Machines of Turning Actions into Reactions: The German Novella and the Event

Abstract

This essay examines features of the German Romantic novella and discusses the cognitive work the novella does. The novella presents an unheard‐of event, but does so in such a way which induces the reader to find an appropriate context explicating and rationalizing the event so that it “makes sense.” As a result, the event loses its quality of being a true and radical event. The radical event is thus both posited and undermined by the novella. The search for context, while the work of the reader, is prefigured by the novella through various contextualizations, justifications, and inquiries already occurring in the text. This essay proposes a cultural dynamic of transforming actions into reactions as the cause for the popularity of the novella in Germany. When actions can be explained as mere reactions, the novella can be seen as operating in the service of a self, a construct under pressure to excuse itself and to limit its responsibility. The article ends with considerations about the evolutionary origins of fiction.