Vienna 1900: Games with Love and Death - Arthur Schnitzler
Schnitzler (1862-1931) was a doctor, playwright, novelist and short story writer in fin de siècle Vienna. He is most well-known as the author of Traumnovelle (Dream Story) which served as the basis for Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick's last movie.
The four stories collected here concern people in bourgeois society dealing with their problems of marriage and adultery, and the origins of sexual temptations. The interesting points are the use of the stream of consciousness technique and examinations of neurotic personalities (Schnitzler and Freud were close friends). Women consummate their desires, usually with worthless or otherwise inappropriate males, and pay heavy prices for pleasure outside of marriage.
With much psychological insight, Vienna 1900 also treats the issues of aging and its accompanying fear of boredom, decay, and suffering. Schnitzler handles these heavy themes with a candidness that is direct and provocative, never merely glum or stoical. Readers that like John Fowles or Tennessee Williams or who read Freud as a literary figure may like these stories.
I quite like Schnitzler & some of his other novellas are being reissued here and there: Fraülein Else, Casanova's Return To Venice, Late Fame as well as Dream Story. His plays are pretty enjoyable. I saw La Ronde a few years back on stage--it was a hoot. There's a quirky movie that's pretty good. (Max Ophuls)
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