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pubOne.info present you this new edition. I would merely say a few words in justification of the Historical Romance, in its relation to history. Any one, with no preceding profound study of history, who takes a few well-known historical facts as a foundation for an airy castle of romantic invention and fantastic adventure, may easily write an Historical Romance; for him history is only the nude manikin which he clothes and adorns according to his own taste, and to which he gives the place and position most agreeable to himself. But only the writer who is in earnest with respect to historical truth, who is not impelled by levity or conceited presumption, is justified in attempting this species of composition; thoroughly impressed with the greatness of his undertaking, he will with modest humility constantly remember that he has proposed to himself a great and sublime work which, however, it will be difficult if not impossible for him wholly and completely to accomplish.

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Publié par	Pub One Info
Date de parution	06 novembre 2010
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9782819948537
Langue	English

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OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA
By L. Muhlbach
Translated from the German by Peter Langley
FOREWORD
I would merely say a few words in justification ofthe Historical Romance, in its relation to history. Any one, withno preceding profound study of history, who takes a few well-knownhistorical facts as a foundation for an airy castle of romanticinvention and fantastic adventure, may easily write an HistoricalRomance; for him history is only the nude manikin which he clothesand adorns according to his own taste, and to which he gives theplace and position most agreeable to himself. But only the writerwho is in earnest with respect to historical truth, who is notimpelled by levity or conceited presumption, is justified inattempting this species of composition; thoroughly impressed withthe greatness of his undertaking, he will with modest humilityconstantly remember that he has proposed to himself a great andsublime work which, however, it will be difficult if not impossiblefor him wholly and completely to accomplish.
But what is this great, this sublime end, which theHistorical Romance writer proposes to attain? It is this: toillustrate history, to popularize it; to bring forth from thesilent studio of the scholar and to expose in the public market oflife, for the common good, the great men and great deeds embalmedin history, and of which only the studious have hitherto enjoyedthe monopoly. Thus, at least, have I considered the vocation I havechosen, not vainly or inconsiderately, but with a profoundconviction of the greatness of my undertaking, and with adepressing consciousness that my power and acquirements may proveinadequate for the attainment of my proposed end.
But I am also fully conscious of what was and stillis my greatest desire: to give an agreeable and popular form to ournational history, which may attract the attention and affections ofour people, which may open their understandings to the tendenciesof political movements, and connect the facts of history with theevents of actual life.
The severe historian has to do but with accomplishedfacts; he can only record and describe, with the strictest regardto truth, that which has outwardly occurred. He describes thebattles of peoples, the struggles of nations, the great deeds ofheroes, the actions of princes— in short, he gives the accomplishedfacts. To investigate and explain the secret motives, the hiddencauses of these facts, to present them in connection with all thatimpelled to them, this is the task of Historical Romance.
The historian presents to you the outward face, theexternal form of history; Historical Romance would show you theheart of history, and thus bring near to your heart what, else,would stand so far off. To enable him to do this, the writer of anHistorical Romance must, indeed, make severe and various studies.He must devote his whole mind and soul to the epoch he wouldillustrate, he must live in it and feel with it. He must sofamiliarize himself with all the details, as in a manner to becomea child of that epoch; for he can present a really living image ofonly that which is living in himself. That this requires a deep andearnest study of history is self-evident. Historical Romancedemands the study of the historian, together with the creativeimagination of the poet. For the free embodiment of the poet canblossom only from out the studio of the historian, as the flowerfrom the seed; as, by a reciprocal organic action, the hyacinth isderived from the onion, and the rose from its seed-capsule, so arehistory and poetry combined in the Historical Romance, giving andreceiving life to and from each other.
The Historical Romance has its great task and itsgreat justification— a truth disputed by only those who either havenot understood or will not understand its nature.
The Historical Romance has, if I may be allowed soto speak, four several objects for which to strive:
Its first object is, to throw light upon the darkplaces of history, necessarily left unclear by the historian.Poetry has the right and duty of setting facts in a clear light,and of illuminating the darkness by its sunny beams. The poetry ofthe romance writer seeks to deduce historical characteristics fromhistorical facts, and to draw from the spirit of history anelucidation of historical characters, so that the writer may beable to detect their inmost thoughts and feelings, and in just andsharp traits to communicate them to others.
The second task of Historical Romance is, to grouphistorical characters according to their internal natures, and thusto elucidate and illustrate history. This illustration then leadsto the third task, which is the discovery and exposition of themotives which impel individual historical personages to theperformance of great historical acts, and from outwardly,apparently insignificant events in their lives to deduce theirinmost thoughts and natures, and represent them clearly toothers.
Thence follows the fourth task: the illustration ofhistorical facts by a romance constructed in the spirit of thehistory. This fourth and principal task is the presentation ofhistory in a dramatic form and with animated descriptions; upon thefoundation of history to erect the temple of poesy, which mustnevertheless be pervaded and illuminated by historic truth. Fromthis it naturally follows that it is of very little consequencewhether the personages of the Historical Romance actually spoke thewords or performed the acts attributed to them; it is onlynecessary that those words and deeds should be in accordance withthe spirit and character of such historical personages, and thatthe writer should not attribute to them what they could not havespoken or done. In the Historical Romance, when circumstances orevents are presented in accordance with historical tradition, whenthe characters are naturally described, they bear with them theirown justification, and Historical Romance has need of no furtherdefence.
Historical Romance should be nothing but anillustration of history. If the drawing, grouping, coloring, andstyle of such an illustration of any given historical epoch areadmitted to be true, then the illustration rises to the elevationof a work of art, worthy of a place beside the historical picture,and is equally useful.
Raphael's “School of Athens, ” his “Institution ofthe Communion, ” and many others of his pictures, are suchillustrations of history— as also the great paintings of Rubensfrom the life of Anna dei Medici; and then the historical picturesof Horace Vernet, of Delaroche, of Lessing, and of Kaulbach— allthese are illustrations of history. What those artists present andillustrate with paint and pencil, the Historical Romancerrepresents in words with his pen; and when he does thissuccessfully, he will live in the memory of his reader asimperishably as the great historical pictures of the painters inthe memory of their beholders.
It would occur to no one to accuse a successfulhistorical picture of falsehood, because the books of history donot show that the occurrence took place precisely in the mannerrepresented, that the historical personages really so laughed orwept, or so deported themselves. If the situation and grouping ofhistorical events are allowed to be in accordance with the generaltenor of history, then the picture may be pronounced historicallytrue, and is just as good a piece of history as the record of thespecial historian. It is the same with the pictures of the romanceras with those of the painter; and this is my answer to those who,on every occasion, are continually asking: “Was it really thus? Didit really occur in that manner? ”
Show me from history that it could not be so; thatit is not in accordance with the character of the personsrepresented— then I will confess that I am wrong, and you areright; then have I not presented an illustration, but only acaricature of history, faulty as a work of art, and wanting thedignity of truth.
I am conscious of having earnestly and devotedlystriven for the truth, and of having diligently sought it in allattainable historical works. The author of an Historical Romancehas before him a difficult task: while he must falsify nothing inhistory, he must poetize it in a manner that both historical andpoetic truth shall be the result. To those, however, who so veryseverely judge Historical Romance, and would deny its historicalworth, I now, in conclusion, answer with the following significantquotation from Schiller:
“I shall always prove a bad resource for any futurehistorian who may have the misfortune to recur to me. History isgenerally only a magazine for my fantasy, and objects must becontented with whatever they may become under my hand. ”— (SeeWeisnar's “Musenhof, ” p. 93. )
This declaration of Schiller satisfies me withrespect to the nature of my own creations. I desire not to be aresource for historical writers, but I shall always earnestly andzealously seek to draw from the wells of history, that nothingfalse or unreal may find a place in the “magazine of my fantasy.”
CLARA MUNDT, (L. MUEHLBACH. ) BERLIN, September 22,1866.
OLD FRITZ AND THE NEW ERA.
BOOK I. OLD FRITZ.
CHAPTER I. THE LONELY KING.
“Well, so let it be! ” said the king, sighing, as herose from his arm-chair; "I must go forth to the strife, and theseold limbs must again submit to the fatigue of war. But what mattersit? The life of princes is passed in the fulfilment of duties andresponsibilities, and rarely is it gladdened with the sunny rays ofjoy and peace! Let us submit!
“Yes, let us submit! ” repeated the king,thoughtfully, slowly pacing his cabinet back and forth, his handsfolded upon his staff behind him, and his favorite dog, Alkmene,sleepily following him.
It was a melancholy picture to see this bowed-downold man; his thin, pale face shaded by a worn-out, three-corneredhat, his dirty uniform strewn with snuff; and his meagre legsencased in high-topped, unpolished boots; his only companion agreyhou