Picture of author.

Clara Mundt (1814–1873)

Teoksen Marie Antoinette and Her Son tekijä

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Erotteluhuomautus:

(eng) Clara Mundt published her works under the pseudonym Luise or Louisa Mühlbach.

Image credit: c1860-1870, Library of Congress

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Associated Works

Ghosts and Robbers: An Anthology of German Gothic Fiction (2021) — Avustaja — 7 kappaletta

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Kanoninen nimi
Mundt, Clara
Muut nimet
MÜHLBACH, Louisa
MUNDT, Clara
Syntymäaika
1814-01-02
Kuolinaika
1873-09-26
Sukupuoli
female
Kansalaisuus
Germany
Syntymäpaikka
Neubrandenburg, Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Kuolinpaikka
Berlin, Prussia, German Empire
Asuinpaikat
Neubrandenburg, Germany
Ammatit
novelist
biographer
short story writer
travel writer
salonniere
Suhteet
Mundt, Theodor (husband)
Hahn-Hahn, Ida (friend)
Lyhyt elämäkerta
Clara Mundt wrote under the pen name Luise Mühlbach. She was born in Neubrandenburg, Germany, to the large family of Friedrich Müller, a lawyer and politician, and his wife Friederika. Her childhood home was a social center where politicians, government officials, and courtiers met regularly to exchange political views and hold musical events. She received a wide-ranging education and began to write at a young age. After the death of her father, Clara traveled in Switzerland and Italy. She befriended writer Ida Hahn-Hahn, poet Ludwig Tieck, and members of the Young Germans group, who inspired her to become a professional writer. Beginning in 1834, she corresponded with Theodor Mundt, a writer and literary critic, to whom she sent her manuscripts for his review. The couple married in 1839 and had two daughters. At their homes in Breslau and later in Berlin, Clara hosted a salon frequented by artists and writers, aristocrats, and royalty. She made her literary debut with the novel Erste und letzte Liebe (First and Last Love) in 1838. Her contemporaries began referring to her as the "German George Sand" because her early novels were aimed at women and dealt with women's issues such as education, marriage, divorce, and employment, and criticized the exploitation of female workers and the social ostracism of unmarried mothers. In 1849, she published a three-volume fictionalized biography of Aphra Behn. Although she wrote some nonfiction history, she is best known as prolific writer of historical novels. Her books were highly popular and were translated into many languages, including English. Following her husband's death in 1861, she took several trips to the East, including to Egypt and to the inauguration of the Suez Canal. She reported on her travels in detailed articles for German periodicals.
Erotteluhuomautus
Clara Mundt published her works under the pseudonym Luise or Louisa Mühlbach.

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

Catherine the Great , 1762-1796, illustrated
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
markhurley | Sep 15, 2022 |
I’d never heard of Eugene of Savoy before reading this, but did know something of his mother the Comtesse de Soissons, who was mixed up in the Affair of the Poisons. The comtesse does appear near the beginning and end of this long novel.

A lot of other characters were familiar to me, as they will be to other readers knowledgeable about late seventeenth-century France. These include King Louis XIV, Madame de Maintenon, Madame de Montespan, and the king’s brother Philippe, Duc d’Orléans. More prominently featured are Louis's Minister of War Louvois and Louis’s sister-in-law the Duchesse d’Orléans.

As for Eugene, he makes a good lead character. He’s not outstanding in his appearance, but his courage and determination more than make up for this. He’s a most interesting character.

So is his love Louise, who features in some exciting scenes, which I can’t specify without revealing spoilers.

On the most part, then, this is a good book, with battles on the field, as well as battles of the heart. Personal grudges between characters make for engaging conflict.

Several elements do let the novel down, though, such as melodrama and the change of language whenever Eugene and Louise express their love for each other.

For example:

Eugene: "No, sweetest; I know not, I care not who thou art. What have I to do with thy surroundings? I love thee—only thee. If thou hast father and mother, I will throw myself at their feet, and beg their blessing for us both."

A few lines later, his language is back to normal: "And I love you, my own one, despite your parentage. I love you so far beyond all feelings of pride or enmity.”

But soon after he changes the way he speaks again: "Thou wilt prove it to me when, day after to-morrow, thou forsakest father and brother, to cleave to me alone.”

This comes across as totally unnatural and therefore unbelievable. Nearly every time they have a loving moment, the language changes like the example above. I find it very annoying.

More annoying still is when the language changes to a completely different tongue:

>"Ah, que Marianne a de beautes, de graces, et de charmes; Elle sait enchanter et l'esprit et les yeux; Mortels, aimez-la tous! mais ce n'est qu'a des dieux, Qu'est reserve l'honneur de lui rendre les armes!" [Footnote: See Works of La Fontaine.][Footnote: Eugene's own words.—See Armath, "Life of Prince Eugene," vol. i, p. 51.]The imperialists shouted and cheered him as he went, but the Turks, too, had witnessed the deed, and more than one musket was vengefully aimed at the slayer of the Paynim Goliath. One—one, alas! has reached the mark. It has pierced his foot, and he is no longer in a condition to make another step. Heaven be praised that the Turks have taken flight, and that the Christians have possessed themselves of the trench!
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
PhilSyphe | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | May 5, 2020 |
I didn’t enjoy this as much as the author’s previous two books on Frederick the Great. In this one, we have way too many characters and subplots to keep track of. Certain chapters could have been cut altogether, which would’ve made a much tighter story.

Like with the previous books, I liked Trenck and Amalia’s story, plus Prince Henry’s two tales of love, so it’s a shame that the author couldn’t have focused on these threads and a couple of other similar strong ones, rather than throwing in anything and everything possible.

We have static chapters where nothing happens, unless you don’t mind Frederick discussing literature and such like with a friend. To me, though, it’s a bore and does nothing to move the story forward. I skipped over sections like this.

At times, it feels more like a history book than a novel, owing to numerous footnotes. This sort of info would be welcome as an author’s note or in a preface, but not mixed in with the story.

What annoys me most it the amount of untranslated French. I’m pro-language learning, but when I read a book written in English, I expect it to be just that, otherwise I’m pushed out of the story. No good author should isolate their readers like this.

To show the extent of untranslated French, here’s the longest passage written in that language, which includes a footnote also in French:

>I will read you what the king says in relation to this affair, and you will surely believe my word of honor. Listen, then: ‘Soyez, marquis, le depositaire de mes secrets, le confidant des mysteres de Madame Taliazuchi, l’oreille du trone, et le sanctuaire ou s’annonceront les complots de mes ennemis.’ [Footnote: “I will give the conclusion of this letter which the polite marquis did not read aloud: ‘Pour quitter le style oriental, je vous avertis que vous aurez l’oreille rebattue de miseres et de petites intrigues de prisonniers obscurs et qui ne vaudront pas genre de Madame Taliazuchi—elles envisagent les petites choses comme tres-importantes; elles sont charmees de figurer en politique, de jouer un role, de faire les capables d’etaler avec faste le zele de leur fidelite. J’ai vu souvent que ces beaux secrets reveles n’ont ete que des intrigues pour auirs au tiers ou an quart a des gens auxquelles ces sortes de personnes veulet du mal. Ainsi, quoique cette femme vous puisse dire, gardez-vous bien d’y ajouter foi, et que votre cervelle provencal ne s’echauffe pas an premier bruit de ces recits’”—CEuvres, vol xix., p.92.]
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
PhilSyphe | 1 muu arvostelu | Jan 22, 2020 |
This is a sequel that also works perfectly as a stand-alone novel. I confess to enjoying the previous book – “Frederick the Great & His Court” – more than this one.

This is one of those long stories that’s brilliant in some parts but boring in others. We’re presented with numerous characters with several storylines. The forbidden love scenario between Frederick’s younger sister Amelia and Lieutenant Trenck interested me most.

Amelia is also the most appealing character. The one I liked the least was Voltaire. I couldn’t help but feel his presence in many scenes was unnecessary, and that the author only included him because of who he was. The most boring section in the book was a long and tedious conversation between Voltaire and Frederick. It does nothing to move the story along and I skipped most of this.

Another annoyance is the amount of untranslated French and Latin. While I’m pro-language-learning, I hate to see foreign language in an English text. I don’t want to guess what it means or to stop reading and look up the translation.

The book itself is translated from German, so I guess – like with certain nineteenth-century English authors – Luise Mühlbach liked to show off her linguistic skills whilst assuming her readers were either equal to her level of foreign language skills, or else they must be intellectually ignorant.

While I like most of the characters and appreciate much of the dialogue, at times the speakers are way too melodramatic, which takes away the believability of what they’re saying. Worse still, on many occasions characters stand and talk to themselves. Not just a few words, but a lengthy ramble. These episodes are like what you might see at a theatre, but never in reality. It’s a lame way for the author to relate info to the reader.

The battle scenes could’ve been done much better. They're told, not shown. Oddly, and irritatingly, during such conflicts the narration switches from past tense to present.

Also, the use of footnotes seems odd for a work of fiction. These would’ve been much better if they’d been merged together and used for an author’s note at then end, or failing that a preface.

While the notes were useful, they were out of place and interrupted the narrative. They also gave away what happened to certain characters, thus taking away all suspense from certain future scenes. The longest footnote was written entirely in French, so at least that didn’t give anything away.

Although I’ve found a lot to criticise, my four-star rating shows how I liked more than I disliked. As Prussia’s history is virtually unknown to me, I experienced several surprises along the way.
… (lisätietoja)
 
Merkitty asiattomaksi
PhilSyphe | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Nov 30, 2018 |

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Associated Authors

Andreas Hofer Associated Name
W.L. Gage Translator

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