May 2011: Elizabeth and Her German Garden (von Arnim)

Post date: Jun 02, 2011 6:31:49 PM

A sizeable group, representing classes from '48 to '93, gathered at MaryAnn's on the lovely spring evening of May 18 to discuss the rather curious book, Elizabeth and her German Garden, by Elizabeth von Arnim. This fictional diary was first published in 1898, and primarily focuses on Elizabeth's experiences learning to garden. Von Arnim was connected to a number of interesting people in her life: her sister published as Katherine Mansfield, she was married to the elder brother of Bertrand Russell, and her children's tutors included Hugh Walpole and E.M. Forster. She was also the long time lover of H.G. Wells.

The book itself produced generally positive responses, although it was not easy to let go of our modern sensibilities when reacting to some of her attitudes, especially about servants and children. Several alumnae also struggled with the lack of plot. We did find it an effective transition to Virginia Woolf: Elizabeth's use of her garden as a space for solitude and creativity evoked Woolf's "A Room of One's Own".

Jane appreciated the sense of natural beauty, and was reminded of her feelings when hiking, though the gardening details, especially the lists of plants, engendered somewhat mixed reactions, with about half the group saying they skimmed those parts.

Kathy led us in some musings as to why the writing feels different from modern writing. We all agreed, though had a hard time putting our finger on just how. On the other hand, there are certainly glimpses of modernism in the writing, and the disconnectedness of the entries actually reminded some of us of a blog. We also noted a German influence in some of the syntax.

It was especially nice to have Maggie with us, since her German connections are so strong. Here are answers to a few translation questions that arose:

Anspruchslos: easy to please, undemanding

Spikgans: pickled and smoked goose liver