This paper examines Paul Czinner’s “Fräulein Else” from 1929, both as an adaption of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella of the same name and as an individual project. The aim is to analyse how visual choices highlight the narrative and how elements of the original story are introduced into the new media.
It will therefore examine whether and how specifically the change of media is responsible for the different interpretations. The focus will be on how the medium influences the depictions of the narrative instances through visuality. This is significant for the present work as narrative instances expresses themselves, according to Kuhn, primarily on a visual and a linguistic level.
First, the difference between narrative instances in film and literature will be examined in a theoretical part. This will be based on Markus Kuhn's narrative model. Interesting approaches can be drawn from the work of Sandra Poppe’s research on film adaptations and visuality as a connecting element between adapted work and adaption. The narrative instances of novella and film will then be examined for differences and similarities. The aim is to get an overview of whether and how the special type of narrative situation in Schnitzler's work was visually incorporated into the film.
Films are an interface between writing and image in many regards. Starting from the screenplay, one can observe many functions of written text in movies. Therefore, transmediality is inherent to film. A special form of this correlation is adaption.
Film adaptions of literary work struggled to be recognized as their own art form for the longest time. The status as secondary media has been abolished by now. Under this newer perspective, it is fruitful to study criticized movies through contemporary lenses.
Table of Contents
Shifting media: from literature to film
Narrative structures in Czinner’s work
Narrative situation
Visual narrative instance
Linguistic narrative instance
A small difference? Literary adaptions and their original
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper explores the adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella "Fräulein Else" into the 1929 silent film by Paul Czinner, investigating how the shift in media affects the narrative structure and the representation of the protagonist's consciousness.
- Analysis of transmediality in the context of literary adaptation.
- Comparison of narrative instances between the original novella and the film.
- Evaluation of how visual and linguistic film techniques translate internal monologues.
- Examination of character shifts and the influence of contemporary societal context.
- Assessment of the independence of the film as a distinct work of art.
Excerpt from the Book
Narrative situation
Large parts of the film are from Else's perspective. Thus, the adaptation corresponds to the novella, which is an inner monologue, i.e. an epic without a narrator, which seeks to directly reflect the state of consciousness of a person. For this purpose, Schnitzler uses an autodiegetic speaker with “no distance between narrator, experience and character."
The Inner Monologue limits the reader to the perception of one character. It is therefore difficult to see how subjective projections, associations and memories can be distinguished from the actual circumstances.
Having shown which footsteps Czinner had to follow, we will now examine how the director instead designed his work. First of all, it is interesting to note that „selbst eine einfache Variante einer Ich-ES im Film komplexer als in der Literatur [ist], weil das erlebende Ich nicht wie in der Literatur einzig das erzählte Ich ist, sondern sich aufspaltet in das durch die SEI vermittelte erzählte Ich sowie das durch die VEI vermittelte gezeigte Ich in der Szene[…]. Die SEI und die VEI können im Fall einer derartigen Ich-ES vergleichbar fokalisieren und in einen sich ergänzenden, verzahnten und überlappenden Verhältnis zueinander stehen, sodass die sprachlich vermittelten Gedanken des erzählten Ichs eindeutig dem gezeigten Ich zugeordnet werden[…]. Die Instanzen können allerdings auch verschieden oder widersprüchlich erzählen und fokalisieren.“
Meeting these requirements, especially when film was a relatively new artform, was a challenge. Czinner chose different approaches, the timeframe, for example. In Schnitzlers work, narrative time and the narrated time coincide because Else’s past is presented in flashbacks of her memory. Czinner tells the same story coherently, therefore choosing a less complex narrative situation.
Summary of Chapters
Shifting media: from literature to film: This chapter introduces the theoretical framework of transmediality and discusses the inherent challenges and methodologies involved in adapting literary works for the screen.
Narrative structures in Czinner’s work: This section investigates how the silent film adapts the autodiegetic narrative style of the novella, focusing on the simplification of narrative situations and shifts in characterization.
Narrative situation: This chapter examines the transition from an inner monologue in the novella to a more externalized perspective in the film, highlighting the role of the parents and the change in Else’s psychological portrayal.
Visual narrative instance: This section discusses the use of camera work, lighting, and performance to create visual meaning, analyzing whether these techniques effectively replace the literary internal monologue.
Linguistic narrative instance: This chapter analyzes the sparse use of text in the silent film, particularly the role of letters and intertitles, as a means to convey information and character depth.
A small difference? Literary adaptions and their original: The concluding chapter summarizes the differences between the media forms and argues for viewing the film as an independent work shaped by its own historical and cultural context.
Keywords
Fräulein Else, Arthur Schnitzler, Paul Czinner, silent film, film adaptation, narrative structure, inner monologue, transmediality, visual narrative, linguistic narrative, characterization, media theory, cinema history, narrative instance, literary adaptation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the 1929 silent film adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella "Fräulein Else" by director Paul Czinner, specifically analyzing how the adaptation process alters narrative structures.
What are the central themes discussed in this work?
The core themes include transmediality, the translation of literary inner monologues into visual film language, the difference between novella and film narrative instances, and the adaptation of psychological states.
What is the main research question?
The study aims to determine how the change of media impacts the narrative interpretation and whether and how the specific narrative situation found in the original literary text was incorporated into the film.
Which scientific methodologies are employed?
The paper utilizes narratological analysis, specifically drawing on Markus Kuhn’s narrative model, and applies comparative media studies to evaluate the adaptation.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body examines narrative situations, visual strategies like camera work and mise-en-scène, the role of linguistic instances such as letters, and character modifications between the book and the film.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include film adaptation, Fräulein Else, narrative instances, transmediality, and the comparison of literary and cinematic representation.
How does the film change the protagonist compared to the book?
The paper notes that the film portrays Else as a more "doe-eyed" innocent character, moving away from the complex, intelligent, and sexually curious figure found in Schnitzler’s novella.
What role do the parents play in the film adaptation?
The film provides more context for the parents' perspective, which shifts the focus away from Else’s internal psychological process and toward the family's financial crisis and social circumstances.
Why is the "mirror scene" significant in this analysis?
It highlights the loss of self-reference in the film character compared to the novella, where the mirror scene serves as an expression of the protagonist’s desperation and detachment from her surroundings.
- Quote paper
- Carolin Will (Author), 2020, Inner Monologue in Film. How Paul Czinner adapts Arthur Schnitzler’s Narrative Mode in "Fräulein Else" (1929), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/923365
