stummen Bilderwelt verdrängt oder aber abreagiert wird"94 [inner raving madness is supplanted or abreacted through the endless width and quiet of his soul visible in the silent world of images] In addition, the dream provides a somewhat counterintuitive retreat into his fantasy sphere that allows him to rectify his outward failings by glimpsing his own "verlorene 'Seligkeit', d.h. der himmlischen Einheit mit Gott und den Menschen."95 [lost beatitude, that is, the heavenly union of God and humans] Both of these processes cause the reader to evaluate Lehnert's actions against the backdrop of this protagonist's version of the truth that counters any objective attempts at reading his tale through a critical lens. As a result, the hero and narrative of Quitt go further in their attempts to transform the reader's involvement in detecting the truth of the matter than the two previously analyzed works. Exemplary for its exploration of one character's truth, Quitt, with the aid of powerful visual imagery, leads the reader astray and even enlists the other fictional personae to that end. Retrospectively, all eye witnesses proclaim in unison that Lehnert has fallen victim to his noble impulses, first and foremost, the "Opfermut und Forschheit"96 [courage to sacrifice and briskness] that is superior to the other members of the community. At the same time, they point to his "Nagel" (nail or bull’s eye) - the tragic flaw that originates in his being "wegen seiner Bildung ein an Einbildung leidender Mensch."97 [on account of his education and subsequently increased disease of conceitedness or imagination] While it is never proven that his educational advantages actually trigger his extraorbitant
Guarda, Sylvain. Theodor Fontanes Nebenwerke: Grete Minde, Ellernklipp, Unterm Birnbaum, Quitt: ritualisierter Raubmord im Spiegelkreuz. Würzburg, Germany: Königshausen & Neumann, 2004. p. 77. 95 Guarda, 77. 96 Guarda, 73. 97 Guarda, 73. 94
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