The German Lieutenant, and Other Stories

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Strindberg, August, 1849-1912

Contributor:

Field, Claud, 1863-1941

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The German Lieutenant and Other Stories" by August Strindberg is a collection of short stories written in the late 19th century. The opening story, titled "The German Lieutenant," focuses on Lieut. Von Bleichroden, a Prussian officer during the Franco-Prussian War, who wrestles with the moral complexities of warfare and the toll it takes on his conscience. The collection delves into themes of duty, individual morality versus societal expectations, and the psychological impact of war. At the start of the first story, readers are introduced to Von Bleichroden, who is stationed in a quaint café in France shortly after the Battle of Sedan. As he writes a letter to his wife expressing his homesickness and anxieties about impending warfare, his internal conflict becomes clear. He contemplates the brutal realities of guerra, including the execution of three captured French "franc-tireurs." The tension builds as he interacts with the local curé, who implores him to show mercy, forcing the lieutenant to confront the duality of his role as a soldier and a man struggling with the weight of his decisions. This opening sets the tone for the exploration of the psyche amidst the chaos of war throughout the collection. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

The German lieutenant

Over-refinement

"Unwelcome"

Higher aims

Paul and Peter

A funeral

The last shot.

Credits:

E-text prepared by Marc D'Hooghe (http://www.freeliterature.org) from page images generously made available by HathiTrust Digital Library (http://www.hathitrust.org/digital_library)

Notes:

Reading ease score: 77.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2014-06-26