("Representing Crisis: Narrative, Aesthetics, and Space": German Graduate Student Symposium, Washington University in St. Louis, February 28, 2009)
In 1890 disgruntled Austrian economist Theodor Hertzka published his utopian novel Freiland: ein sociales Zukunftsbild. This novel depicts the founding of a colony in Kenya by an international society, which seeks to change the economic and social policies of the world in order to raise the living standards of all people. Though this new colony does not specifically follow German national ideals – it is its own country, after all – it nonetheless embodies many of the characteristics and ideals of the Bildungsbürgertum in Imperial Germany. Consumption of goods, education, and participation in higher culture are of utmost importance to the members of this projected colony. Freiland does depart heavily, however, from a major facet of the Bildungbürgertum identity – Freiland refashions the bourgeois woman through equal education, political rights, as well as through changes to the bourgeois notions of marriage and fashion.
Theodor Hertzka, a German-Jewish economist and journalist, chose to encase the principles of his new economic theory in the form of a "Staatsroman" in order to obtain a larger circle of readers, as well as to counter the anticipated criticism that his new economic system worked in theory, but not in practice (Hertzka xxix). The book was quite successful. Freiland went through four editions in its first year of publication alone. A Freilandverein, with Hertzka acting as president, formed in Vienna with branches in major German cities with the intent of founding a colony in Kenya as depicted in the book. After the novel was translated into English, additional branches quickly formed in the other European nations, as well as in America. Various failed colonization efforts were attempted in Kenya, Paraguay, and in Washington State.
The basic plot of Hertzka‟s novel is as follows: In the first book, an Internationale Freie Gesellschaft is formed under the leadership of top German economist Dr. Strahl, Hertzka's literary counterpart, as well as the Society's expedition into Kenya, the selection of the spot for the new country and its establishment. There is also a short romance between colonization leader Henri Ney and Miss Ellen Fox, a headstrong American woman who, after being told she could not accompany the expedition, made her own way through Africa to the colony. The second book describes the first five years of the Freiland colony and the development of its constitution and government. The third book skips in time to the twenty-fifth year of Freiland's existence. This book provides, through the eyes of the Italian ambassador Prince Carlo Falieri, an overview of the customs and institutions of Freiland. It also depicts a romance between Falieri and Bertha, the daughter of Henri Ney and Ellen Fox. Finally, this book also depicts Freiland's successes in its war with Abyssinia. After the war, the rest of the world recognizes the greatness of Freiland and is now ready to take its radical economic ideas seriously, as displayed in the fourth book, which is a stenographical report of the proceedings of the World Congress Freiland hosts, in order to answer questions about its social and economic policies and to facilitate the adoption of these policies by the other countries. At the end of the novel, Hertzka has a short epilogue where he refutes that this book is a "utopian" novel, as this implies that it cannot be actualized (676). He invites the reader to join the real Freilandverein and to help attempt to make the details of the novel become fact.
The importance of women in Freiland society becomes evident in the very first book during the expedition to the colony site. Two women wish to accompany Henry Ney and his expedition to Kenya: the rich and eccentric Miss Ellen Fox from America and Ney's overly protective sister Clara, who had sworn to their mother on her deathbed that she would never leave her brother. The two women, who become friends, are told that they will have to wait at least six months before they can travel to Edental, the chosen colonization site, so that the advance expedition can have enough time to make it habitable and safe. The women seem to be in agreement with the decision of the men, which is why it is a great surprise to Henry when he arrives in Taveta, just south of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and finds his sister and her American companion there waiting for him. Since they have already traveled so far into the depths of Africa, Heys has no choice but to allow the women to accompany the men the rest of the way to Mt. Kenya, wrting in his journal that "Es verstand sich von selbst, daß die beiden Amazonen von da ab zu den Unsrigen gehörte" (Hertzka 47).
The women end up benefiting the expedition. Through Miss Fox's efforts, the Freilanders are able to tame the African elephant, a feat deemed impossible by the men. The elephants make construction and transportation easier for the new colony. The name of the first Freiland settlement – Edental – also owes its existence to Miss Fox. She is Freiland's Germania figure, as she surveys the amphitheatre-like valley about to be settled:
Zuerst fand das Weib in unserer Mitte, Ellen Fox, wieder Worte. Einer verzückten Seherin gleich hatte sie lange dem Spiel der Wässer zugeschaut; da rief sie plötzlich, als ein stärkerer Windhauch den Nebelschleier des Wasserfalles, der soeben noch einen schillernden, schwertähnlich geschwungenen Streifen gebildet hatte, vollends verwehte: "Seht hin, das Flammenschwert des Erzengels, welches den Eingang zum Paradiese bewacht hat, ist bei unserem erscheinen zerstäubt; 'Eden' laßt uns diesen Ort nennen!" (89)
Instead of holding the "Wacht am Rhein" and facing outward toward international enemies, the allegorical figure that Miss Fox becomes at this moment faces inward toward the valley and its waterfall, which is meant to be a peaceful, fully international venture. The cliffs of this waterway are not meant to be imposing and intimidating structures, but nurturing ones. The sword disappears; this paradise is to bring freedom from exploitation to all people, even if they do not reside within the boundaries of Freiland.
Although the main victim of exploitation Hertzka writes for is the factory worker and common laborer, women in Freiland also have the economic chains of bondage lifted. In Imperial Germany, women were inherently weaker due to the traits of their gender. Men and women were essentially separate creatures, with separate environments: men participated in the public sphere, while women were confined to the domestic realm (Jefferies 19). A woman was to devote herself to her children, her household and church. Although many women did indeed have to work in order to support their families, this was looked down upon – an "unrespectable" woman who had to work was either unmarried or was married to a man unable to provide for her. Her social status was completely dependent on whether or not she was married, as well as on the social and economic well being of her husband (19-20).
This is why the law and custom requiring women to marry is called prostitution by the Freilanders (214). European women are forced to find a husband in order to guarantee their financial survival: "Auch unter den sogenannten Kulturnationen der Gegenwart blieb das Weib rechtlos, und was schrecklicher ist, es blieb, um sein Dasein zu fristen, angewiesen dafür, sich dem ersten Besten zu verkaufen, der um seiner Reize willen die Verpflichtung übernahm, es zu 'versorgen'" (214). Marriage in Freiland is meant to be a bond between lovers and not a financial contract.
In order to make marriage thus optional, women are entitled to a maintenance from the state so that they no longer have to be "eine Sklavin und ein käufliches Werkzeug der Lüste." Maintenances in Freiland are calculated as a percentage of the average hourly wage of the working populace, which itself is determined by each individual enterprise by dividing the total profit earned by the total hours worked by all of its workers; each worker then receives the amount equivalent to the number of hours he or she contributed. Single, non-working women are given a maintenance of 30%. Married, non-working women are given a maintenance of 15%. These percentages are intended to provide the women with more than enough money for sustenance, as the entire Freiland economy depends on the ability of all of its citizens to consume as much as possible. The women are thus able to purchase exquisite furnishing for their houses, pay for cleaning services, and attend concerts on even a relatively small percentage. Upon visiting the Neys's house and seeing the fine furnishings, the Italian ambassador cannot believe that the Neys are not living off of an inheritance or investments; indeed, as Prince Falieri writes home, "weder besitzt unser Gastfreund ein Kapital, dessen Zinsen er genießen könnte, noch ist Frau Ney ein 'Blaustrumpf' – wie Du Dich ausdrückt – die hochbezahlte Romane für freiländische Wochenschreiften schreibt" (428). Additionally, if a Freilander has children, independent of his or her gender, marriage or employment status, he or she also automatically receive 5% maintenance per child for up to 3 children (217). Due to these maintenances, women are excused from the requirement to have employment and also from housework, as they can afford, if they choose, to have others do the cooking and cleaning.
A woman who wishes to have more capital at her disposal is also free to seek employment. In accordance with the typical professions available to women in Europe, most women select careers in education or nursing; however, there are no explicit laws preventing her from choosing other professions:
Verboten war der Frau nicht, welches Gewerbe immer zu ergreifen, was denn in vereinzelten Fällen auch jederzeit geschah, insbesondere auf dem Gebiete der geistigen Berufe; aber die öffentliche Meinung in Freiland billigte dies eben auch nur in Ausnahmefällen, d.h. wenn hervorragende Fähigkeiten solches Thun rechtfertigten und es muß bemerkt werden, daß unsere Frauen in erster Reihe es waren, welche sich auf die Seite dieser öffentlichen Meinung stellten. (216)
The Freiland colony at this stage of the narrative is still in its first five years of existence, however, and since the approval is based on public opinion, and not on law, it could very well be that later generations of Freiland women could easily take other professions.
Freiland women who do marry are free to choose any man they desire; his occupation and wealth cannot raise or lower her standing. Instead her own personality and talents decide her place in society. This is possible thanks to the aforementioned maintenance which every married, non-working woman receives, which provides her with an income independent from her husband's. Because of this, Mrs. Molo, the Neys' neighbor, was able to marry her love, an "ordinary" printmaker, without losing her highly cultured circle of friends (437). To further separate the economic well-being of women from the bonds of marriage, Freilanders have no dowry or even an elaborate ceremony to recognize the marriage, which shocks Prince Falieri's father. After the prince and his beloved Bertha proclaim their love after a casual dinner at the Neys' house, the daughter's parents are ready to send the lovers immediately off on their honeymoon:
Es gab eine peinliche Pause, bis eindlich Papa Ney sich unser annahm und uns erklärte, daß in Freiland die beiderseitige Willenserklärung zweier Liebenden, einander als Mann und Weib angehören zu wollen, zum Abschlusse einer Ehe vollkommen genüge. [...] Die Eheschließung wird dem statistischen Amte natürlich so rasch als möglich mitgeteilt; aber mit der Giltigkeit des geschlossenen Bundes hat diese Verständigung nichts zu schaffen (466-7).
Prince Falieri's father convinces the lovers to wait a couple more weeks before departing on their honeymoon, as the culture shock is still too much for him to bear, which reveals another freedom, perhaps an influence of the African natives (51), that Freiland women enjoy. Bertha is just as upset as the prince by the forced delay of the consummation of her marriage: "auch meine Braut – denn Prüderie ist hier unbekannt – machte kein Hehl daraus, daß sie meine Ungedult teile" (474).
A Freiland woman's social standing, separated from marriage and money, depends completely on her education and talents. In Imperial Germany, women received a different education than men did, one that emphasized feeling, beauty and emotions over the analytical and fact-based education the men received (Frevert 157). In Freiland, however, both sexes are educated equally from age six to age sixteen: "Es hatte sich eine dahingehende öffentliche Meinung entwickelt, daß die Jugend von Freiland ohne Unterschied des Geschlechts und späteren Berufs einen Unterricht zu genießen habe, der mit Ausnahme der lateinischen und griechischen Sprachstudien demjenigen ungefähr entsprechen solle, der beispielsweise in den sechs ersten Gymnasialklassen Deutschlands erteilt wird" (244-5). To this end, both boys and girls attend school from age six to sixteen, taking courses in grammar, literature, history, physics, the natural sciences, mathematics and physical education. On account of this extensive minimum education, even a person with a job that would be considered "demeaning" in Europe is not looked down upon in Freiland, since he or she is able to hold intellectual conversations and to participate in high culture just as well as any other citizen. This education is what makes a Freilander a full-functioning citizen. Full political rights, including the right to vote and to serve in government, do not depend on a citizen‟s gender. In order to vote, a Freilander only has to be able to read or write. Government positions in the twelve administrative divisions are elected, and these posts are always filled by the most qualified candidate for the job. Though women never take part in executive postions (225), they do take part in elections and sit on the administrative boards for education, maintenance, art and science, sanitation, and justice. It is not stated whether the lack of women in executive positions is due to custom or law, though it should be noted that women in Imperial Germany did not receive the right to join political parties until 1908 nor the right to vote until 1918 (Jeffries 19).
Despite still holding on to remnants of European custom in the political and occupational spheres, the Freilanders completely reject Western clothing and jewelry. The women of Freiland, we learn, are the ones who convert the native African tribes to the Freiland system of living by teaching the Massai women Freiland customs through an apprentice system. The Masai women thus began to dress like Freiland women dressed, trading in their "barbarischen Drahthalsbänder, Beinketten und Ohrenstrecker, wie nicht minder ihres starrenden Fettüberzuges" (150) and adapting, it would seem, European ideals. European fashion, however, is just as barbaric to Freilanders as African clothing is to the Europeans. According to Freilanders, clothing should cover the body without distorting it. In Europe, David's sister states to the Italian ambassador, women are judged by their clothes and their jewels instead of by their personality or character, and often the clothes which are the current fashion do not make all body types look flattering. In Freiland, clothes are chosen which are flattering for a person's individual body and style. A person is not ridiculed, therefore, for wearing the same style clothing day after day, since the clothes are designed to be flattering: "Ebenso lächerlich aber fände es eine Freiländerin, die gefallen will, mutete man ihr zu, ein Kleid, eine Haartracht, die sie als für sich passend einmal erprobt, zu wechseln, bloß aus dem Grunde, weil man sie in dieser Tracht schon zu oft gesehen" (331). Additionally, precious stones and metals are rarely worn by Freilanders; if they adorn themselves at all, it is usually with imitation pieces. Mrs. Ney points this out to the young Italian ambassador:
Die Spangen hier und der Reif im Haar meiner Tochter sind gar nicht reines Gold, sondern eine Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Stahl ist, und welche von Golde die Farbe und die Immunität gegen Rost besitzt, ohne auch nur den Wert des Silbers zu erreichen. Es fällt natürlich Niemand bei, durch solches Stahlgold den Anschein wirklichen Goldes erwecken zu wollen; wir gebrauchen dieses Material einfach aus dem Grunde, weil wir es für schön und zweckmäßig halten (330).
For Freilanders, therefore, clothing and jewels are not representative of the "Zeitgeschmack" a particular culture has at a given historical moment, as feminist Louise Otto described fashion (Otto 49); they are instead tools to express individuality.
As we have seen, the women in Hertzka‟s Freiland certainly share much with the idealized woman of Imperial Germany. Their main function in the community is to raise children, help educate them and prepare them for their roles as adults. Freiland women, however, enjoy education themselves, which enables them to also participate in the public spheres and to voice their opinions in elections. They may marry for love, but are not obligated to do so out of financial or social necessity. They can seek employment if they wish, and they can pursue artistic pursuits. A married woman is free to express her sexuality, and she is judged not by her ability to keep up with fashion, but by her own personality, individual taste and skills.
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