Good Evening Herr Goethe: The Lack of Wutbuerger in My Life and the Joy of the Women in Your Life.

Good Evening Herr Goethe!

Tyana J LittleString in Weimar

Today I will introduce you to the German word of the year 2010: Wutbuerger. This is not far from the phrase of the year for the English-speaking world: Anger and Rage. I find it interesting that Germany narrows the definition while the English version rests on a broader base. In Deutschland it is not Wutmensch, but Wutbuerger; it is not the private person but the citizen who is angry. In America anger and rage seem to have crawled into the soul of the nation on a generic wave of hatred. Wait, they already gave the wave a name: Teaparty.

A typical Wutbuerger, according to Spiegel magazine, is well off, conservative, no longer young. He boos, screams , hates. A Wutbuerger is against change and is not a global citizen. I haven’t found any Wutbuerger yet in Weimar, but then, a week is not a long stay. I know that the city harbors Neonazis – I’ve read about protests at the foot of the Goethe/Schiller memorial and beatings of people with alternative lifestyles. I’ve seen the mark of Antifa, the anti-faschist movement, on houses in the neighborhood. Maybe the holiday season hides anger; who can give and be angry at the same time? But it does seem to be in wide use; just to show you, I’ll give you the top ten German words of 2010.

1. Wutbuerger (angry citizen)

2. Stuttgart 21 (train station project)

3. Sarrazin Gen (genetic theory by Thilo Sarrazin)

4. Cyberkrieg (cyber war)

5. Wikileaks (leak of secret documents on the Internet)

6. Schottern (Castor schottern: to remove gravel from underneath rails to sabotage transport)

7. Aschewolke (ash cloud)

8. Vuvuzela (instrument used at soccer games in S Africa)

9. Femitainment (debate between feminists about generational views of gender roles)

10. Unter den Eurorettungsschirm schluepfen (to be rescued during economic crisis)

All of the above have negative connotations. Be it noted that I think the Vuvuzela is much fun.

A look at the English Words of the year is not much different, though a bit of humor is shining through, or is it Hollywood sprinkling 3-D charm on the Jersey Shore base camp?

1. Spillcam

2. Vuvuzela

3. The Narrative (of political nature)

4. Refudiate

5. Guido and Guidette

6. Deficit

7. Snowmagedden

8. 3-D

9. Shellacking (Poor Mr. President, I don’t think he deserved it.)

10. Simplexity

The Anglo world has added phrases of the year; my assumption is that Anglos can’t express themselves in one word. The top ones are:

1. Anger and Rage

2. Climate Change

3. The Great Recession

4. Teachable Moment

5. Tea Party

6. Ambush Marketing

7. Lady Gaga

8. Man Up

9. Pass the bill to be able to see what’s in it.

10. Obamamania

Ha! Lady Gaga is no Anna Amalia, but your friend the Duchess would have gotten a kick out of the American pop singer. Taking things to the next level seems to be her signature contribution to the world of entertainment.

Langenscheidt in cooperation with the youth magazine Spiesser brings us “creative new words of the year among teenagers” (www.youthword.de), which I find much more interesting: Niveaulimbo, for instance, referring to the sinking standards of entertainment formats. The list goes on with Arschfax and egosurfen; one points to the underwear label hanging from the back of pants, the other to the googling of one’s name.

Mein lieber Herr Goethe, how do I get side-tracked? I had intended to tell you that I had learned a couple of things about you, but this word of the year business kept standing squarely in front of you.

Theater im Gewoelbe in Weimar

You do remember the Cranach Haus am Marktplatz, don’t you? It is the Renaissance building from 1547 that used to house Lucas Cranach the Older and his son, Lucas Cranach the Younger. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site like so many others in Weimar, and it became known to me as the place with a small theatrical stage: Theater im Gewoelbe. A perfectly intimate setting for intimate chat about “Christiane und Goethe” and “Goethe und die Frauen.” I had made reservations well in advance and was treated with great respect and friendly attention. Row one. Directly in front of the stage. As Close to the players as one can get. Free drink. A free program brochure. It reminded me of the Zimmer Theater of my youth, Heidelberg’s cozy avant-garde entertainment, one of the oldest privately owned theaters in Germany. With its now close to 100 seats, twice the size of the Theater im Gewoelbe, its performances once inspired awe in me as my eyes were glued to its leader and actor Karl-Heinz Walther. I think most of us girls from the Hoelderlin Gymnasium were in love with Karl Heinz Walther.

“Christiane und Goethe” was, as the title says, about you and Christiane. The two actors read from letters, discussed you, reenacted scenes from your life. “The Vulpius spoiled everything” says the brochure. Was the duke jealous? I know you met Christiane Vulpius right after you came back from Italy. You were ready, I think, for a little romance of your own. That Christiane was from a lower class, that her education was limited, that she liked wine and song, did not deter you; on the contrary, you liked the witty, detailed letters you received from her, you liked her style. You were happy in your little Garten Haus by the Ilm.

I know now that you did not handle illness well, neither your own nor that of those around you; you did not stay at Christiane’s side when she was deathly ill - you are not the only man who feels and acts this way -, but you did love your wife. I quote from your daybook 6.6.1816: “Nahes Ende meiner Frau. Letzter fuerchterlicher Kampf ihrer Natur. Sie verschied gegen Mittag. Leere und Totenstille in und ausser mir.” (My translation: My wife’s end is near. Last terrible fight of her nature. She departed toward midday. Emptiness and deathly silence in and outside of me.)

Yes, I believe you loved Christiane Vulpius very much. Eva-Maria Ortmann and Frederik Beyer brought this across to me in their sophisticated yet down to earth portrayal of you and your wife.

The second show I saw was “Goethe und die Frauen.” Five dramatic presentations of five of the women in your life: Anna Amalia, Charlotte von Stein, Christiane Vulpius, Luise von Goechhausen, and Johanna Schopenhauer. I knew of Anna Amalia, Charlotte, and Christiane, but Luise and Johanna were not familiar to me. Their portraits added to the understanding I had of you. You did love women for their intellect. Bravo. Heike Meyer and Ute Wieckhorst were funny, inspirational, sad at times, and oh so human in each of the women they showed me. I didn’t want the evening to end Two performances at the Theater im Gewoelbe brought me closer to you, Herr Goethe. The picture of you as poet is enhanced by the picture of you as man. Gradually the image I had in my mind, your Knecht Ruprecht with the switch to Santa’s jolly hohoho, is changing. You are becoming more human, more likeable. I have lost the bitterness I felt, remembering the words on the wall “Die Tat ist alles, nichts der Ruhm.” (The deed is everything, nothing the glory.) I’ve lost the childish and regained the child.

Sending emails and updating my facebook status in Weimar

This morning I told the virtual world (Facebook) what you had to say in Faust 1, verse 212: “Das Alter macht nicht kindisch, wie man spricht,es finded uns nur noch als wahre Kinder.” (Old age does not make us childish, as they say, it only finds us to be true children.) I do feel like a child when I walk in your footsteps. When I stomp through Weimar in my winter boots, I no longer have the need for historical sites; I see you in the tree branches that are laden with snow and on the steps of ordinary homes. I see you at the cemetery even though the Fuerstengruft, where you rest, is closed to the public. I see you, Herr Goethe, near the Ilm, as you look up into the calmness of the morning landscape.

Guten Spaziergang, my friend. Have a good walk.