Chapter 1 & 2 of "Lotte in Weimar"

[Jan de Vries]

Chapter 1

We are brought to a world where not much happens and people speak in florid language. The action is limited. Madame Charlotte Kestner  (Lotte ) arrives in Weimar with her daughter and a maid. When the usher (called Mager) reads her name in the guest book he gets all excited. He realizes that his new guest is the Lotte in a novel by Goethe, the famous local author.  He addresses Frau Kestner as" Frau Councillor". What does that mean? Lotte denies that she is the Lotte in the novel because that Lotte has black eyes. She knows very well that she is indeed that Lotte. She writes a letter to Goethe telling that she is in town. The language is remarkable. It flows even better in German, as a PDF file shows.

Chapter 2

Lying on her hotel bed Lotte remembers scenes from 40 years ago. That one kiss on her cheek. How her Albert had also been sad about the departure of their mutual friend.

She calls her Albert, her Hans Christian. Is that an allusion to Hans Christian Andersen the teller of fairy tales? An Irish girl asks the opportunity to add Charlotte to her sketchbook where she has already assembled many celebrities. Mager asks to introduce a Dr. Riemer.

Is it the function of this second chapter to build tension? Is something big going to happen? The only attraction of these first two chapters is the language. At this point I would be inclined to chuck the book. Looking at a dazzling performance becomes quickly boring. Think of looking at a magician. But the author is famous and we have this book group. 

[Nori Geary]

I agree that so far only the language is attractive, and its charms have worn thin.

Frau Councilor - In formal German a woman is (was?) addressed with the title of the husband added .... so she is "the Mrs Court Councilor" so and so. This is still done sometimes. I have heard male colleagues' spouses call Frau Dr or even Frau Professor Dr. If the spouse is also a Dr she could be Frau Dr Dr.

On a brighter note, until the 80s or so women were addressed as Fräulien if they were unmarried regardless of their age.  Now  Frau to any woman past her teens. So Germans speaking Enlgish tend to say Mrs to any woman. Ms nver caught on there