Unerwartete Entdeckungen: Beiträge zur österreichischen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts ed. by Julia Danielczyk and Ulrike Tanzer (review)

As in any academic field, the word research in literary studies generally refers to scholarly work that results in the creation of new knowledge. Often such efforts involve theoretical and contextual analysis of literary texts, based on easily available published books and journals. Other studies conform to a different concept of research that is deeper in the sense that it involves locating, interpreting, and making available to others primary archival materials, such as letters, handwritten manuscripts, maps, photographs, and other documents relevant to texts and their historical contexts as well as the lives of authors. This volume and the “discoveries” referred to by its title, Unerwartete Entdeckungen, emphasize the latter type and demonstrate how such work is vital to interpreting literary texts and their historical and cultural contexts.

The subtitle, Beiträge zur österreichischen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts, might initially suggest a broader scope than the volume actually has, but the title page gives insight into the book’s rather specialized content with the phrase “Eine Veröffentlichung der Internationalen Nestroy-Gesellschaft.” The aim of the handsome volume, which is enhanced by numerous pertinent photographs and reproductions of images and documents, is not to cover or assess an entire century of Austrian literature in all genres but to make original and well-grounded scholarly “Beiträge,” about half of which emphasize Austrian theater; five feature the dramas and life of Johann Nestroy. The introduction by editors Julia Danielczyk and Ulrike Tanzer begins by mentioning that the title phrase was borrowed from an essay from the year 2000 called “Unterwartete Entdeckungen: Bemerkungen zu Nestroys Briefen” (7) in which the esteemed library director, editor, and scholar Walter Obermaier brought to light material from some of Nestroy’s recently discovered letters. The essays in this volume emerged from an international conference held in Vienna in 2012, organized by Danielczyk and Tanzer, in honor of Obermaier’s seventieth birthday.

Essays on Nestroy present significant new details discovered in his biography (W. Edgar Yates), his letters (Friedrich Walla), and his Nachlass (Hermann Böhm). A study by Johann Hüttner traces the intricacies of the use of various German, Austrian, Yiddish, and foreign accents and dialects in the plays of Nestroy and Ferdinand Raimund. A piece by Norbert Bachleitner compares the positions on social reform advocated in Nestroy’s plays with those of the French political novelist Eugène Sue.

Several other essays not devoted to Nestroy present research on aspects of theatrical history. In this category is Jürgen Hein’s study of Ferdinand Raimund and Carl Meisl, centered on evidence that Meisl may have authored the first act of Raimund’s well-known play Der Barometermacher auf der Zauberinsel. An essay by Matthias J. Pernerstorfer emphasizes the musical and theatrical contributions of the noble von Kuefstein family, better known for diplomatic service to the Habsburg Empire. Other research findings are presented in Barbara Denscher’s “Entdeckungen zur Wiener Theatergeschichte: Der Nachlass von Victor Léon in der Wienbibliothek.” Denscher describes Léon’s roles in the rich cultural life of Vienna’s Jewish community. After he died in 1940, his work, like that of many Jews, was nearly forgotten due to the prevailing Nazi influence. His still little-known literary estate (Nachlass) offers much material for future research. Realities of the daily life of the theater as a business are brought to life by Oskar Pausch, who begins his firsthand account thus: “In den achtziger Jahren habe ich in der damaligen Theatersammlung der österreichischen Nationalbibliothek Akten der Wiener Hoftheather eingeordnet und aufgestellt” (112). Besides challenges he faced in organizing these historical documents, Pausch provides details on theater operations, detailing problems, ranging from warfare in 1848 to fires, accidents, and troubles with transportation, wardrobe, ticket sales, and undisciplined actors.

Diversity and interdisciplinary exploration mark several of the other contributions. The volume includes Hans Höller’s analysis of the effects of imperial censorship on Stifter...