The bohemians to a great measure directed not only their daily behaviour and appearances but also consciously created the image of themselves that was to be handed down to the generations to come. As a social class and as a space of positions within the general social structure their very emergence have become possible through the creation of the market for cultural goods from one side, and through the general rise in the level of the European economic activity that gradually has had its influence on the general standard of living. According to a series of researchers the coffee-houses are heterogeneous sites because of the various uses of this type of social space, on one side of spectrum of such activities are gambling and prostitution, while on the other newspapers reading and political pamphlets, as well as because of structural functionality of their position within the realization of the dynamics of modernity as an epoch spanning the period from the late Renaissance to the twentieth century (Hetherington 1997: 14; Ellis 1956; Billington 1980; Stallybrass and White 1986). The essence of the umbilical relationship of the bourgeoisie as a social class and of the identitarian politics of its self-constitution against the site of the social space that presents itself both as other and as the identical to the ethos of the middle class is revealed in the role the coffee-house played in the seventeenth and eighteenth century with regard to the stabilization of the ways the bourgeois social relations work.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I: Bohemian Circles on the Margins of Law-Abiding Society
Part II: The Historical Emergence of ‘Bohemian’ Social Type
Part III: Parisian Café as an Institutional Prototype
Part IV: Coffeehouses in German Society and Culture
Part V: London Teashops as Modernist Public Spheres
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
The paper examines the cultural and social significance of the 19th-century bohemian lifestyle, specifically focusing on how coffeehouses served as vital "visibility sites" for new forms of sociality and identity. It explores the complex, often oppositional relationship between bohemian circles and the bourgeois mainstream, analyzing how these urban spaces facilitated both artistic innovation and the performance of marginal subjectivities within modern metropolitan centers.
- The historical emergence and structural development of the "bohemian" social type.
- The role of the coffeehouse as an institutional prototype for social networks and artistic movements.
- The relationship between the bourgeois public sphere and alternative "heterotopic" social spaces.
- The impact of urban growth and modernization on the creation of gendered and marginalized identities.
Excerpt from the Book
Part IV: Coffeehouses in German Society and Culture
The café, of course, had a tradition as a “waiting room of literature” (Kesten 1959) well before the Expressionists discovered it. According to Emil Szittya (1923: 246), ubiquitous habitué of cafés all over Europe, the modern Bohemian artist cafés all over Europe, the modern Bohemian artist café in Germany had the roots of its traditions in the Berlin tavern owned by Julius Türke, nicknamed “Zum Schwarzen Ferkel” and made famous by the group that had gathered there around August Stringberg in the mid-1890s. In Berlin there were several cafés or similar establishments that were popular amongst the Expressionists during the era of their movement. Two of these, the Café Austria and the Café Sezession, had been occasional meeting places of artists for a short time prior to 1910.
None of the mentioned cafés could begin to rival the overwhelming favorite of the Expressionists and other bohemians in Berlin, the Café des Westens, whose tradition and importance in the history of modern German literature as an artist café antedates the Expressionist decade by at least ten years. It was here that Ernst von Wolzogen, sitting amongst his friends at his regular table in 1901, had planned Germany’s first literary cabaret, “Die Bunte Bühne,” and it was here that the various performers would meet after having danced, sung, or recited on the stage of that cabaret (Erman 1966: 387-88). By the beginning of the following decade, the Café des Westens was fast becoming not only the meeting place of all of the Expressionist circles centered in Berlin, but also a magnetic pole drawing artists to itself from all over Europe.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the interdisciplinary approach to describing bohemian culture and defines the objective of investigating the "Bohème" within the context of nineteenth and twentieth-century European social dynamics.
Part I: Bohemian Circles on the Margins of Law-Abiding Society: Discusses the interaction between different social strata and how bohemian marginality was distinct from criminal underworlds, emphasizing the role of social class distinctions.
Part II: The Historical Emergence of ‘Bohemian’ Social Type: Explores the historical foundations of the bohemian figure and the challenges of defining this social milieu in relation to bourgeois society and identity.
Part III: Parisian Café as an Institutional Prototype: Analyzes the Parisian café as a primary hub for social networking and artistic movements, noting its quantitative prevalence and function as a modern social space.
Part IV: Coffeehouses in German Society and Culture: Examines the specific case of Berlin’s Café des Westens as a central meeting place for Expressionists and its importance in the history of modern German literature.
Part V: London Teashops as Modernist Public Spheres: Investigates the function of London teashops as interfaces between capitalist society and the performance of new, often gendered, modernist identities.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, arguing that coffeehouses functioned as heterotopic sites that enabled the reinvention of the self and served as critical nodes for avant-garde cultural production.
Keywords
Bohemianism, Coffeehouse, Modernity, Bourgeoisie, Sociality, Public Sphere, Expressionism, Urban Culture, Identity, Heterotopia, Marginality, Paris, Berlin, London, Modernism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper explores the cultural significance of the bohemian lifestyle in 19th-century Europe and the role of coffeehouses as essential urban spaces that allowed for alternative sociality and the formation of artistic identity.
What are the central themes of the work?
Central themes include the social construction of the bohemian identity, the evolution of the coffeehouse as an institutional hub, the relationship between bohemians and the bourgeois public sphere, and the impact of urbanization on social life.
What is the core research objective?
The goal is to describe how bohemian circles utilized specific city spaces to challenge traditional social norms and create "sites of visibility" for their marginal lifestyles and innovative artistic expressions.
What methodology does the author employ?
The author uses an interdisciplinary approach, analyzing historical materials, autobiographical accounts, and memoirs, combined with socio-analytical theories to interpret the role of urban sites in shaping popular culture.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body systematically analyzes different European contexts, including Parisian cafés, German Expressionist hangouts like the Café des Westens, and London teashops, to contrast their roles in modernist social development.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include Bohemianism, Coffeehouse, Modernity, Bourgeoisie, Sociality, Public Sphere, Expressionism, Urban Culture, Identity, and Heterotopia.
How does the author define the "Café des Westens" in Berlin?
It is defined as the central "magnetic pole" for the Berlin branch of Expressionism, functioning as a clearing-house for ideas and a vital venue for the planning of avant-garde literary and artistic ventures.
What is the "heterotopic" function of the coffeehouse?
Based on Foucault's theory, the author characterizes coffeehouses as heterotopic sites where heterogeneous collections of people and ideas meet, exist in relation to one another, and challenge the established order from within.
How do bohemians relate to the bourgeois middle class?
The relationship is described as a complex, "umbilical" connection where bohemians define themselves through negation and defiance, while the bourgeoisie utilizes these sites as a contrast to solidify their own ethos and public values.
- Quote paper
- Dr. Pablo Markin (Author), 2001, The Social Class and Cultural Significance of the Bohemian Lifestyle in Conjunction with the Role of the Coffeehouses as the Visibility Sites of New Types of Sociality, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/121168
