Frame and Preparation
Ruth
Conceptual Frames and Background
- Lesbian subjectivity
- Lesbian desire
- Weimar Republic
- Erzählung
- Literary techniques: metaphor and allusion
Introduction
Information about Annemarie Schwarzenbach can be found on this site, along with context for her relationship to numerous other figures represented on this database.
Preparation
Text information: Schwarzenbach, Annemarie (1932a): „Ruth“. In: Almathea-Almanach. Zürich/Leipzig/Wien, S. 59-62.
- Since the piece is very metaphorical and lyrical, it helps to prep students with a brief pre-discussion so that they won’t be confused by its non-literalness and potential moments of confusion—it certainly is not a conventional, realist Erzählung!
- “Ruth” is a direct allusion to the Biblical figure, so students must know the backstory.
Text and Discussion
Discussion Questions:
- Who is speaking in the story? How can we identify them as a woman? To whom is she speaking? How do we know?
- Why is the person named “Ruth”? What does the allusion to the Biblical figure mean for the context of this story?
- How would you describe the feelings the narrator has for Ruth? How does she express her feelings, with what words and motifs and connotations (or absences)?
- What do you see as the role of the desert and nature more generally in this story?
- What does the story tell us about the experience lesbian sexual desire for the narrator and more generally?