Das Kunstseidene Madchen

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DAS KUNSTSEIDENE MÄDCHEN

Irmgard Keun's 1931 novel, "Das Kunstseidene Mädchen", which has been translated into English as "The Artificial Silk Girl", is one of the most famous of Germany's `Neue Sachlichkeiten' works. This particular novel, in which the protagonist, Doris, a young working class German girl from Cologne, who dreams of the glitz and glamour and bright lights of the big city, Berlin - in her own words, she wants to be a "Glanz""Glamour Girl" - suffered subsequent censorship at the hands of Hitler's Nazi regime. This was due to the manner in which Doris is portrayed. Her behaviour and attitude towards men and her sexual relationships all greatly disturbed the National Socialist German society, which in effect deemed "Das Kunstseidene Mädchen" as anti-German, stating it possessed "antideutschen Tendenzen" . The uncompromising depiction of independent, self assured young women with goals out with the boundaries of being dependent on men was clearly "das Gegenteil des Hitler-Mädels-Ideals..." /"the opposite of Hitler's Young-Girl-Ideals." The intention of this essay, therefore, is to demonstrate the contrast in Doris' feelings for two of her lovers - Hubert, the student who also stays in Cologne, and with whom Doris claims she's "in love" with at the very beginning of the novel, and Ernst, the nice, `white-collar' man whose wife recently left him and who is reminded of his wife by Doris.

Firstly, in the opening pages of the novel, the reader discovers that Hubert is the only man, out of all her lovers, that she's in love with. Instantly from reading this one could suggest that this in itself is somewhat of a peculiar statement - Doris has other lovers, but believes only to be in love w...

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...ert. However whilst with Ernst, the coat doesn't seems to have less of this type of an effect on her, as Ernst eventually manages to persuade Doris to hand the stolen coat to the police.

Overall I would argue that Doris, apart from her `excited heart' [sic] at the thought of Hubert, was not really in love with him but very clearly demonstrates true love for Ernst. The reader witnesses her unconsciously adapting her whole outlook on due to falling in love with Ernst - she is keen to stay at home, remain within the more traditional female role and sacrifice her dreams of becoming a "Glanz." Whereas whilst "in love" with Hubert, nothing, not even her `beloved', could stop her leaving Cologne for Berlin in pursuit of her dreams.

REFERENCES

Keun, Irmgard. Das Kunstseidene Mädchen, 1992 Claasen Verlag

Sundermeier, Jorg. Glanz und Abglanz, 2004 Essay

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