Arthur Schnitzler: Der Witwer. Die Gefährtin.

A widower learns from letters of his deceased wifes affair with his best friend/assistant. In Schnitzlers numerous reworkings, scattered over the years, the complexity of this subject matter which at first glance seems all too banal becomes apparent. The socio-political and cultural- political contexts of the time and a struggle over ethics and morality especially concerning the institution of marriage are negotiated. Schnitzler devoted himself to this material as he often did over a longer period of time and first worked it out as a novella, for which he chose the title Der Wittwer or Der Witwer (The Widower). After only a few months, he published the text in 1894 in the so-called Weihnachts=Ausgabe (Christmas supplement) of the Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung. However, Schnitzler like others as well was not enthusiastic about it and decided to rework the material as a one-act drama, which was eventually titled Die Gefährtin (The Companion). Finally, in 1899, the play was published with the two one-act plays Der grüne Kakadu (The Green Cacadoo) and Paracelsus and premiered with them at the Burgtheater in Vienna. Only through the detailed presentation and description of the preserved manuscripts and typescripts, other sources and testimonies, as well as the prints during Schnitzlers lifetime, the intensive engagement with the central and culturally revealing topics of marriage, love, betrayal, friendship and mourning can be traced. Der Witwer. Die Gefährtin is the 14th volume of the historical-critical edition of Arthur Schnitzlers early works, edited by Konstanze Fliedl and published with Walter de Gruyter. The FWF has been funding this edition since 2010 now for the third time (P 22195, P 27138, P 30513, P 34081). Since the tenth volume, the edition has been published both in print and open access. Initial attempts at a study of the genesis of Die Gefährtin have already been made (Höfflin- Grether), but the volume at hand thoroughly documents its complexity; reproduces the manuscripts and typescripts most of which are part of Schnitzlers estate at the Cambridge University Library in their original size and provides them with a transcription. The volume also traces the printing history and provides reading texts according to the first printing (Der Witwer) and the first edition (Die Gefährtin). The texts are provided with comments on cultural-historical contexts, Austriazisms, and outdated expressions. The open access status ensures the dissemination of Schnitzlers works in a reliable edition.