. . . or sensing impending doom

‘What am I? A completely ordinary person from the so-called higher reaches of society.

‘What am I? A completely ordinary person from the so-called higher reaches of society. And what can I do? I can train a horse, carve a capon, and play games of chance.’ So reflects Botho von Rienäcke, the central character of Theodor Fontane’s novel of 1888, Irrungen, Wirrungen (newly translated as On Tangled Paths). His bitter self-examination is a consequence of his predicament. Like many a fellow officer, he has taken up with a working-class girl. He met her on a boating trip when he came to her rescue from an accident in the water. The grateful, unconstrained company of this pretty young female is a welcome contrast to all the calculated pairings-up in upper-class Berlin’s marriage market. But, against his intentions, Botho has fallen deeply in love with Lene, and, to complicate matters, greatly admires her as well.