Fraulein Else

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Stream of Consciousness Novella
Review: Written in 1924 in the stream of consciousness technique used by James Joyce, this novella is an examination of the mind of the nineteen year old Fraulein Else. Else the daughter of a well known Viennese attorney is vacationing at an elegant hotel in the Alps. There she receives a telegram from her mother which will have a significant impact upon her life. Her mother wishes her to approach a long time friend of the family, a much older man, who is also vacationing at the hotel. Else's father has a long time obsession with gambling and has misappropriated trust funds belonging to his clients in order pay off gambling debts. To keep him from the shame of debtor's prison, her mother asks Else to approach the older man to pay back the money that will keep Else's father out of prison. What happens in the mind of Else during the hours where she must wrestle with the shame of asking him for the money, the debauched payment he requires, her reaction to his demand for payment and her ultimate decision and it's horrific outcome is the subject which Schnitzler brilliantly explores. Schnitzler has been largely forgotten by readers, but this brilliantly crafted book deserves to be read.