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Abstract
This dissertation focuses on the depiction of leisure time in Theodor Fontane's Berlin novels, engaging the social and cultural history of nineteenth-century Germany as well as theoretical and literary scholarship on the city, consumer culture, gender, and class. It explores how these novels reflect the impact of the evolution of leisure from a mainly aristocratic activity to one with greater participation across social and economic classes. It reveals the novels' fascination with all the amusements and distractions available in the city and highlights the opportunities leisure provides for self-expression and autonomy. However, as the dissertation also argues, these novels criticize society's over-emphasis on amusement and characters' frequent favoring of idle time over more productive pursuits.
The first two chapters focus on Fontane's portrayal of Berlin as a center of leisure. The city's so-called areas of refuge, with urban masses crowding or converging upon them, are frequently more emblematic of the city than its most populated places. In addition, the hustle and bustle of street life offers new sources of amusement and distraction, yet the resultant activities such as observing others, strolling the city's streets, and gazing at stimulating street advertisements lead to the loss of privacy, alienation, and artificial desire created by calculated marketing. Chapter three addresses Fontane's high society hopefuls who emulate aristocratic leisure practices and seek to identify themselves with these traditional markers of social distinction. These critical portrayals demonstrate the difficulty of gaining acceptance and respectability in a society in which cultural, social, and ethnic prejudices still linger. This chapter also addresses Fontane's nostalgia for some aspects of traditional bourgeois society, especially its work ethic and emphasis on self-discipline and modesty. The final two chapters discuss Fontane's treatment of men and women at leisure. He depicts troubled men who show little if any self-discipline and are often soft and passive. The multitude of weak male characters signals Fontane's concerns about the decline of men and their incapacity to shape their own lives and serve as leaders of their families and society. In contrast, his female characters often show more energy and resolve. They either use leisure as means to greater self-expression and autonomy, or are able to step beyond their leisure responsibilities and acquire more self-fulfillment through work.
