Victoria (novel)

Victoria. A Love Story is a story of Knut Hamsun from the year 1898. It deals with the relationship between the miller's son John and Victoria, the daughter of a landowner. The large class differences include the reason that the relationship takes a tragic end.

Although the story is titled "Victoria", it is presented by an omniscient narrator, but from the perspective of the miller 's son. This may be seen in the first two paragraphs of the story:

" The son of the miller went about and pondered. He was a strong fourteen year old boy, tanned by sun and wind and full of varied thoughts. When he grew up, he wanted to be Zündholzmacher. It was so wonderfully dangerous, then no one would dare to shake his hand, because he could have sulfur on the fingers. And to this eerie craft sake he would enjoy a great reputation among his comrades. "

Here it is already clear that John painfully aware of his social position and dreams of a position in life that would give him prestige and power, something he seems to be unreachable far away. He meets with Victoria, who is four years younger together, then when they are outside the " castle " - as the manor is more commonly known - enters. Then they are of the constraints, predicated by their origin, free. Even now, he meets her. Here it is parked but only as servants to them, rowing her brother and his comrades Otto on the nearby island. Victoria, who would probably like to talk to John, is hardly to do so because the two boys to prevent it and to keep them away from him, which it will only show all too clearly that it is only her henchmen and not at her companion. John is fighting against it. He wants with them the island, which he knows so well roam, and all the beautiful places and peculiarities show them that he has explored. But lonely and sad he has to stay behind. However, Victoria and he hit afterwards and admit to more or less openly their love.

John is but now sent by his father to the unspecified city, where he learns diligently and successfully. With about twenty years he returns home. Victoria first does not recognize him. He loves her and is saddened that she talks extra politely him. Soon after, he should row over Victoria's brother back to the island. But this does not appear. Instead, John witness an accident: A girl falls from a ship. Spirit Currently he leaps after her and saves her. The people on the ship let him live high, and the girl's parents inquire after his name in order to pay him later express their thanks can. Victoria will soon be out with him again, but she is aware that this can not be, and so she plays the repellent and reveals at the same time but again her feelings for him.

John travels back to the city, where he studied and eventually tried as a poet, whose works are even printed and have success. Even now he meets Victoria again, which has apparently visited him, even if she does not want to admit it. But he sees through them, he is courageous and openly confesses his love. She shows him that she always wears one of his poems at the breast. But also carries an engagement ring on her finger. You will not be able to come together. He accompanies a piece, and since she confesses her love for him:

"I love you, she said. Do you understand? They are the ones I love. Suddenly she drew him hastily back down the stairs, three, four stages, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She trembled against him. "

When he tried to see her again, she makes it clear that there is too much, what separates them. At the same time they request him to but, they still to visit the country. Then again, she sends him a letter in which she asks him to forget it. John remains unhappy back in town. Nevertheless, it has been able to complete a new book. Due to his success as a writer and through his connection to the Seler, Camilla's parents, the girl he saved years ago, he has experienced in some way upward social mobility. To get your mind, John travels abroad.

Months pass. One evening there was a knock at the miller and his wife at the door. It is Victoria, which, by attaching itself an excuse for their visit, will ask for John. Soon after, John announces his parents at his coming. Since he persuaded his wife to go to the miller manor and brings Victoria this message. This has, however, now caught again and does so as if they would be interested in her hardly.

John gives tolerably effort to mime to the Company the pleasantly entertaining guest. Victoria confesses to him that she did not surprise him and tried to persuade him only by the coming of. However, it then comes to an exchange of words between them. When her fiancé, the old school friend of her brother Dietlef, Otto enters, John Victoria hurt by the remark that Otto edged not only in his officer's uniform look, but also in financial terms was probably a good match. That hurts so much that she answers with an open affront. Before all eyes, she changes the seating order. Now he can no longer beside her and Camilla, who is also present, sitting, but is relegated to the bottom of the panel to the former tutor. He has to endure the gossip of the old gentleman. But he puts a good face on a bad game. Finally, the mood lifts again when a young guest a eulogy on him, the young poet holds. However, Victoria is so confused that she caused a stir when she disturbs his reply speech. John still manage to somehow make sense to carry them to the end. After dinner, you talk to. It is reportedly that the lord of the castle has high debt and that the lock is very highly insured. John is excited and confused to the utmost. He wants to go home because he hears talk Victoria and her fiance. You have to justify their behavior at the table and insists that it had nothing to signify. The Victoria's fiancee is still angry and conspired with a neighbor to snipe hunt. Then he beats John, in which the his rival has identified, in the face. This, however, remains behind.

After the evening John Camilla asks for her hand, even though he is in the conversation to understand her at the same time that he does not love her. But it is too naive to notice this. As soon as he has Camilla successfully made ​​the request, Victoria near, enters and reports that her fiancé was killed in a hunting accident. Hours later she comes to Johannesburg home and apologizes for her behavior. She tells him that she had been forced by her father to the compound with gasoline to prevent the money from this marriage ruin the family. She assures him of her love again. But he confesses that he is now engaged.

After the failed attempt to marry off his daughter well, ignites Victoria's father at the castle and burn it. Camilla admits John, to love one another. He gives it freely then.

He meets Camilla, her mother and her fiancé on the street, and we exchanged pleasantries. Then he sees the old tutor Victoria outside his apartment walk up and down. This tells him first that he, the inveterate bachelor, had now but married and be happy. Then he changes the subject and comes to his former student to speak of it go bad, no, actually was dying, since she had taken over while dancing at an evening party at the Seler. He returns her behavior on his theory that you never Get in the life, the one love most. You 've lost her fiancé and could not get over this. At the end of the conversation he puts the truth out: Victoria has already died, and he shall bring John of her one last letter.

John reads her letter in which she once again assured him of her love and confesses how she had to adjust to not reveal their true feelings towards him. The story ends with this final message to her lover.

Criticism to Victoria

Stephan Michael Schröder, Professor of Scandinavian Studies in Cologne, the story in 1996 as positive, though he admits it was a " trivial, suspiciously melodramatic fabric as in thousands of books " stand. Hamsun had exposed in Victoria the " pitfalls of kitsch ", but this " without a single stumble ." Furthermore, he argues that it was not so much the class distinction, the Victoria " end in tragedy " leave, but the " inability to communicate ". This is again due to " shattering social orientation patterns " that are hallmarks of modernity were, in " a solid, simple identity " is an illusion. But such is indispensable in order to " fight for the love of another ."

In the magazine Der Spiegel is found in 1952, however, following a derogatory statement: " How pleasant Hamsun's books then wounded [ the date of publication ]! How she met the reader into the heart: ' Pan' [ ... ] or 'Victoria', this romance -like, slightly backfisch blonde ' A Love Story ' ... "

Expenditure

The Norwegian original edition was published in 1898 by the publisher Cammermeyer in Kristiania, now Oslo. The first German translation was shortly thereafter, in 1899, published by Langen ( Paris, Leipzig, Munich) published and came from Mathilde man. The translation of Julius Meier sand of 1923 was widely reprinted in the following decades and is revised by Sophie Angermann, even in current editions available. Appeared in 1995 as part of a Hamsun 's complete works in the List are publishing a translation of alkene Bruns. The story has been translated into numerous other languages.