| This thesis explores the emotional dimensions in the Brutalitaten, a collection of literary sketches by the early naturalistic German writer Hermann Conradi. Since Conradi's works have been disregarded due to prudish and unfair criticism, the aim of this thesis is to revive interest in the author by re-interpreting his forgotten sketches. In doing so, it argues that the sketches impart an alarming psychological insight into the moral double-standard of late nineteenth century Wilhelminian society. The primary intention of these works is to show emotional relationships of the individual to him/herself, to others, and to society in general.;The study is divided into three parts. The first shows the historical, socio-economic, philosophical and literary preconditions of Conradi's time, and their impact on the emotional disposition of the people. The second develops a theoretical framework for social, inter- and intrapersonal perspectives on moods, feelings and passions. The third part adopts this framework as a means of subjecting the sketches to a concise analysis. This analysis helps to determine how the author emphasizes different emotional layers in order to show the real face of the time--its unscrupulousness, ferocity and brutality. This leads to the conclusion that Hermann Conradi's vanguard sketches display a striking image of the psychological incongruity of the late nineteenth century, and that the condemnation of these sketches was based more on moralistic perceptions than a fair evaluation of literary works. |
