Michael Minden

Book Reviews : Adalbert Stifter's Late Prose: The Mania for Moderation. By Helena Ragg-Kirkby. Rochester, NY, and Woodbridge, Suffolk: Camden House, 2000. Pp. 137

before: ’And so it goes on’, p. 74.) The book is more interesting when Pugh tries to sort out the many different approaches to Schiller’s early plays in this century, and he is good at unmasking the bombast of highfalutin critical approaches. At the same time I am worried about the consistency of some of Pugh’s own criteria. For example, Karl Philip Moritz’s acid review of Kabale ind Liebe is taken to be representative of contemporary reactions to the play, so we are told that all reviewers recognized the grotesqueness of the play’s language. But the play was a resounding success; the positive reviews are ignored. Here and elswehere, Pugh seems too easily inspired by negative judgements on Schiller, for the sake of making a new point. Another glaring example of contradictory assessments is that he praises Garland’s defence of Kabala und Liebe against Auerbach’s criticisms, but later sides with Auerbach. With Die Rdtiber he gets into the old problem of a political interpretation by siding with Hans Mayer in the belief that the play should have depicted a revolution from below while remaining persuaded by von Wiese of the story’s conceptual integrity. There are ambiguous comments like: ’he [Giinter Sasse] takes a sober look at all of the characters and finds plenty to criticize everywhere’. One is left wondering if this a criticism of Schiller. Pugh often seems determined to be subversive and intent on going against the consensus that these are great plays (though sure enough Die Rällber is invoked as a great play when necessary). If so, why expend so much time and energy on them? Pugh often seems undecided about the important issues himself. One thing at least is clear from his survey: Schiller’s early plays will continue to be the source of much critical debate.