e n
sordid. In bis latest story ond lig¬
ure is prereminent—Willi Kasda, a
voung army offieer, amiable, pre¬
sentable in appearance, but frivolous
and absurdly vain, with a decided!
lair for a pretty face
The story opens a tdaybreak one
sunday morning when Willi is awnk¬
ned by a former comrade whom ho
las known only casually. Bogner
las come to ask the loan of 1,000
ulden, having misappropriated funds
n bis keeping, and being in immi¬
ient danger of detection. Willi has
io money, and is at outi with bis
ich uncle, but he agrees to try bis
uck at cards that evening and hand
wer bis possible winnings of Bog¬
ler. He wins the required amonnt.
ut stopping for a flirtation on bis
vay to the station, he misses bis
rain to Vienna and is forced tol
pend the night at the gamblingg“
ort. To relieve the tedium of eslie
wening, ho wanders aimlessly back
o the gaming tables, wins and loses
u rapid succession, until, exeitement
overcoming him, he plays for Inger
and larger stakes and finds himself
11,000 gulden in debt to a certain.].
Consul Schnabel. Matters are not
helped by the Conzul’s declaration
that he must have the money by¬
noon.
Going back to the city Willi in
desperation seeks his uncle, but the
uncle has just married and put bis
money into his wife's business. Willi
then turns to the bride for help. to
find she is a former mistress of bis
whom he had lightly discarde1 some
years before. Leopoldine docsn't
give him the money, but abe does
promise to visit him that evening.
When she arrives she offers herseif
instend of the hoped-for money,
Leaving at dawn, she carelessly tosses
him a banknote of
1.000 gulden.
Humiliated and despairing, knowing
the consul will not accept this small
sum, he sends the moncy to Bogner
and shoots himself. Mediocre in
overy respect, he as no resouree with¬
in himself or ithont, to extriente
#ntraself from the tangle of circum¬
stances. He has nothing but his
honor as an officer, and that de¬
mands death as the only solution of
the diffieulty. That Leopoldine re¬
lents and sends him the money later
in the morning, when it is too late,
only adds to the pathos and irony
of the situaion. The scene atho end
where the uncle, #neeling beuide bis
dead nephew, entertains ar #nrea¬
soning suspicion forthe moment, and
is reassured by the sfervant. shows
tho author at the heigt of his gening.
The narrative oves with direct¬
ness und swif urgency. Its Vone is
light and laconie, in striking con¬
trast to the ragedy of
Eme.
in thei tragedy that overtakes the
young Mflicer through two mere for¬
tuitout scquaint ices, the reader
feels the irony of fate, the blindness
of c auce, and he follows the story
with pitying undersumding to its
peignant climax at the#secon1 day¬
Preak.
M. W
im Morfendrauen
box 6/1
34 Spiel e ee
□
1926
EVE TRANSCRIPT
BOSTON MASS
Dav-BREAK
European Life as It Is Seen by Arthur
Schnitzler
Daybreak.
Zy Arthur Schnitzler. 31.50.
New York: Simon and Schuster.
N his latest novelette Schnitzler con¬
tinues his extended consideration
of society. Its manners and mani¬
L festations, its taboos and code have
long occupied his attention. Never has
he made this obvious, but looking back
to the days of" Anatol' and glimpsing
along the shining line of" Fraulein Else,
Beatrice,“ None But the Brave,“ and
Rhapsody“' one sees that this has really
been the thesis which runs like a wind“
ing thread through all of Schnitzler’s
works. And the Viennese writer has
not yet come to the point where he is
ready to say,Enough.“ Ha is ready
to satirize and exhibit scolety’s folbles
das long as mortal energy Will allow him.
In Daybreak“ Schnitzler again makes
use of an episode to point his critielsm.
The tiele is suggested by the maln astion
Cof the story, all of which takes place
on three different nights and achieves
its highest intent at daybreak. Willi
Kasda is the usual type of Austrlan
army officer, an average young man
who likes Viennese nights, wine, wo¬
men, and song. He trifles with life,
it is a gay bubble, a bubble which
certainly must burst into nothingness
soon or late. To this young lieutenant
comes a casual acquaintance who asks
Willl to resche him from the dis¬
grace which an embezzlement makes
imminent. Willingly enough, Kasda
stakes his last few hundred gulden at
cards in order to raise the thousand
which his friend requires. The tide of
fortune ebbs and flows across the table
as Fate stands at the banker’s right. At
one time Willi is thousands ahead. The
fever comes upon him; he stakes and
loses, and stakes again. At daybreak
he is ten thousand in debt. He turns
to his uncle for ald and fnds that he
has given his fortune and property Into
the care of his young wife with whom
Willi had a casual ampur in the past.
She refases to help hirh, and he recalls
a daybreak when he left her ten gulden
out of kindness and wa
oom leaving behind
ated
love. On a third daybreak
takes leave of him and
guld
note
nWilli's
ate Foung
pected at least ten thousan
18
81
t to him later that. m
a
8
S8
ce of being e
pay
see, is sim
he detail of its
mist
iuendo thi
kable
rt
ler’s otl
read it is to read
Ind
t.
à C
iature.
WVII
el
18
HA
ds
the path of
aver
flicer of
oung
the late Fran
OS
he
accepted good for
S rendy
at hand, or had he,
ous night,
recognized a truc
OVe W
en it
hone in
the eyes of his companion of the evening,
the story in Daybreak' would have ar¬
rived at a different conclusion. But
voung lieutenants of Willi’s type are still
too full of the philandering spirit, of the
gambling urge, to stop forthe moment to
view their advantage. The moment
passed and, as the poets have it, though
good fortune wear a forelock it is bald
behind. Once it has gone by, one may
never grasp it.
Of Schnitzler’s manner little need here
be said. It has all been sald before. He
is as lucent and pleasant in his style as
—
sordid. In bis latest story ond lig¬
ure is prereminent—Willi Kasda, a
voung army offieer, amiable, pre¬
sentable in appearance, but frivolous
and absurdly vain, with a decided!
lair for a pretty face
The story opens a tdaybreak one
sunday morning when Willi is awnk¬
ned by a former comrade whom ho
las known only casually. Bogner
las come to ask the loan of 1,000
ulden, having misappropriated funds
n bis keeping, and being in immi¬
ient danger of detection. Willi has
io money, and is at outi with bis
ich uncle, but he agrees to try bis
uck at cards that evening and hand
wer bis possible winnings of Bog¬
ler. He wins the required amonnt.
ut stopping for a flirtation on bis
vay to the station, he misses bis
rain to Vienna and is forced tol
pend the night at the gamblingg“
ort. To relieve the tedium of eslie
wening, ho wanders aimlessly back
o the gaming tables, wins and loses
u rapid succession, until, exeitement
overcoming him, he plays for Inger
and larger stakes and finds himself
11,000 gulden in debt to a certain.].
Consul Schnabel. Matters are not
helped by the Conzul’s declaration
that he must have the money by¬
noon.
Going back to the city Willi in
desperation seeks his uncle, but the
uncle has just married and put bis
money into his wife's business. Willi
then turns to the bride for help. to
find she is a former mistress of bis
whom he had lightly discarde1 some
years before. Leopoldine docsn't
give him the money, but abe does
promise to visit him that evening.
When she arrives she offers herseif
instend of the hoped-for money,
Leaving at dawn, she carelessly tosses
him a banknote of
1.000 gulden.
Humiliated and despairing, knowing
the consul will not accept this small
sum, he sends the moncy to Bogner
and shoots himself. Mediocre in
overy respect, he as no resouree with¬
in himself or ithont, to extriente
#ntraself from the tangle of circum¬
stances. He has nothing but his
honor as an officer, and that de¬
mands death as the only solution of
the diffieulty. That Leopoldine re¬
lents and sends him the money later
in the morning, when it is too late,
only adds to the pathos and irony
of the situaion. The scene atho end
where the uncle, #neeling beuide bis
dead nephew, entertains ar #nrea¬
soning suspicion forthe moment, and
is reassured by the sfervant. shows
tho author at the heigt of his gening.
The narrative oves with direct¬
ness und swif urgency. Its Vone is
light and laconie, in striking con¬
trast to the ragedy of
Eme.
in thei tragedy that overtakes the
young Mflicer through two mere for¬
tuitout scquaint ices, the reader
feels the irony of fate, the blindness
of c auce, and he follows the story
with pitying undersumding to its
peignant climax at the#secon1 day¬
Preak.
M. W
im Morfendrauen
box 6/1
34 Spiel e ee
□
1926
EVE TRANSCRIPT
BOSTON MASS
Dav-BREAK
European Life as It Is Seen by Arthur
Schnitzler
Daybreak.
Zy Arthur Schnitzler. 31.50.
New York: Simon and Schuster.
N his latest novelette Schnitzler con¬
tinues his extended consideration
of society. Its manners and mani¬
L festations, its taboos and code have
long occupied his attention. Never has
he made this obvious, but looking back
to the days of" Anatol' and glimpsing
along the shining line of" Fraulein Else,
Beatrice,“ None But the Brave,“ and
Rhapsody“' one sees that this has really
been the thesis which runs like a wind“
ing thread through all of Schnitzler’s
works. And the Viennese writer has
not yet come to the point where he is
ready to say,Enough.“ Ha is ready
to satirize and exhibit scolety’s folbles
das long as mortal energy Will allow him.
In Daybreak“ Schnitzler again makes
use of an episode to point his critielsm.
The tiele is suggested by the maln astion
Cof the story, all of which takes place
on three different nights and achieves
its highest intent at daybreak. Willi
Kasda is the usual type of Austrlan
army officer, an average young man
who likes Viennese nights, wine, wo¬
men, and song. He trifles with life,
it is a gay bubble, a bubble which
certainly must burst into nothingness
soon or late. To this young lieutenant
comes a casual acquaintance who asks
Willl to resche him from the dis¬
grace which an embezzlement makes
imminent. Willingly enough, Kasda
stakes his last few hundred gulden at
cards in order to raise the thousand
which his friend requires. The tide of
fortune ebbs and flows across the table
as Fate stands at the banker’s right. At
one time Willi is thousands ahead. The
fever comes upon him; he stakes and
loses, and stakes again. At daybreak
he is ten thousand in debt. He turns
to his uncle for ald and fnds that he
has given his fortune and property Into
the care of his young wife with whom
Willi had a casual ampur in the past.
She refases to help hirh, and he recalls
a daybreak when he left her ten gulden
out of kindness and wa
oom leaving behind
ated
love. On a third daybreak
takes leave of him and
guld
note
nWilli's
ate Foung
pected at least ten thousan
18
81
t to him later that. m
a
8
S8
ce of being e
pay
see, is sim
he detail of its
mist
iuendo thi
kable
rt
ler’s otl
read it is to read
Ind
t.
à C
iature.
WVII
el
18
HA
ds
the path of
aver
flicer of
oung
the late Fran
OS
he
accepted good for
S rendy
at hand, or had he,
ous night,
recognized a truc
OVe W
en it
hone in
the eyes of his companion of the evening,
the story in Daybreak' would have ar¬
rived at a different conclusion. But
voung lieutenants of Willi’s type are still
too full of the philandering spirit, of the
gambling urge, to stop forthe moment to
view their advantage. The moment
passed and, as the poets have it, though
good fortune wear a forelock it is bald
behind. Once it has gone by, one may
never grasp it.
Of Schnitzler’s manner little need here
be said. It has all been sald before. He
is as lucent and pleasant in his style as
—