The thing that struck me most about Heinrich von Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas, was the style in which it was written. Interestingly (I used this word a lot in posting blogs here as well as commenting on the blogs!), it reminded me of books I used to read as a little kid...more specifically collections of fairy or folk tales. It just has that certain air. Not much dialogue is expressed within quotations. The writing seems to have a certain consistent, continuous flow and is filled with constant action, and constantly updates the reader on the usually intense emotions ("extreme indignation," "utter consternation") of the protagonist. This style made the story more fun to read.
I haven't finished reading the entire story yet, but so far, I am surprised to find the character of Kohlhaas not too difficult to relate to. His impatience, his being forced to submit to authorities - especially when he himself has reason to think highly of himself, see himself as an authority as well to some extent (read the very first paragraph on the very first page), and his stunned, angry reaction to the misuse of his own property, force me to recall certain situations in my own life in which I felt strongly tempted to take actions that would possibly ruin the lives of people around me (or at least cause a major disturbance!). Not that I think Kohlhaas' actions were justified...but I can at least understand how he felt...as most people are probably able to.
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1 comment:
i also agree that there's something there in the telling, in the style. do you buy professor hart's argument that the text is supposed to make us feel as frustrated as Kohlhaas felt?
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