There are certain books that improve with multiple readings, and I think (for me anyway) Theodor Fontane's Effi Briest is going to be one of them. Actually I should really say some books get easier to read/understand rather than improve, as I'm not having a bad reading experience, but I am having a challenging one. I can't decide whether it is a matter of difficulties with the translation, the writing style or simply that there are too many outside distractions in my life at the moment (probably a combination of all three), but I feel like I am struggling more than I should be with this book. I think it's good these sorts of books come along, however, and slow down my reading and make me think harder and question along the way, as in the end it will be a more satisfying experience. So, now to tackle Caroline's questions for the readalong.
There might be a few spoilers in the answers, so if you've not read the novel and plan on doing so, do keep that in mind when reading the rest of this post.
What strikes you most in this novel, what do like or dislike the most?
This really is a story that is filled with nuances and subtleties. I have to be honest and tell you that I seem to have completely missed the seduction scene between Effi and Major Crampas. I have been going back and skimming, but it isn't obvious. Has it all happened off stage? I expect such things to be vague in a story written when it was, but I expected to have caught the scene. I don't really dislike anything about the story, only that my reading has not been close enough to capture what is happening beneath the surface.
Do you think Fontane likes Effi? Whose side is he on?
That's a good question and at this point I am not entirely sure. I've asked myself that with Flaubert and Tolstoy, too. Does the fact that Effi will ultimately pay for her sins mean that the author is against his heroine, or simply telling it like it is according to the social mores of the day and dependent on Effi's place in society? I need to ponder this and perhaps it will be easier to decide when I finish the book. I still want to find a book where the heroine triumphs in the end.
What do you make of the story of the Chinese and the haunted house. How would you interpret it? And what about Crampas' interpretation?
From Major Crampas it's revealed that Instetten has probably created this ghost to make his life seem more interesting than perhaps it is. He wants to be anything but ordinary, in part as his ambitions call for it as it is expected by his superiors, but there is also the thought that maybe he is using these stories to improve Effi, which infuriates her. As for the story of the Chinaman's ghost, I've cheated and read bits of the introduction, and it seems as though it is associated with "problematic sexual experience". Since Instetten never could consummate his relationship with Effi's mother he became a bachelor and repressed that part of his life. He may be older than Effi and would be expected to be more experienced, but I think in the end he is something of a cold fish. So poor Effi is doubly unsuited.
Descriptions are an important part in Effi Briest. How do you like them and how important do you think they are for the novel?
I think the descriptions are very important. I think Fontane is using everything in this novel to tell his story and nothing is really superfluous. I love descriptive storytelling, but it makes for a lot to take in and my reading is so slow it took me all week to get through this short section. Again, this is a story that begs for multiple readings.
It struck me while I was reading this novel how Fontane pairs descriptions of cozy and scary. Did you notice this as well and if so, what did you make of this?
I hadn't thought of this juxtaposition, but it's true. I'm surprised by how much of the supernatural/metaphysical there is in the novel.
What do you think of Crampas?
I don't think he is really all that awful of a person actually. He is certainly a ladies-man and plays into Effi's vanities. Does he really love her or is he simply toying with her? Too soon to tell. When she leaves for Berlin he shows up dockside to see her off. I think he certainly cares for her and is intrigued by her. But will he follow her, try to contact her and continue their affair? I guess I will find out in the last section.
Fontane chose to describe more than one Christmas in this novel, what do you think Christmas signifies?
Hmm. I'm not sure about this one either. I do love the accounts of Christmas. They seem a little bit lonely for Effi to be in the presence of people she doesn't particularly like and that don't seem to necessarily like her save a very few.
What kind of mother is Effi?
She seems like the very young mother she is. It's probably not at all surprising for her rank in society and the period that Annie spends much time with her nursemaid. While in Kessin Effi goes often with Intetten and Crampas riding. Once again I suspect I will see more of how she behaves with her daughter when she is in a more normal situation in Berlin.
Where will the novel go from here? What do you think will happen next?
I'm afraid I know just what trajectory the story is going to follow now. Effi has gone to live in Berlin as Instetten has been promoted. She leaves Kessin as soon as she can in order to find a flat to rent, and she plays ill in order not to have to return. She is wracked with guilt over her behavior with Crampas (the only proof I seem to have that there was ever an affair), but more so she feels guilty that she doesn't feel as guilty as she should (if that makes sense). That is a sure sign that Effi will pay. In just what form that will take, I am soon to discover!