
. Set in Central Europe during the Thirty Years War, the novel's plot is organized around the polar figures of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
Ferdinand II , a member of the House of Habsburg, was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Bohemia , and King of Hungary . His rule coincided with the Thirty Years' War.- Life :...
, on the one hand, and Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
, on the other. Döblin's approach to narrating the war differed from prevailing historiography in that, rather than interpreting the Thirty Years War primarily as a religious conflict, he portrays it critically as the absurd consequence of a combination of national-political, financial, and individual psychological factors. Döblin saw a strong similarity between the Thirty Years War and the First World War, during which he wrote Wallenstein. The novel is counted among the most innovative and significant historical novels in the German literary tradition.
Further reading
- Donahue, Neil H. "The Fall Of Wallenstein, Or The Collapse Of Narration? The Paradox Of Epic Intensity In Döblin's Wallenstein." A Companion to the Works of Alfred Döblin. 75-92. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2003.
- Hüppauf, Bernd. "The Historical Novel and a History of Mentalities: Alfred Döblin's Wallenstein as an Historical Novel." In: The Modern German Historical Novel. Ed. by David Roberts and Philip Thomson. New York and Oxford: Berg, 1991. 71-96.
- Scherpe, Klaus R. "Ein Kolossalgemälde für Kurzsichtige." Das Andere der Geschichte in Alfred Döblins Wallenstein. In: Geschichte als Literatur. Formen und Grenzen der Repräsentation von Vergangenheit. Ed. by Hartmut Eggert et al. Stuttgart: Metzler, 1990. 226-241.
External links
- EBook version of vol. 2 of the first edition on the University of Toronto's Internet Archive