This paper discusses the critical reassessment of German literature in the mid to late 19th century by German scholar Schlafli in his book "A Brief History of German Literature", and argues that literature during this period appeared outdated due to compromise. Schlafli's viewpoint is similar to that of classical linguist Auerbach in "The Treatise on Imitation", both expressing regret for the modern development of German literature. The article analyzes the formation of the internal inheritance chain in German literature, as well as the characteristics of realist writers as "great imitators" who focus more on the inner entanglement between spirit and the world in their works, rather than social grasp. The article proposes that we should start from the evaluation orientation of intellectual history and understand the new perspective of realism literature. By comparing the different publishing situations of German and French literary works "Madame Bovary" and "Henry in the Green" during the same period, this paper explores the literary significance and market response of the first edition of "Henry in the Green" in the turning point of European realism, providing a new perspective for understanding 19th-century German realism literature.

Synopsis and Understanding Perspective of 'Henry in Green'

Green Henry explores the social transformation and individual fate of 19th century Europe through the artistic cultivation story of Swiss youth Henry Ray. Henry was influenced by his father and developed a natural pantheistic religious belief, aspiring to become a landscape painter. He experienced emotional setbacks and academic failures, but remained steadfast in his artistic determination. However, living in Munich was difficult and he eventually gave up painting and became an atheist. The novel depicts the social transformation in 19th century Europe, Henry's experience in Swiss constitutional discussions and the student movement, reflecting the impact of liberal ideas on cultural conservatism. The description of Munich's art market, workshops, and urban landscape in the book reflects the early capitalist way of life. Henry's tragic life stems from his rejection of social frameworks and pursuit of "direct" truth in art. In the latter half of the novel, Henry observes the lives of others in Munich, his emotions are sealed, and the external world becomes a flowing landscape. Henry's life is locked in accidental landscapes and imagination, no longer changing. The novel depicts the self adjustment mechanism of German literature in the mid to late 19th century among the market, writers, and readers. To understand 'Henry in Green', it is necessary to place its narrative logic in the context of the Enlightenment German literary genre from the perspective of genre poetics, and explore the special connections between life, writing, and literature reflected in the work.

The Narrative Structure of the First Edition of 'Henry in Green'

The first edition of 'Green Henry' used a third person narrative with embedded character memoirs, a narrative structure that had already appeared in 18th century epistolary novels to create illusions of reality. The techniques of German novels are mature, and romantic period writers such as Hoffman and Jean Paul are skilled at developing narrative levels. The coexistence of third person and first person in the first edition of 'Green Henry' led to market failure. The novel consists of 896 pages, with the first person introduction section from page 57 to page 544. The weight of the length is unclear, and the transition between reality and memory is abrupt, lacking a sense of balance. In the third person perspective, the narrator establishes a community relationship with the reader, but there is a contradiction with the characters' inner feelings, and the narrator is slightly humorous. In the nearly 500 page memoir section, Henry's self narrative brings him closer to the emotional distance with readers, but his emotional identification is interrupted after returning to the third person perspective. Readers need to overcome the sense of discontinuity caused by the alternation of personal perspectives and form an overall impression. Keller removed the external narrator during the revision and uniformly used the first person. The novel time was changed to a linear structure, and the characters' endings were explained, making the entire text more coherent. After abandoning the tragic ending of the first edition, the novel takes a more moderate stance, leaning towards detachment and reconciliation. The initial version implies the disappearance of the sense of scrutiny, but some researchers have pointed out that the ironic dimension has not disappeared, but has been integrated into the subjective perspective in a more secretive way. Keller did not abandon his satirical stance in the second edition, but it is hidden within the text and can only be understood by readers who deeply understand the critical intent of the work. The narrative perspective of "Our Boy" in the initial version disappears in the final version, lacking a narrator to help readers focus on the problem. The reading experience of the novel is smoother, but the critical intention is hidden deeper. This disappearing voice has a long tradition in novels, as writers such as Cervantes, Goethe, and Paul are skilled at using "our" to refer to characters and achieve intimate relationships with readers. Benjamin believed that "Affinity" is essentially a long and nuanced novel of strange stories, with a narrative stance that tends to prevent readers from entering the core of events. This tradition of detachment can be traced back to the framework structure constructed layer by layer in the stories of Boccaccio and Cervantes. The strong narrator is an important characteristic that distinguishes the novel from the long novel. The dual perspective in the first edition of 'Henry in Green' may have a stylistic mix of long form and fantasy novels. The embedded stories of "Little Mei Lei" and "Skeleton Cui Han" in the novel provide a positive and negative interpretation of Henry's life from different perspectives. Keller was also one of the most outstanding German anecdote novelists of the 19th century. His anecdote novels are mostly in the third person, and the narrator firmly controls the direction of the story, expressing a strong attitude towards the characters. This narrative intervention is also the most significant difference between the first and final editions of "Henry in Green".

German Long Novels and Anecdotes of the 18th and 19th Centuries: A Case Study of Goethe and Jean Paul

The tradition of heterodox novels in German literature in the 18th and 19th centuries originated from Verlander and Goethe. Verlander's "Six Days of the Rosary" imitated Boccaccio's "Ten Days of the Rosary" and displayed a color of heterodox. Goethe defined the novel of strange events as "unheard of events", but his works such as "The Idle Talk of German Refugees" and "Strange Stories" do not fully fit his definition, but gradually transform the novelty of events into ethical and historical significance. The genre of strange rumors is often incorporated into long works, such as the strange stories embedded in Goethe's "The Age of Learning" and "Affinity", which form a corresponding relationship with the main body and imply the intrinsic form and consequences of life. In the early 19th century, Jean Paul's works were characterized by self deconstruction, with his narrators sometimes claiming to be authors and sometimes getting involved in events, breaking down identity boundaries and interfering with reader identification. Paul's works, with the subtitle "Biography," break the boundaries between autobiography and literary writing, showcasing a new dimension of understanding of self technology. Foucault analyzed the impact of language expression techniques on self construction in "The Self Technique". In the operation of literary language, self confession is placed within fiction and gradually deviates from real life. Paul's novels showcase literature as the backstage stage of self technology, with the author subtly participating in the generation of language. In the literary styles of Goethe and Paul, there is a fusion of the tradition of heterodox novels and the introversion of piety. The boundary between autobiography and literary writing is unclear, and truth and fiction dominate the expression of literary authors in an invisible way.

Stylistic Analysis of 'Henry in Green'

Keller expressed complex emotions towards the first edition of 'Green Henry' in his letter, believing that the novel was closely related to his inner self, but also foreshadowing his special fate. The novel broke down into a youth memoir and a lengthy section due to its long writing time. Keller hoped that the content could bridge the gap and make readers forget its existence. Interjection is not only a matter of literary technique, but also a sign of the influence of realistic consciousness on writing. Auerbach analyzed the issue of interludes in "The Odyssey" in his work "The Imitation", pointing out that in Homer's epic, stories occupy real time with their elaboration, while modern novels place more emphasis on dramatic temporal tension. Keller, as a master of 19th century paranormal creation, set aside the tension of suspense and delayed events through interludes. This bizarre issue is worth exploring.