Heinrich von Kleist, Michael Kohlhaas:
Saddle up your ponies for the
fateful ride to the horse market in
This is a proliferating
narrative, so you have to read carefully, but also avoid getting bogged down in
detail. You will have to make decisions as to which details are crucial and
which are incidental, but this will become increasingly easier as you adjust to
this narrator's style. Think of the narrator as a personality and get to know
him.
1.Follow the paper trail. From the permit demanded by the
Tronka castle staff to the piece of paper inscribed by the gypsy woman, we can
follow a series of public or official documents (though the first one does not
exist and the last is never made public—in fact it is made very private). Make
note of the documents that crop up, of all the legal briefs and responses, the
writs and letters, deeds and certificates, and watch
how they function in the tale and in the society depicted.
2.. Geography is a factor in this tale because borders
and jurisdictions play an important role in determining the law and its
application. So, when you see geographical indicators such as "beside the
banks of the river
3. Find the line in the first
paragraph that is intended to grab your attention. What does this portend?
4. "State
privilege." What events mark MK's first border crossing? Note that a
Junker ('J' pronounced as 'Y') is a nobleman and that there many territories
and states within the
5. Pay close attention to the
narration of the offense against MK up through Herse's story about his
treatment (114-26). Does it sound objective? Or are there remarks that indicate
bias?
6. What is the condition of
the horses when MK comes to fetch them and where is the groom? (119).
7. (121) Why
won't Kohlhaas (here and later) just take or ask for the 30 gold florins that
he was ready to sell the horses for? Why does he insist on having them back in their prior condition?
8. (127) Legal Action: What
does MK demand in his lawsuit? In what order?
9. (130-31) "The horses
were not the issue." If the horses are not the issue, what is? Has the
material loss now yielded to an abstract principle? Why is he selling the farm?
10..
(135ff.) Why does Lisbeth think that she can get to the Elector of Brandenburg?
What happens?
11. (138) On
what authority does MK, the horse dealer, issue his edict? How does he
characterize the authority behind the writ he issues on 148?
12. (139) Look
closely at what happens when MK attacks Tronka castle. It starts with Hans von
Tronka. What happens to the warden and
the steward?
13. (149-50) How does Luther respond to MK's burning of
14. (152). How does MK evoke
the social contract (MK was pre-Rousseau, but Kleist read Rousseau with great
interest) in his interview with Luther?
15. (158) Prince Christiern
of
16. (159) Hinz's solution
(safe passage on the horse matter and prosecution for arson and murder) is, he
says, acceptable "both to present public opinion and to posterity."
How do these two publics differ? Why must he satisfy either or both?
17. (164-71) How are the horses located and recovered? Under
what circumstances?
18. Who is Johann
Nagelschmidt and how does he affect the proceedings?
19. (186-88) There are three overlapping jurisdictions involved here.
What are they and how do they interact?
20. (190-95) The rest of the story may remind you of a fairy tale and you
may be surprised by all of the coincidences. How does the Elector of Saxony
find out about the piece of paper in the lead locket around MK's neck?
21. (199-202) What details does the Elector supply to complete the story
of the gypsy woman?
22. (207) What
course of action does MK embark on when he tells the gypsy woman, "Not for
all the world, old lady...."
23. (211) Describe
the enormous significance of the Elector of Brandenburg's asking MK, "Are
you satisfied with me?"
24. (213) If
Kohlhaas has been satisfied, why does he swallow the paper? Does he need more
revenge?
25. Did you ever grow impatient with Kleist's narrator as you were reading "MK"? Do you have any advice for him on how to tell a story?
26. How does Kafka’s man from the country in “Before the Law” differ in his methods from Kohlhaas?
27. Do you see any similarities between Kafka
and Kleist in the concept of the Law?
Discussion Questions:
1. If we back up and view
this tale from a distance, ignoring much of the detail on family relationships,
motivations, jurisdictions, interpretations of law, we might say that this is a
David vs. Goliath or the-little-guy-strikes-back type of narrative. Why is it
this type of story? Now, why is it not this type of story? What speaks against
the first interpretation?
2. Kohlhaas responds to an
inner sense of justice that leads him to transgress or defy the Law. Antigone responds to unwritten laws and ancient traditions that she
traces to the gods. How does (or does) Kohlhaas’s gesture of defiance
differ from that of Antigone?
3. Why doesn't the law work
by itself here? Remember, even MK has "friends" who support the
original lawsuit. What is the effect of all of these interventions on our
understanding of justice in this society? Identify a few and draw conclusions.
4. What is the moral of this
story or does it have one? Are there lessons to be learned from individual
action here? Did this individual’s actions lead to justice?