The Life of High Countess Gritta Von Ratsinourhouse
Summary
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The Life of High Countess Gritta Von Ratsinourhouse by Bettine Von Arnim
Appearing for the first time in English, this delightful story of the adventures of twelve young girls will appeal to readers of all ages. Gritta, neglected by her father, is uprooted when her new stepmother insists she enter a convent school. Strictly supervised by the nun Sequestra, Gritta slips into melancholy. A mishandled bird, however, awakens Gritta to the realization that she and her friends must flee their walled-in life. Following her heart and employing her wits, Gritta leads the escape. The runaway girls are eventually shipwrecked near the principality of Sumbona. They establish a Robinson Crusoe-like existence and later found their own cloister. Their community is sustained by the industry and talents of each of the girls. Mayeli paints, Harmony composes, and Wildberry, an herbalist, learns nature's secrets and gains access to supernatural powers that will guarantee the future of the community. Gritta chooses to marry Prince Bonus of Sumbona, but when she sees the twelve cells in the cloister, she realizes with a pang of longing that she will never occupy the one meant for her. This enchanting tale, coauthored in the early 1840s by Gisela von Arnim Grimm and her mother, Bettine von Arnim, lay undiscovered in an archive for nearly a century. Through humor and delicate satire, the authors criticize the place of women and children in nineteenth-century German society. Lisa Ohm is an assistant professor of German at the College of St. Benedict and Saint John's University in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
"This is a delightfully clever tale of female empowerment, and a lengthy introduction by the translator places it firmly in its historical and social context"—Publishers Weekly
"An entertaining and rewarding work, and very much worth rediscovering."—Kirkus Reviews
"An entertaining and rewarding work, and very much worth rediscovering."—Kirkus Reviews
Lisa Ohm is an assistant professor of German at the College of St. Benedict and Saint John's University in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780803296206 |
| ISBN 10 | 0803296207 |
| Title | The Life of High Countess Gritta Von Ratsinourhouse |
| Author | Bettine Von Arnim |
| Series | European Women Writers |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of Nebraska Press |
| Year published | 1999-08-01 |
| Number of pages | 196 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |