Abstract
This article examines the spiritual similarity between Gertrud von le Fort and Edith Stein within the framework public-political issues. In her novels The Veil of Veronica, The Wreath of the Angels, but specially in The Last at the Scaffold, Le Fort thematizes the conflict between the overbearing, disrespectful and rampant voluntarism, typically embodied by violent men as evil agents that open the gates for malign forces to come, and female impotence exalted by divine omnipotence, represented by women, who, humble and obedient to God’s will, ultimately comes out as the victor. I argue that the slightly pro-aristocratic Gertrud von le Fort expresses in a literary manner the philosophical criticism of the slightly pro-democratic Edith Stein of monarchy as well as aristocracy and democracy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Meyerhofer, Gertrud von le Fort, 96.
- 2.
Przywara in Theresia a Matre Dei, 125.
- 3.
See Kranz, Gertrud von le Fort, 127. The letters are from 17th November 1933, 4th May 1934, 10th May 1934, 31st January 1935 and 27th February 1935.
- 4.
See, Carolyn Beard, “Stein, die Suffragette”, in Edith Stein Jahrbuch (Würzburg: Echter Verlag, 2019), 85–93).
- 5.
Caballero, Stein, 34.
- 6.
Ibid., 33–34.
- 7.
Le Fort, Aufzeichnungen und Erinnerungen, 13–14.
- 8.
González de Cardedal, “Introducción”, 6.
- 9.
Kämpchen, “Die Dichterin und ihre Zeit”, 75.
- 10.
Ibid.
- 11.
Ibid.
- 12.
Biser, Überredung zur Liebe, 22.
- 13.
See Frühwald, “Deutscher ‘renouveau catholique’”, 64.
- 14.
No English translation exists.
- 15.
Le Fort, The Veil of Veronica, 13.
- 16.
In Collected Works of Edith Stein 10 (hereafter cited as IS).
- 17.
IS, 40.
- 18.
Ibid.
- 19.
Ibid.
- 20.
Ibid., 60.
- 21.
Ibid., 103.
- 22.
Ibid., 142.
- 23.
Ibid., 103.
- 24.
Ibid., 39.
- 25.
Ibid., 58.
- 26.
Ibid., 27.
- 27.
Ibid.
- 28.
Ibid., 39.
- 29.
Ibid.
- 30.
Ibid.
- 31.
Ibid.
- 32.
Ibid.
- 33.
Ibid.
- 34.
Ibid., 110.
- 35.
Calm, “Prólogo”, 9.
- 36.
Le Fort, The Song, 75–76.
- 37.
Doppler, “Zweimal ‘Begnadete Angst’”, 360.
- 38.
Ibid.
- 39.
Le Fort, The Song, 45.
- 40.
Ibid., 2.
- 41.
Ibid., 3.
- 42.
Ibid., 1.
- 43.
Ibid., 55–56.
- 44.
Ibid., 59.
- 45.
Regarding the phenomenon of the masses, refer to publications by Le Bon and Ortega y Gasset that seem to confirm Stein’s and von le Fort’s apprehensions.
References
Biser, Eugen. 1980. Überredung zur Liebe. Die dichterische Daseinsdeutung Gertrud von le Forts. Regensburg: Habbel.
Bono, Caballero, and José Luis. 2001. Stein (1891–1942). Madrid: Ediciones del Orto.
Calm, Lilian. 1997. Prólogo to La última en el cadalso, by Gertrud von le Fort, 5–11. Trans. A. L. A. Santiago de Chile: Andrés Bello.
Doppler, Alfred. 1959/1960. ‘Zweimal ‘Begnadete Angst’. ‘Die Letzte am Schafott’ – ‘Dialoge der Karmeliterinnen’. Stimmen der Zeit 166 (1960): 356–365.
Frühwald, Wolfgang. 1976. Deutscher ‘renouveau catholique’. Zur literarischen Einordnung des Werkes Gertrud von le Forts. In Dichtung ist eine Form de Liebe. Begegnung mit Gertrud von le Fort und ihrem Werk. Zum 100. Geburtstag am 11. Oktober 1976, ed. Hedwig Bach, 60–73. Munich: Ehrenwirth.
González de Cardedal, Olegario. 1995. “Introducción” to Himnos a la Iglesia, by Gertrud von le Fort, 5–16. Trans. Valentín García Yebra. Madrid: Ediciones Encuentro.
Kämpchen, Paul. 1976. Die Dichterin und ihre Zeit. In Dichtung ist eine Form de Liebe. Begegnung mit Gertrud von le Fort und ihrem Werk. Zum 100. Geburtstag am 11. Oktober 1976, ed. Hedwig Bach, 74–78. Munich: Ehrenwirth.
Kranz, Gisbert, ed. 1976. Gertrud von le Fort. Leben und Werk in Daten, Bildern und Zeugnissen. Frankfurt am Main: Insel.
Meyerhofer, Nicholas J. 1993. Gertrud von le Fort. Berlin: Morgenbuch.
Stein, Edith. 2006. The Collected works of Edith Stein. Trans. Marianne Sawicki, vol. 10, An Investigation Concerning the State. Washington, DC: ICS Publications,
Theresia a Matre Dei. 1969. Edith Stein. En busca de Dios. Trans. P. Rafael Velasco. Beteta: Verbo Divino.
von Le Fort, Gertrud. 1932. The Veil of Veronica. Trans. Conrad M. R. Bonacina. London: Sheed.
———. 1958. Aufzeichnungen und Erinnerungen. Einsiedeln: Benziger.
———. 1993. The Song at the Scaffold. Trans. Olga Marx. Long Prairie: The Neumann Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Franken, C. (2020). The Issue of the State’s Power and Its Abuse in the Literature of Gertrud von le Fort in Light of Edith Stein’s An Investigation Concerning the State . In: Reyes-Gacitúa, E., Calcagno, A. (eds) Edith Stein’s An Investigation Concerning the State: Sociality, Nationhood, Ethics. Contributions to Phenomenology, vol 110. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33781-0_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33781-0_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-33780-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-33781-0
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)