Anti-Semitism in the Reception of Arthur Schnitzler’s Writing

Authors

Robert Gilbert, Illinois Wesleyan UniversityFollow

Abstract

Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) was one of the most prominent Viennese fiction writers of the twentieth century. He was born Jewish, and although he was not religious and self-identified primarily as German, he witnessed and experienced a great deal of the anti-Semitism characteristic of turn-of-the-century Vienna. Although his writing has been increasingly well regarded since his death, his stories were often criticized during his lifetime, particularly when they featured Jewish characters. This paper analyzes some of these criticisms and argues that they were frequently driven by anti-Semitism.

Recommended Citation

Gilbert, Robert (2015) "Anti-Semitism in the Reception of Arthur Schnitzler’s Writing," Constructing the Past: Vol. 16: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol16/iss1/2