Der Findling

by Heinrich von Kleist

Antonio Piachi, wohlhabender Guterhandler und in zweiter Ehe verheiratet mit der jungen Elvire, reist mit seinem Sohn Paolo, dem Sohn seiner ersten Frau, nach Ragusa. Dort herrscht eine pest-artige Krankheit. Aus Sorge um sein Kind will er wider kaufmannischer Interessen wieder abreisen. Bei der Abreise nimmt er aus Mitleid einen angesteckten Waisenknaben mit, obwohl es ihm anfangs widerstrebt..."

Genres: Classics, German Literature, Fiction, Short Stories, Novella

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1811

About the author

The dramatist, writer, lyricist, and publicist Heinrich von Kleist was born in Frankfurt an der Oder in 1777. Upon his father's early death in 1788 when he was ten, he was sent to the house of the preacher S. Cartel and attended the French Gymnasium. In 1792, Kleist entered the guard regiment in Potsdam and took part in the Rhein campaign against France in 1796. Kleist voluntarily resigned from army service in 1799 and until 1800 studied philosophy, physics, mathematics, and political science at Viadrina University in Frankfurt an der Oder. He went to Berlin early in the year 1800 and penned his drama "Die Familie Ghonorez". Kleist, who tended to irrationalism and was often tormented by a longing for death, then lit out restlessly through Germany, France, and Switzerland.

After several physical and nervous breakdowns, in which he even burned the manuscript of one of his dramas, Heinrich von Kleist reentered the Prussian army in 1804, working in Berlin and Königsberg. There he wrote "Amphitryon" and "Penthesilea."

After being discharged in 1807, Kleist was apprehended on suspicion of being a spy. After this he went to Dresden, where he edited the art journal "Phoebus" with Adam Müller and completed the comedy "The Broken Pitcher" ("Der zerbrochene Krug") and the folk play "Katchen von Heilbronn" ("Das Käthchen von Heilbronn").

Back in Berlin, the one time Rousseau devotee had become a bitter opponent of Napoleon. In 1811, he finished "Prinz Friedrich von Homburg." Finding himself again in financial and personal difficulties, Heinrich von Kleist, together with his lover, the terminally ill Henriette Vogel, committed suicide near the Wannsee in Berlin in 1811.

[From http://www.heinrich-von-kleist.com/]

Reviews

[Ebba Simone]

https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/kle...

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kleist in Heaven, what a story!

A child falls victim to the plague (and is replaced by another one);
A women dies in puerperium (together with her newborn);
A life guard succumbs to his injuries (and becomes a masturbation template);
A mistress is on the job with a bishop (and gives birth to a child);
A man stalks his adoptive mother (and rapes her);
A man kills his heir from vengeance (and wishes himself to hell to complete the job).

All of this on only 30 pages!



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Foundling" is a horrific story about the abysses of man. We witness a dark desire that is finally translated into action and makes us realise that evil does exist.

The desire for revenge that this extreme deed entails is in no way inferior to it, so that one is left disturbed after reading this story - which also captivates with the artfully interlaced sentences typical of Kleist: This is not about forgiveness, this is about the greatest possible retribution, which is supposed to bring the scales back into balance. The question that arises here is whether one can outweigh the loss of everything dear to one with boundless hatred or whether one will not lose oneself in the process.

[Bookswithchristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Findling von Heinrich von Kleist ist eine Novelle, die sich mit den dunklen Seiten des menschlichen Schicksals, des Zufalls und der Moral auseinandersetzt. Sie erzählt die Geschichte des wohlhabenden Kaufmanns Antonio Piachi, der in einer Geste der Barmherzigkeit den Waisenjungen Nicolo adoptiert, nachdem dessen Familie der Pest erlegen ist. Doch dieses scheinbar wohltätige Handeln hat verheerende Folgen für seine eigene Familie.

Ein zentraler Aspekt von Der Findling ist das Thema des zerstörerischen Schicksals und der Unvorhersehbarkeit menschlicher Handlungen. Die Novelle zeigt, wie Nicolos Anwesenheit langsam die Familie Piachi zerrüttet. Antonio und seine Frau betrachten Nicolo zunächst als ihren eigenen Sohn, doch das Schicksal schlägt unerbittlich zu: Misstrauen, Eifersucht und unkontrollierbare Leidenschaft führen schließlich zur Tragödie.

Die Sprache in Kleists Novelle ist geprägt von Klarheit und Präzision, sie unterstützt die emotionale Intensität und das psychologische Drama, das sich zwischen den Figuren entfaltet. Kleist schafft es meisterhaft, die innere Spannung der Charaktere durch eine scheinbar nüchterne Erzählweise zu intensivieren. Diese Distanziertheit verleiht der Handlung eine fast schon beklemmende Atmosphäre, da die Emotionen der Figuren oft unterdrückt werden, nur um schließlich in Katastrophen zu münden.

[Mads Kamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

So viel Grausamkeit in so wenig Seiten!

[Timo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,28

[miriam ⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

oxford stop giving students books about incest: challenge failed

[Edvard Gaukstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Velskrevet, effektiv og bekmørk. Som et voksent, tragisk eventyr. Her skal det faen meg kleistes altså