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Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing

February 15, 2024

Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing (German: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts, lit. 'From the life of a good-for-nothing') is a novella by Joseph von Eichendorff. Completed in 1823, it was first printed in 1826. The work is regarded as a pinnacle of musical prose. Eichendorff created an open form with epic and lyrical elements, incorporating several poems and songs in the text. It was first published in English in 1866.

Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing
First edition, 1826
AuthorJoseph von Eichendorff
LanguageGerman
Genrenovella
PublisherVereinsbuchhandlung, Berlin
Publication date
1826
Original text
Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing at German Wikisource

Plot edit

A miller sends his son away, calling him a good-for-nothing. The young man takes his fiddle along and leaves happily, without a specific destination. Soon two ladies in a carriage, who are interested in his music, take him along to their palace close to Vienna, where he gets a job as a gardener. He falls in love with the younger lady. Promoted to tax collector, he plants flowers in the garden of the tax house instead of potatoes, placing them regularly for his beloved. He plans to make money, but when he sees his beloved with an officer, he realizes that she is not available for him and leaves.[1]

Further travel takes him to Italy, with adventures on the way and in Rome. Back at the palace, several mysteries about identities are revealed, and he can marry his beloved Aurelie, who is not a noble woman but an orphan. The couple are given a house with a garden and vineyards, and they plan a honeymoon in Italy, travelling again.[1]

Narration edit

The story is told in the first person from the perspective of the young man. The story has fairy-tale elements in its simple and intentionally naive language, unexpected events, and images of romantic landscapes. The young man's "Wanderlust" is motivated externally by his father and internally by his desire for the "weite Welt" ("big, wide world"), fleeing sedentary life.[2] Combining elements of dream and reality, it has been called a "high point of Romantic fiction".[3]

Legacy edit

The poem "Der Taugenichts" by Gottfried Keller was inspired by the novella.[4]

 
Charles Godfrey Leland, whose translation appeared in 1866

The novella was freely translated to English as Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing, first by Charles Godfrey Leland, published in New York in 1866 by Leypohlt & Holt.[5] A translation by Bayard Quincy Morgan was published in New York by Ungar in 1955.[6] A translation by Ronald Taylor was first published in 1966 by John Calder Publishers and reprinted in 2015 by Alma Books.[7]

In 1957, an audio play was produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk, adapted by Hellmut von Cube [de] and directed by Gert Westphal, with music by Bernd Scholz and speakers Erik Schumann, Gustl Halenke [de], Max Mairich [de], Kurt Horwitz [de], among others.[8]

The novella has been the basis for three films. Good-for-Nothing is a 1922 silent film directed by Carl Froelich. Excerpts from the Life of a Good-For-Nothing [de] is a 1973 free adaptation by DEFA, directed by Celino Bleiweiß [de] with Dean Reed as the Taugenichts. The Rome episode was cut, possibly to avoid nurturing any desires to travel by residents of the GDR.[9] Good-for-Nothing [de] is a 1978 coproduction with television, directed by Bernhard Sinkel with Jacques Breuer in the title role and music by Hans Werner Henze. It was broadcast several times on ZDF and was awarded the Deutscher Filmpreis in 1978.[10]

Editions edit

First edition edit

Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts und das Marmorbild. Zwei Novellen nebst einem Anhange von Liedern und Romanzen. Berlin: Vereinsbuchhandlung 1826, 278 pages, plus 3 without page numbers for advertisement of the publisher.[11]

Later editions edit

  • Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Hamburger Lesehefte Verlag, Husum 2016, ISBN 978-3-87291-004-2 (= 5th Hamburger Leseheft).
  • Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Novelle. Anaconda, Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-86647-051-4.
  • Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts, edited by Max Kämper. Reclam, Stuttgart 2015, ISBN 978-3-15-019238-2 (= Reclam XL, Band 19238: Text und Kontext).
  • Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Novelle. Ed. Joseph Kiermeier-Debre. dtv, Munich 1997, ISBN 978-3-423-02605-5 (= dtv 2605: Bibliothek der Erstausgaben).
  • Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Novelle. Commentary by Peter Höfle. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 978-3-518-18882-8 (= Suhrkamp-BasisBibliothek, Vol. 82).

Literature edit

  • Otto Eberhardt: Eichendorffs Taugenichts – Quellen und Bedeutungshintergrund. Untersuchungen zum poetischen Verfahren Eichendorffs. Königshausen und Neumann, Würzburg 2000, ISBN 3-8260-1900-8.
  • Otto Eberhardt: War Aurelie in Eichendorffs „Taugenichts“ wirklich zunächst als verheiratete Gräfin gedacht? Zu einer These Karl Konrad Polheims. In: Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen, ISSN 0003-8970, Vol. 248, 2011, pp. 322–332.
  • Walpurga Freund-Spork: Joseph von Eichendorff: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Königs Erläuterungen: Textanalyse und Interpretation (Vol. 215). C. Bange Verlag, Hollfeld 2011, ISBN 978-3-8044-1940-7.
  • Christian Klein: Eichendorff und „Flower Power“. Der Taugenichts als Kultbuch der Hippie-Bewegung? In: Aurora. Jahrbuch der Eichendorff-Gesellschaft 2008/2009. De Gruyter, Berlin/New York 2010, pp. 89–102, ISBN 978-3-484-33066-5.
  • Friedhelm Klöhr: Joseph von Eichendorff. Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts (= Interpretationshilfe Deutsch). Stark-Verlag, Freising 1999, ISBN 3-89449-438-7.
  • Gunnar Och: Der Taugenichts und seine Leser. Anmerkungen zur Rezeption eines Kultbuches. In: Anne Bohnenkamp und Ursula Regener (Hrsg.): Eichendorff wieder finden. Joseph von Eichendorff 1788–1857. Katalog zur Ausstellung im Freien Deutschen Hochstift. Gleichzeitig: Aurora. Jahrbuch der Eichendorff-Gesellschaft 66/67. Freies Deutsches Hochstift, Frankfurt 2007, ISBN 978-3-9811109-4-4, pp. 87–109.
  • Theodor Pelster: Lektürehilfe zu: Joseph von Eichendorff, Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts, Reclam, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 978-3-15-015306-2.
  • Hartwig Schulz: Erläuterungen und Dokumente zu: Josepf von Eichendorff, Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Reclam, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 978-3-15-008198-3.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Eichendorff, Joseph von (2015). Memoirs of a Good-For-Nothing, tr. Ronald Taylor. First pub. 1826, this tr. first pub. 1966 by Calder, Alma Classics, London. ISBN 978-1-84749-451-1
  2. ^ Edith Glatz: Wandern in poetischen Texten. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-8260-4564-6, pp. 56–61.
  3. ^ "Joseph, baron von Eichendorff". Britannica. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  4. ^ Gottfried Keller: Der Taugenichts
  5. ^ "Reviewed Work: Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing. / From the German of Joseph Von Eichendorff by Charles Godfrey Leland". The American Art Journal. 5 (10): 152–155. 28 June 1866. JSTOR 25306236.
  6. ^ Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff: Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing. Ungar, New York 1955. ISBN 0804461341
  7. ^ Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing. Translated by Taylor. Alma Books. 2018. pp. 2, 5–8. ISBN 978-0-71-454761-9.
  8. ^ Hörspiel / Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Bayerischer Rundfunk 1957
  9. ^ Gunnar Och: Der Taugenichts und seine Leser. Anmerkungen zur Rezeption eines Kultbuches. In: Anne Bohnenkamp und Ursula Regener (Eds.): Eichendorff wieder finden. Joseph von Eichendorff 1788–1857. Katalog zur Ausstellung im Freien Deutschen Hochstift, p. 109.
  10. ^ Taugenichts at www.filmportal.de. Retrieved 11 Nov 2018
  11. ^ Eichendorff, Joseph von: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts und das Marmorbild. Berlin, 1826. Deutsches Textarchiv

External links edit

 
German Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing
  • Literature by and about Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing in the German National Library catalogue
  • Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts: Novelle by Freiherr von Joseph Eichendorff Gutenberg
  • Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts und das Marmorbild, Berlin 1826. – Volldigitalisat in der Digitalen Bibliothek Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  • Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts ZENO
  • "Auch ich in Arkadien? The Allure of Italy for the German traveller in Goethe's Italienische Reise, Eichendorff 's Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts and Heine's Reise von München nach Genua". ro.uow.edu.au.
  • Joseph von Eichendorff / Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts / Novelle (PDF; 507 kB)
  • Carel ter Haar: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts. Kommentar, Materialien (PDF; 504 kB)
  • … floating on a sea of milk and honey / Memoirs of a good-for-nothing, by Joseph von Eichendorff pechorinsjournal.wordpress.com 9 February 2010

February 15, 2024
memoirs, good, nothing, german, leben, eines, taugenichts, from, life, good, nothing, novella, joseph, eichendorff, completed, 1823, first, printed, 1826, work, regarded, pinnacle, musical, prose, eichendorff, created, open, form, with, epic, lyrical, elements. Memoirs of a Good for Nothing German Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts lit From the life of a good for nothing is a novella by Joseph von Eichendorff Completed in 1823 it was first printed in 1826 The work is regarded as a pinnacle of musical prose Eichendorff created an open form with epic and lyrical elements incorporating several poems and songs in the text It was first published in English in 1866 Memoirs of a Good for NothingFirst edition 1826AuthorJoseph von EichendorffLanguageGermanGenrenovellaPublisherVereinsbuchhandlung BerlinPublication date1826Original textMemoirs of a Good for Nothing at German Wikisource Contents 1 Plot 2 Narration 3 Legacy 4 Editions 4 1 First edition 4 2 Later editions 5 Literature 6 References 7 External linksPlot editA miller sends his son away calling him a good for nothing The young man takes his fiddle along and leaves happily without a specific destination Soon two ladies in a carriage who are interested in his music take him along to their palace close to Vienna where he gets a job as a gardener He falls in love with the younger lady Promoted to tax collector he plants flowers in the garden of the tax house instead of potatoes placing them regularly for his beloved He plans to make money but when he sees his beloved with an officer he realizes that she is not available for him and leaves 1 Further travel takes him to Italy with adventures on the way and in Rome Back at the palace several mysteries about identities are revealed and he can marry his beloved Aurelie who is not a noble woman but an orphan The couple are given a house with a garden and vineyards and they plan a honeymoon in Italy travelling again 1 Narration editThe story is told in the first person from the perspective of the young man The story has fairy tale elements in its simple and intentionally naive language unexpected events and images of romantic landscapes The young man s Wanderlust is motivated externally by his father and internally by his desire for the weite Welt big wide world fleeing sedentary life 2 Combining elements of dream and reality it has been called a high point of Romantic fiction 3 Legacy editThe poem Der Taugenichts by Gottfried Keller was inspired by the novella 4 nbsp Charles Godfrey Leland whose translation appeared in 1866The novella was freely translated to English as Memoirs of a Good for Nothing first by Charles Godfrey Leland published in New York in 1866 by Leypohlt amp Holt 5 A translation by Bayard Quincy Morgan was published in New York by Ungar in 1955 6 A translation by Ronald Taylor was first published in 1966 by John Calder Publishers and reprinted in 2015 by Alma Books 7 In 1957 an audio play was produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk adapted by Hellmut von Cube de and directed by Gert Westphal with music by Bernd Scholz and speakers Erik Schumann Gustl Halenke de Max Mairich de Kurt Horwitz de among others 8 The novella has been the basis for three films Good for Nothing is a 1922 silent film directed by Carl Froelich Excerpts from the Life of a Good For Nothing de is a 1973 free adaptation by DEFA directed by Celino Bleiweiss de with Dean Reed as the Taugenichts The Rome episode was cut possibly to avoid nurturing any desires to travel by residents of the GDR 9 Good for Nothing de is a 1978 coproduction with television directed by Bernhard Sinkel with Jacques Breuer in the title role and music by Hans Werner Henze It was broadcast several times on ZDF and was awarded the Deutscher Filmpreis in 1978 10 Editions editFirst edition edit Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts und das Marmorbild Zwei Novellen nebst einem Anhange von Liedern und Romanzen Berlin Vereinsbuchhandlung 1826 278 pages plus 3 without page numbers for advertisement of the publisher 11 Later editions edit Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Hamburger Lesehefte Verlag Husum 2016 ISBN 978 3 87291 004 2 5th Hamburger Leseheft Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Novelle Anaconda Cologne 2006 ISBN 978 3 86647 051 4 Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts edited by Max Kamper Reclam Stuttgart 2015 ISBN 978 3 15 019238 2 Reclam XL Band 19238 Text und Kontext Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Novelle Ed Joseph Kiermeier Debre dtv Munich 1997 ISBN 978 3 423 02605 5 dtv 2605 Bibliothek der Erstausgaben Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Novelle Commentary by Peter Hofle Suhrkamp Frankfurt am Main 2006 ISBN 978 3 518 18882 8 Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek Vol 82 Literature editOtto Eberhardt Eichendorffs Taugenichts Quellen und Bedeutungshintergrund Untersuchungen zum poetischen Verfahren Eichendorffs Konigshausen und Neumann Wurzburg 2000 ISBN 3 8260 1900 8 Otto Eberhardt War Aurelie in Eichendorffs Taugenichts wirklich zunachst als verheiratete Grafin gedacht Zu einer These Karl Konrad Polheims In Archiv fur das Studium der neueren Sprachen und Literaturen ISSN 0003 8970 Vol 248 2011 pp 322 332 Walpurga Freund Spork Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Konigs Erlauterungen Textanalyse und Interpretation Vol 215 C Bange Verlag Hollfeld 2011 ISBN 978 3 8044 1940 7 Christian Klein Eichendorff und Flower Power Der Taugenichts als Kultbuch der Hippie Bewegung In Aurora Jahrbuch der Eichendorff Gesellschaft 2008 2009 De Gruyter Berlin New York 2010 pp 89 102 ISBN 978 3 484 33066 5 Friedhelm Klohr Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Interpretationshilfe Deutsch Stark Verlag Freising 1999 ISBN 3 89449 438 7 Gunnar Och Der Taugenichts und seine Leser Anmerkungen zur Rezeption eines Kultbuches In Anne Bohnenkamp und Ursula Regener Hrsg Eichendorff wieder finden Joseph von Eichendorff 1788 1857 Katalog zur Ausstellung im Freien Deutschen Hochstift Gleichzeitig Aurora Jahrbuch der Eichendorff Gesellschaft 66 67 Freies Deutsches Hochstift Frankfurt 2007 ISBN 978 3 9811109 4 4 pp 87 109 Theodor Pelster Lekturehilfe zu Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Reclam Stuttgart 2001 ISBN 978 3 15 015306 2 Hartwig Schulz Erlauterungen und Dokumente zu Josepf von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Reclam Stuttgart 2001 ISBN 978 3 15 008198 3 References edit a b Eichendorff Joseph von 2015 Memoirs of a Good For Nothing tr Ronald Taylor First pub 1826 this tr first pub 1966 by Calder Alma Classics London ISBN 978 1 84749 451 1 Edith Glatz Wandern in poetischen Texten Konigshausen amp Neumann Wurzburg 2011 ISBN 978 3 8260 4564 6 pp 56 61 Joseph baron von Eichendorff Britannica Retrieved 3 October 2018 Gottfried Keller Der Taugenichts Reviewed Work Memoirs of a Good for Nothing From the German of Joseph Von Eichendorff by Charles Godfrey Leland The American Art Journal 5 10 152 155 28 June 1866 JSTOR 25306236 Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff Memoirs of a Good for Nothing Ungar New York 1955 ISBN 0804461341 Memoirs of a Good for Nothing Translated by Taylor Alma Books 2018 pp 2 5 8 ISBN 978 0 71 454761 9 Horspiel Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Bayerischer Rundfunk 1957 Gunnar Och Der Taugenichts und seine Leser Anmerkungen zur Rezeption eines Kultbuches In Anne Bohnenkamp und Ursula Regener Eds Eichendorff wieder finden Joseph von Eichendorff 1788 1857 Katalog zur Ausstellung im Freien Deutschen Hochstift p 109 Taugenichts at www filmportal de Retrieved 11 Nov 2018 Eichendorff Joseph von Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts und das Marmorbild Berlin 1826 Deutsches TextarchivExternal links edit nbsp German Wikisource has original text related to this article Memoirs of a Good for Nothing Literature by and about Memoirs of a Good for Nothing in the German National Library catalogue Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Novelle by Freiherr von Joseph Eichendorff Gutenberg Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts und das Marmorbild Berlin 1826 Volldigitalisat in der Digitalen Bibliothek Mecklenburg Vorpommern Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts ZENO Auch ich in Arkadien The Allure of Italy for the German traveller in Goethe s Italienische Reise Eichendorff s Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts and Heine s Reise von Munchen nach Genua ro uow edu au Joseph von Eichendorff Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Novelle PDF 507 kB Carel ter Haar Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts Kommentar Materialien PDF 504 kB floating on a sea of milk and honey Memoirs of a good for nothing by Joseph von Eichendorff pechorinsjournal wordpress com 9 February 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Memoirs of a Good for Nothing amp oldid 1199136174, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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