Arthur Schnitzler's 'Fräulein Else': An Indecent Proposal Ante Litteram
Arthur Schnitzler's 1924 novella 'Fräulein Else' is analyzed as a precursor to the 1993 film 'Indecent Proposal' starring Robert Redford and Demi Moore. The story follows 19-year-old Else, who is asked by her mother to borrow 30,000 florins from a family friend to save her father from bankruptcy. The friend demands to see her naked; Else complies in a peculiar manner and later commits suicide with barbiturates. Schnitzler employs interior monologue, a technique he pioneered alongside 'Leutnant Gustl' (1900), distinct from James Joyce's stream of consciousness. The work reflects Schnitzler's psychological analysis influenced by Sigmund Freud, with whom he corresponded. The novella critiques Viennese bourgeois society's frivolity and hypocrisy. Schnitzler was born in Vienna on May 15, 1862, and died on October 21, 1931.
Key facts
- Arthur Schnitzler wrote 'Fräulein Else' in 1924.
- The novella features interior monologue, also used in his earlier 'Leutnant Gustl' (1900).
- The plot involves a 19-year-old Viennese girl asked to borrow 30,000 florins and then to undress.
- The protagonist Else commits suicide with barbiturates.
- Schnitzler's style is contrasted with James Joyce's stream of consciousness.
- Schnitzler was influenced by and corresponded with Sigmund Freud.
- The 1993 film 'Indecent Proposal' is based on a novel by Jack Engelhard, not directly on Schnitzler's work.
- Schnitzler was born and died in Vienna (1862–1931).
Entities
Artists
- Arthur Schnitzler
- James Joyce
- Sigmund Freud
- Robert Redford
- Demi Moore
- Jack Engelhard
- Francesco de Gregori
- Arthur Schopenhauer
- Vieri Peroncini
Institutions
- Artspecialday
- MIfacciodiCultura
Locations
- Vienna
- Austria