Hans Von Research Articles

Adoracja Matki Boskiej w asyście dwóch świętych Janów w zbiorach Katedry Wawelskiej

There is a canvas (98,5 x 222,5cm) in the Wawel Cathedral that is not connected with any existing or historically documented altars inside the church (il. 1-3). Owing to its shape it has so far been considered to have been a predella, which - taking into account its size and proportions - seems rather unlikely. It may have been the top of the middle part of a retable, possibly in an altar dedicated to the two St. Johns. The painting presents the Virgin Mary with the Child seated under a canopy, attended by the two Saints, adored by kneeling angels with censers in their hands. A graphic model of the scene has been found; it is an engraving by Jan Sadeler (1550-1600) based on a design by Hans von Aachen (1552-1615), released in Munich in 1589 (il. 4). In Albertina, in Vienna, a working copy of the graphic made by Hans von Aachen has been preserved (il. 5) as well as a composition sketch by the same artist at the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum in Braunschweig. An inscription on the drawing from 1589 reads: POENA ET PROEMIVM; there are also quotations from psalms and a dedication to Phillip Wilhelm (1576-1598), bishop of Regenzburg in 1589, later cardinal (1596), son of a Bavarian ruler Wilhelm V Wittelsbach (1548-1626). The young hierarch got it in the year of his consecration as a bishop. A pendant to it is the plate by Jan Sadeler of 1590, after Peter Candid (1548-1628), which was dedicated to Phillip Wilhelm’s younger brother - Ferdinand (1577-1650), later bishop of Cologne. The engraving also shows St. Mary with the Child in the company of St. Stephen and St. Laurence. Both works coincide with the artistic activity of Jan Sadeler and Hans von Achen in Munich, where they were summoned by Wilhelm V, and represent strictly planned art created for his court. Another painted version of Sadeler’s engraving was found in a Polish private collection. This is a small, good painting on panel, faithfully reproducing physiognomy and inscriptions known from the prototype. The picture in the Wawel Cathedral, probably painted in Cracow between 1600-1630 and based on the Munich model, is one of the examples of assimilating mannerist engravings from southern Germany in the Cracow environment. Their large influx into Little Poland at the end of the 16th and the beginning of the 17th century may be connected with animated contacts of Sigismund I ll’s court with Bavaria and its artistic centres such as Augsburg, the main purveyor of goldsmith’s work for the Polish king’s court.

Insights from the past: the work of Hans von Alten on the evolution of brain structure, ecological adaptation, and cognition in hymenopteran species.

In his treatise on arthropod brains, Hans von Alten (1910) focuses on a specific functional group of insects-the flying Hymenoptera-which exhibit a spectrum of lifestyles ranging from solitary to social. His work presents a distinctive comparative neuro-anatomical approach rooted in an eco-evolutionary and eco-behavioral background. We regard his publication as an exceptionally valuable source of information and seek to inspire the research community dedicated to the study of the insect brain to explore its insights further, even after more than 110 years. We have translated and annotated his work, expecting it to engage researchers not just with its remarkable drawings but also with its substantive content and exemplary research strategy. The present text is designed to complement von Alten's publication, situating it within the temporal context of nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century studies, and to draw connections to contemporary perspectives, especially concerning a central brain structure: the mushroom body.

Advanced development and future of jet engines

An aerodynamic reaction engine, a jet engine, is an internal combustion engine that produces thrust through jet thrust. A jet engine is an important power unit used in aviation and spaceflight, which generates thrust by pushing air in reverse. In recent decades, various developments and improvements have significantly enhanced the efficiency and performance of jet engines. These engines are divided into turbojets, turbojets, turboprops, turboshafts, and ramjets. This article will begin with an introduction to the different types of jet engines and then detail the design, benefits, and issues of the CFM International CFM56/LEAP engine. Finally, there is some description of the future of jet engines, including materials, greater efficiency, and applications in space exploration. The development of the jet engine dates back to the 1930s. British inventor Frank Whittle and German inventor Hans von Ohain developed the first jet engines independently. Jet engines were widely used during World War II and have been continuously improved and developed. The modern jet engine has become the main power unit of commercial and military aviation, and its structure and performance have also been greatly improved.

Locating the Hand and Sense of Touch in Sixteenth-Century Surgical Writings of Ambrose Paré and Hans von Gersdorff

Objective: This article offers two case studies of sixteenth-century surgical approaches to the hand and definitions of the sense of touch in works by Frenchman Ambrose Paré and German Hans von Gersdorff. 
 Method: Through comparative analysis, this article studies references to and treatments of hand ailments in the sixteenth-century surgical manuals printed by Ambrose Paré and Hans von Gersdorff. Research was conducted between 2012-2014, updated in 2023, and focuses specifically on digital versions of Ambrose Paré’s vernacular French “Ten Books of Surgery” collected in his Opera Omnia (1575) held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France and Hans von Gersdorff’s Feldtbuch der Wundartzney (1517) held at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
 Results: The human hand in the sixteenth century was both a natural and symbolic object whereby the hand offered individuals the immediacy of the sense of touch, established the boundary between those that exercised their hands (manual practitioners), and those who abstained from manual labor in favor of intellectual pursuits (theoreticians). Through discussions of limb amputation, Ambrose Paré located the sense of touch in the soul and not an amputated limb. In contrast, Hans von Gersdorff located the sense of touch in the hand itself, which retained a special power after amputation. 
 Conclusion: The increased reliance on dissection and anatomy, visual arts, personal experience, and publishing in sixteenth-century Europe offers historians a series of divergent surgical rituals and interpretations of the body, specifically the hand and sense of touch. Contemporary theories of embodied cognition mirror the problem of the location of the sense of touch in the mind or in the organ itself found in Paré and Gersorff’s writings.

The Consolations of History: Themes of Progress and Potential in Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung Alexander H Shapiro

‘Was Hegel a liberal?’ read an undergraduate examination question I once answered (not very well). It was far from an unreasonable question, given one then-recent vein of Hegel scholarship; yet it was a complex one, at least beyond straightforward observations concerning the French Revolution, guild abolition, and Hegel’s conception of the state. Unless, though, one jettisoned Hegel’s ontology, after a weird caricature of Charles Taylor, the answer surely had to be ‘no’. (If only I had had that confidence then.) ‘Was Wagner a liberal?’ seems far more unlikely. Of all the sins of which Wagner has stood accused, from political right to left, liberalism seems one of the least plausible. ‘My German heart … swelled when we took the liberal path of “free trade”’, Wagner wrote sarcastically. ‘Of course there was and is much poverty in the country; the worker starves and industry ails. But “business” … does well’ (‘Was ist deutsch?’, in Sämtliche Schriften und Dichtungen, ed. Richard Sternfeld and Hans von Wolzogen (Leipzig, 1912–14), x. 53). The charge or, so it would seem, the plaudit of being a liberal—somehow, vaguely on account of Hegel—seems nonetheless to be the focus of Alexander H. Shapiro’s book on, of all Wagner’s works, Götterdämmerung.

Towards Rapallo: The Prospect of German-Soviet Rapprochement in the Conservative Opinion Journalism of Moeller van den Bruck

In the article the author considers the problem of defining the political perspective of German-Soviet rapprochement from the perspective of one of the leading representatives of the Conservative Revolution in Germany, Arthur Moeller van den Bruck, and his assessment of the “Rapallo turn” of German policy during the Genoa Conference. He also explores the evolution of the conservative forces' views on the role and place of the communist movement in Germany and its relationship with Bolshevism and the Comintern. He examines aspects of political contacts between the political clubs of German Communists and Bolshevik emissaries in Berlin and the conservative association the June Club. The author analyses Soviet Bolshevism as the most likely partner in overcoming the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and explores the prospects for political cooperation between it and conservative forces. The supporters of the Conservative Revolution saw cooperation with Soviet Russia as a prerequisite for joint action against Poland, which met with understanding from the leadership of the German Reichswehr, led by Hans von Seeckt, who also sought the possibility of concerted action, which was rendered meaningless after the failure of the Red Army at Warsaw, yet laid the foundation for political rapprochement in the future. At the same time, the ongoing debate on political strategy between Arthur Moeller van den Bruck and Karl Radek exemplifies the dominance of the nationalist vision of the Conservative Revolution over the internationalist one, which was the hallmark of New Conservatism compared to the imperial conservative monarchism.

At the Beginnings of Turbojet Aviation

The article is devoted to the history of invention of turbojet engine that later became the main type of power plant in aviation. It describes the motivations for the inception of these works, the role of private business in their development, the history of the tests of the first jet aircrafts, and the influence of WWII on the emergence of jet aviation. The sources used in the preparation of this article include the memoirs of the pioneers in jet engine development Hans von Ohain, Frank Whittle, and Arkhip Lyulka, aircraft designer Ernst Heinkel, and test pilots Erich Warsitz and John Grirson. The analysis of relevant Russian archival documents allowed explaining the causes of turbojet aviation lagging behind in the USSR.

Images & Color: The Strasbourg Printer Johann Schott (1477–1548) and His Circle

Abstract While most Renaissance scholars working on compendia of learning, geography, surgery, legal history, art history, the Reformation, and botany will be familiar with the name of Johann Schott, few have appreciated the range and impact of the Strasbourg printer’s publications. Here I discuss a handful among the over two hundred books and other materials he printed: Gregor Reisch’s Margarita Philosophica; the edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia with Waldseemüller’s maps; Hans von Gersdorff, Feldtbuch der Wundarzney; and – the main focus this essay – Herbarum vivae eicones, with figures by Hans Weiditz and text by Otto Brunfels. Schott can be seen as an architect or active agent of his publications; his innovative use of images and color can be seen as having progressively developed from his early prints to his celebrated herbal.

Enforcement of Fines and Other Pecuniary Obligations Imposed by the ECB

The overall studyprovides a comprehensive analysis of the enforcement of fines and other pecuniary obligations imposed by the ECB within the Eurosystem and Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) and it highlights how the mismatch between European and national law inherent in Art. 299 TFEU could be resolved. While the focus in Part I was on the European law requirements with regard to the enforcement of pecuniary obligations imposed by the ECB, Part II focuses on the Member State’s (MS) perspective and is based on a comparative analysis of the respective data collected in 2020 via a questionnaire survey in 21 MSs. This data will serve not only to have a closer look if and how the European law requirements are implemented but also to analyse how effective the different legal systems are and to identify gaps in legal protection in practice. The results of the analysis of the realisation at national level are not only relevant for the enforcement of obligations imposed by the ECB, but rather also for the enforcement of legal acts of the Council and the EC However, not the EP, see ECJ, 6 July 2017, C-189/17 P(R), Gollnisch v Parliament, ECLI:EU:C:2017:528, para. 46; Matthias Ruffert, in: Christian Callies/Matthias Ruffert (eds.), EUV/AEUV, Das Verfassungsrecht der Europäischen Union mit Europäischer Grundrechtecharta, 5th edn., 2016, Art. 299 TFEU 1; differing Maria Geismann, in: Hans von der Groeben/Jürgen Schwarze/Armin Hatje (eds.), Europäisches Unionsrecht, 7th edn., 2015, Art. 299 TFEU 2; Martin Gellermann, in: Rudolf Streinz (ed.), EUV/AEUV, Vertrag über die Europäische Union, Vertrag über die Arbeitsweise der Europäischen Union, Charta der Grundrechte der Europäischen Union, 3rd edn., 2018, Art. 299 TFEU 4. In my opinion, it should be indicated of which of the commented instruments Art. 299 is meant. Obviously it can only be the TFEU, but for clarity it should be indicated. as well as judgments of the CJEU (Art. 280 TFEU) as they generally follow the same rules under national law.

Enforcement of Fines and Other Pecuniary Obligations Imposed by the ECB (Part I): European Level

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the enforcement of fines and pecuniary obligations imposed by the ECB within the Eurosystem and the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) under Art. 299 TFEU – an issue which has, to date, been treated only rudimentarily in literature/judicature. The focus in Part I lies on five categories of monetary obligations that the ECB may levy. Against the background of these case groups, the European law requirements that exist for enforcement will be shown. Part II will show how these requirements are fulfilled in euro and non-euro Member States (MSs). The latter will be based on a comparative analysis of the respective data collected in 2020 via a questionnaire survey in 21 MSs. The relevance of the findings are, however, not limited to the ECB. Legal acts of the Council and the EC However, not the EP, see ECJ, 6 July 2017, Gollnisch v Parliament, C-189/17 P(R), ECLI:EU:C:2017:528, para 46; Matthias Ruffert, in: Christian Callies/Matthias Ruffert (eds.), EUV/AEUV, Das Verfassungsrecht der Europäischen Union mit Europäischer Grundrechtecharta, 5th edn., 2016, art. 299 mn. 1; differing Maria Geismann, in: Hans von der Groeben/Jürgen Schwarze/Armin Hatje (eds.), Europäisches Unionsrecht, 7th edn., 2015, art. 299 mn. 2; Martin Gellermann, in: Rudolf Streinz (ed.), EUV/AEUV, Vertrag über die Europäische Union, Vertrag über die Arbeitsweise der Europäischen Union, Charta der Grundrechte der Europäischen Union, 3rd edn. 2018, art. 299 mn. 4. , as well as judgments of the CJEU (Art. 280 TFEU), are enforced under the same regime; Art. 82 of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) Council Agreement on a Unified Patent Court [2013] OJ C175/1, not yet in force; see also Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community [2012] OJ C327/1, art. 164 which is almost identical to TFEU, art. 299. is modelled on Art. 299 TFEU.

Nietzsche and Friendship

Nietzsche and Friendship

A Source for Two Gilded Silver Figurines by Hans von Reutlingen

A Source for Two Gilded Silver Figurines by Hans von Reutlingen

R/Emigration verhindern. ,Heimat‘ im Kontext der Auswanderung von 1816/17

This article explores how the term Heimat was used in legal and literary responses to one of Germany’s first large-scale emigrations in 1816/17 and the management of returning migrants. It shows how r/emigration challenged Southwest German governments to define responsibilities of Heimat, especially in the light of people considered homeless. In response to the inconsistent and restrictive ways the governments handled the 1816/17 emigration, Heimat also became a recurrent term in political theory, reformist writing, and literary fiction. These texts examined not only why and how people r/emigrated, but also how Germans should be dealing with r/emigrants. Reading literary approaches alongside non-literary discourses about r/emigration in the writings of Hans von Gagern, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Ludwig Gall, M. Oesterlin, Friedrich Rückert and Adolph von Schaden, this article discusses how Heimat was used to beckon readers to denounce emigration and to propagate values of Heimat related to land, family ties, and community.

ЛУИ ПАБСТ, БРАТ ПАВЛА АВГУСТОВИЧА ПАБСТА

For the first time in Russian and foreign musicology, the article examines the activities of Louis Pabst, a prominent German pianist and teacher, Professor of the Music and Drama School at the Moscow Philharmonic Society in 1899–1906. The author studies the creative biography of the musician, the ways of his artistic formation, the influence of his inner circle and the one of his famous senior colleagues — Father August Pabst, Anton Rubinstein, Hans von Bülow. A broad historical material, often for the first time introduced into scientific use (reviews in Russian and foreign press, memories of contemporaries, reference publications, archival documents, etc.) is applied to trace his tour routes (Königsberg, Riga, Liverpool, Melbourne, London, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, etc.), recreate the features of his performing style, reveal his repertoire preferences. The characteristics of the pianist's pedagogy at different stages of his life are considered, especially in detail during his work in Moscow. The article compares the creative principles of Louis Pabst and his brother Pavel Augustovich Pabst, Professor at the Moscow Conservatory in 1878–1897. As a result, the whole image of a wonderful musician, almost forgotten today, is recreated.

Briefs / Feuilletons

Briefs / Feuilletons Aleš Březina The Central Library of the Liszt Academy in Budapest has acquired several documents from the legacy of the composer and conductor Emil Ábrányi Jr. (1882–1970). This collection is highly valuable from several aspects. The Ábrányi family is one of the most important Hungarian musician families of the nineteenth and twentieth century. The composer, musicologist, and music critic Kornél Ábrányi (1822–1903) was a member of the first teaching staff of the Music Academy in Budapest; his son, the poet Emil Ábrányi Sr. (1850–1920) translated many opera librettos into Hungarian. The wife of Emil Ábrányi Sr., Margit Wein (1861–1948) was a coloratura soprano opera singer, and, between 1901 and 1920, voice teacher at the Music Academy. Their son, Emil Ábrányi Jr., whose legacy has now become part of the collection of the Central Library of the Liszt Academy, studied composition with Hans von Koessler (1853–1926) at the Music Academy in Budapest, and conducting with Arthur Nikisch (1855–1922) in Leipzig. He began his career in 1904 at the Opera in Köln, and from 1907 he was conductor of the Opera in Hannover. His wife was also an opera singer, Rósa Ábrányi-Varnay (1885–1962), member of the Opera in Hannover. They returned to Hungary around 1910, and Emil Ábrányi Jr. became conductor of the Royal Hungarian Opera, while his wife became a member of the new opera house of Budapest, the Népopera (People's Opera). Emil Ábrányi Jr. was the director of the Opera in Budapest in a very difficult period, from 1919 to 1920, and after that he became the director of the Városi Színház (Budapest Municipal Theatre, in cooperation with the Royal Hungarian Opera). He also taught conducting at the Music Academy and worked as an opera conductor in Budapest, Debrecen, and Szeged. He composed twelve operas to librettos by several authors, including Maeterlinck, Dante, Cervantes, and Ferenc Herczeg, among others. His last opera, A Tamás-templom karnagya (The Cantor of the St. Thomas Church, 1947, unperformed), is the first opera composed about Johann Sebastian Bach. The Ábrányi family lived in the same house as Gustav Mahler in his Budapest years. The grandchildren of Emil Ábrányi Jr., Lívia Ábrányi, and Margit Ábrányi donated the legacy of their grandfather to the Central Library of the Liszt Academy The collection consists of printed and manuscript scores of his compositions, a total of twenty-two complete works and fragments, as well as photographs. Most of the scores are in manuscript, including full scores of three operas, two ballets, two works for symphony orchestra, and a Mass. Furthermore, the legacy contains handwritten vocal scores of seven operas and some songs for voice and piano as well. In the hope of performances abroad, Ábrányi wrote German translations beneath the Hungarian texts in most of the full scores and vocal scores of his operas. As part of the donation, the Library also received a photograph of Lívia Ábrányi›s painting depicting her grandfather, as well as Margit Ábrányi's manuscript memoirs in English and Hungarian. The cataloguing of individual items and the digitisation of sheet music will begin in 2021. The legacy of Emil Ábrányi Jr. will add considerably to several valuable Hungarian musician-legacies housed at the Central Library and the Research Library of the Music Academy. [End Page 33] An early version of String Quartet No. 2, H 150 (1925) by Bohuslav Martinů discovered 'I do not deny of course that Stravinsky has influenced me'. If we include the early string quartet Three Riders, H 1 (ca 1902), which Bohuslav Martinů took with him to the entrance exams at the Prague Conservatoire, then the missing string quartet, H 60 (1912), String Quartet in E-flat major, H 103 (from 1917, dubbed 'No. 0'), and String Quartet No. 1, H 117 ('French', apparently written a year later), we would be right to note String Quartet No. 2, H 150 (1925), as the composer's fifth foray into a genre that has been considered the pinnacle of chamber music...

Making contact

This article explores the intersection between friendship and artistic collaboration through a focus on the engraving production of a group of itinerant Netherlandish artists who, in the wake of the Dutch Revolt, lived and worked in Munich, seat of the court of Wilhlem V. The first part of this contribution introduces Joris Hoefnagel, several printmakers from the Sadeler dynasty and other artists active in Munich. An analysis of the artistic gifts which the Netherlanders exchanged in Munich suggests that they enjoyed membership of an egalitarian circle sustained by friendship and artistic aspirations. The second half of the article examines the engraved series Salus Generis Humani (1590): the co-creation of Joris Hoefnagel, Aegidius II Sadeler and Hans von Aachen. Through a collaborative working practice, the three artists conceived engravings that self-reflectively alluded to their composite facture and which constituted another expression of the humanist friendship underpinning their professional and personal contacts.

Art during the Reign of Rudolf II as Quintessence of Leading Mannerism Trend at Prague Art Center

This article is devoted to Rudolfine art as one of the style-forming components and a significant trend in European Mannerism of the 16-17th centuries. A general overview of this style, necessary preconditions that led to its emergence in the artistic culture of Europe, Mannerism major trends and its vectors of spreading in Europe, the role of Rudolfine artists in this process, are laid out in this work. We emphasized the lack of adequate research made in the field of Art History. The personal influence of Emperor Rudolf II on the formation of court art at that time was pointed out. We looked into the background and circumstances at which the Prague Art Center was established by the Emperor and how he provided patronage to the arts and science. The importance of works by prominent artists of the Rudolfine era who worked at the Prague Art Center is highlighted. The main directions of Mannerism distribution through European countries, mainly its further adaptation and style transformation depending on the geographical location, grounds on why the art was so influenced by the Italian movement, the approach and tools of Mannerism in one of the leading European courts. The main characteristics of the Rudolfine art style is highlighted. Its main representatives are defined and their individual creative styles are separately analyzed, including Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Roelant Savery, Bartholomeus Spranger, Joris Hoefnagel, Adriaen de Vries, Joseph Heintz the Elder, and Hans von Aachen. It is pointed out that there was a tendency in the synthesis of Italian, French, and German trends which formed the foregrounds of individual styles of major representatives in Rudolfine art that have been a significant element of Mannerism. General characteristics of stylistic features of Rudolfine artists as representatives of Mannerism who contributed to its fast proliferation in Europe are laid out.

Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument That Transformed Music by Paul Kildea

Reviewed by: Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument That Transformed Music by Paul Kildea Sharon L. Fairchild Kildea, Paul. Chopin's Piano: In Search of the Instrument That Transformed Music. Norton, 2018. ISBN 978-0-393-65222-2. Pp. 353. While Kildea writes from a musician's sensibility, with deep knowledge of nineteenth-century European music, evident in his analyses of musical scores, music history, piano construction, and musical performance, this book is interspersed with a great deal of supporting background related to Romanticism, literature, art, history, and civilization. Kildea's project of tracking down the piano that Frédéric Chopin used while staying in Majorca with George Sand is the connecting thread that leads him from mid-nineteenth-century France to the end of World War II, immersing the reader in fascinating accounts of how changes in society and culture impacted musicianship through these decades. The first part of this work focuses on the period during which Chopin created several of his twenty-four Préludes on a humble instrument, a pianino built by local craftsman Juan Bauza. It is around the destiny of this piano that Kildea centers his study of Chopin's influence on music and the transformation of piano performance. While he delves into historical events, politics, literature, art, and societal change, Kildea studies Chopin's compositions, which were innovative and enigmatic, but not always appreciated by critics. The reader will perhaps listen to the Préludes differently after reading Kildea's exacting explications of them. After Chopin's death in 1849, major historical events brought about changes in culture and society. At the same time, innovations in piano construction made by Henry Steinway Jr. created a revolution in piano sound and performance. Because Chopin's music had been traditionally characterized as delicate in style, supposedly reflecting the composer's frailty and feminine sensibility, the modern piano with its powerful resonances posed a dilemma on how to perform his works. Pianists had to choose between exploiting the potential of the new pianos or honoring the characteristics of the older instruments used in composing the pieces. Kildea examines how performers such as Anton Rubenstein, Carl Tausig, and Hans von Bülow interpreted the composer differently. The extraordinary career and mission of the harpsichordist and music scholar Wanda Landowska constitutes the second half of Kildea's book. The link between Landowska and Chopin is the Bauza piano, which she acquired in 1913. During her career Landowska built a valuable collection of harpsichords, pianos, manuscripts, and research library. Kildea details this career and traces the tragic loss of this collection to the Nazis during World War II. He conducted extensive research of Nazi records and other accounts in order to discover the fate of Landowska's instruments, evoking treachery among art dealers and musicians alike while providing [End Page 269] an account of the broad-reaching plunder that occurred. The extent of Kildea's research is impressive as he gives intimate details of the lives of musicians and others during these two periods. His work is complemented by a great number of precious historical images and photos of famous individuals, their living quarters, instruments (including the Bauza piano), musical scores, and other documents. With an engaging writing style, Kildea's book contains a compelling story to be enjoyed by music lovers, be they music specialists or not. Sharon L. Fairchild Texas Christian University, emerita Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French

A Sentimental Journey: Laurence Sterne in Shandy Hall by Hans von Trotha

Reviewed by: A Sentimental Journey: Laurence Sterne in Shandy Hall by Hans von Trotha Patrick Müller Hans von Trotha. A Sentimental Journey: Laurence Sterne in Shandy Hall. Berlin: Verlag Klaus Wagenbach, 2018. Pp. vi + 141. €17. Although 2018 was, of course, a major Sterne year, the publication of this book has come most unexpectedly. These days, Sterne is definitely not an obvious sujet for any German writer, either in academia or belles lettres. This curious, slim volume does, in [End Page 234] fact, incorporate aspects of both perspectives, but first and foremost it must be read as an unorthodox jeu d'esprit, an essay about a man whose mind is, for the author, an object of fascination but not one for close academic scrutiny. Von Trotha is known to readers interested in British culture as the author of a short history of English landscape gardens titled Der englische Garten: Eine Reise durch seine Geschichte (The English Garden: A Journey through its History). A Sentimental Journey is, then, not strictly a book for scholars or academics, but enjoyable enough despite having no new insights to offer for Sterne adepts. The book follows Wagenbach's usual format, a smallish yet very handsome volume in the usual red linen binding. The print on the spine fades easily, a problem with which Wagenbach readers are also familiar. The title might be thought somewhat misleading: the text meanders between biographical observations, travelogue, reflections about art, stylistic investigations, and fictional reconstructions, as, for example, of Sterne's time at Shandy Hall, a device used to evoke the magic that the place holds for von Trotha. It is, therefore, digressive in character, a device that naturally reflects the author's admiration for Sterne. Von Trotha's sentimental journey takes us from London's National Portrait Gallery to Yorkshire and Shandy Hall, and leads us finally to Germany and the echoes there of Sterne's international fame in the country's gardening culture. He has been to all the places worth visiting in England if one wishes to write about Sterne, beginning with fascinating observations about the portraits of Sterne in the NPG. He moves on to British Sterneans, for example, Geoffrey Day, whose manic urge to collect Sterneana is chronicled in one of von Trotha's digressions. And he reads the sources worth reading, other than those strictly scholarly—Johnson, Woolf, and the like—those one would read when writing about Sterne the way he does. His analysis of Sterne's work, which unavoidably takes issue with Thackeray's damning account, is one for the uninitiated reader who wishes to be introduced to Sterne's difficult texts. Consequently, A Sentimental Journey is also a book on how to read Tristram Shandy, along with the Bramine's Journal and the Sermons. In quoting the new, monumental German translations by Michael Walter, von Trotha again highlights the intricacies of reading Sterne in a language other than his own, rendering even more successful his endeavor to interest readers in Sterne's ludicrous literary curiosity cabinet with its labyrinthine network of digressions, allusions, and loose ends. In fact, von Trotha's enthusiasm in reconstructing the eighteenth-century cult of Sterne is infectious and should perpetuate our own fascination with Sterne. For modern—or rather, younger—readers, the elegant, perhaps somewhat oldfashioned prose of von Trotha makes it simply a pleasure to read. With its naïve yet refreshing approach, this well-written book does perhaps help scholars to step out of their comfort zone and enjoy the fresh breeze of unconventionality that blows pleasantly from this essayistic enterprise. It is to be hoped that one effect of this sentimental journey will be to attract a young generation of German academics and general readers to Sterne. Maybe such a book would then no longer come out of the blue. This might, however, be wishful thinking. [End Page 235] Patrick Müller Dresden Copyright © 2020 W. B. Gerard, E. Derek Taylor, Kellye Corcoran, Melanie Holm, J. T. Parnell, David Venturo, and Donald R. Wehrs

Hans von Baeyer (1875-1941) and his 1909 Insole with Metatarsal Padding for Treating Metatarsalgia.

This English translation of the 1909 letter by the internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon Hans von Baeyer fills a gap in our knowledge of the history of the practical treatment of metatarsalgia.