Christine (book)
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Written by Elizabeth von Arnim and presented under her anonymous pen-name Alice Cholmondeley, Christine is presented as a compilation of letters from a “gifted young English girl studying in Germany just before the outbreak of the war” (Charms 188) to her mother in Britain. Dated from May 28, 1914 to August 4, 1914, the letters were published in 1917. "Christine" explained her experience with German pre-war culture; however, Christine did not exist. She was a fictional character that some claim was Arnim’s attempt at anti-German propaganda. These detailed letters helped to convey a picture to British citizens of the supposed state of mind of the German public during the chaotic days leading up to World War I.
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[edit] Background
The character of Christine was introduced to the British and American public as an eyewitness to the events that explain the German mindset leading into the war, which makes her character more believable. She addresses her mother in her letters with heart-felt sentiments that encourage the average reader to sympathize with her case. For example, she uses phrases like “Precious” and “Beloved” to refer to her mother.
Christine speaks in terms of how the German men, women, children, and babies all conform to the aims of the nation leading into the Great War. She discusses the intensity of the German people as they begin to develop bloodlust at the prospect of gaining wealth through warfare with France and Russia. “… [The] Germans have gone mad… [The streets] seem full of drunken people, shouting up and down with red faces all swollen with excitement.” Christine also complains of the mindless marching and the callousness of the Germans as she describes them as slaves—“abject, greedy, and pitiful.” An article appearing in Nation stated if this book was true in nature, then it would “wipe out distinction between attitude of German people and the German government,” ("Did the German" 1917). This is to say it would leave little doubt in the minds of the American people that the German people and their government had different views. The review would receive proper appreciation once the definite authorship was confirmed by the publishers, ("Did the German" 1917). The Christine piece was believed by many, because it offered an explanation and appeared to be written by what appears to be a woman without an agenda. The book also, would help the American effort to rally the American people and gain support for the war. Christine provided the audience with new details to plug into the stereotype of the German people.
Arnim also went to great lengths to keep the public from knowing her true identity. “The adopted pseudonym, her subsequent fierce repudiation of authorship, even among intimate friends, may well be due to her realization that any suspected connection with herself might result in the most unhappy consequences…” (Charms 189).
Leslie De Charms addresses the success of the Christine book in her biography saying “… Christine would not only be widely read at home, but would be heard of across the Channel and praised or abused according to the political sympathies of readers” (Charms 189).
Many book reviewers questioned if the author was a young English woman traveling to Germany for violin lessons, The Dial of Chicago stated, “the doubt as to the legitimacy of the letter comes when one reads the initial one…. the fluency of the style, seem to indicate that ‘Christine’ is a clever, but fabricated narrative” (Dial Sept 13 1917). Another review from the New Republic, published “were ‘Christine’ genuine, it would be impressive,” ("Bit o' Hate" Oct 6 1917). The style of writing in the first letter forces the reader question the intended audience. Throughout the first letter ‘Christine’ sets up the scene explaining her background; something one would not expect an individual to do when writing home to her mother for the first time; especially if she is writing in a hurry before she unpacks.
Also, while Arnim might have gone to great lengths to keep her identity secret, some individuals had suspicions she was the one writing the letters, “in style and feeling ‘Christine’ reminds one strongly of ‘Fraulein Schmidt and Mr. Anstruther’ and other works of the Baroness von Arnim,” (Athenaeum London, Book Review Digest 1917).
Another aspect that made Christine unbelievable was the level of awareness for individuals in each German social class. “The letters thus show four different classes of people--the middle-class inhabitants of the boarding house; the well-to-do country folk, the artistic set, and the aristocratic Junker set; each one of these different sets, its opinions and manners and point of view, we see through the medium of these letters,” (NY Times Aug 5 1917). This is somewhat of an unbelievable feat when one considers these were letters written by a girl who grew up poor, and the letters were written for her mother. Another review of Christine by the Boston Transcript had this to say about the book, “it is not often that a collection of letters intended for no eyes but those of a beloved mother turns out to an amazingly accurate revelation of the real, hidden nature of a great people,” (Boston Transcript Book Review Digest 1917).
[edit] The Christine Letters
According to U.S. Senator Hiram Warren Johnson, "The first casualty when war comes is truth" (Ferri, 1987). Since the beginning of World War I, propaganda has played an important role in exploiting the opposition. The credibility of propaganda can be determined by analyzing the source and comparing it with documents that are factual. In particular, British propaganda in World War I used Christine, a series of letters written by Elizabeth Von Arnim, pen name Alice Cholmondeley, to promote Anti-German sentiment propaganda. When comparing the Christine letters to authentic war time letters, they were found to be fabricated.
[edit] Christine as propaganda
Christine, as a form of propaganda has been explored since a year after its release when readers discovered its fictional content. According to the Times Literary Supplement, “We are left in some discomfort…half convinced that this is a work of fiction, yet unable to believe that a novel written with so much ability should have been thought in need of any catchpenny trick in its putting forth,” (Charms 189).
[edit] References
- “A Bit o’ Hate” The New Republic, Oct. 6, 1917.
- Book Review Digest. H.W. Wilson Company: New York City, 1917, 13, 101-102.
- Cholmondeley, Alice. Christine. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1917. 1-250.
- De Charms, Leslie. Elizabeth of the German Garden. London: William Heinemann, 1958. 188-189.
- “Did the German People Desire War?” Nation, 1917, 105, 202-203.
- Ferri, John. "Propagandists Had Huge Impact." Toronto: The Toronto Star, Nov. 8 1987. A16.
- “Germany Vividly Portrayed in Fiction” New York Times, August 5th, 1917.
- Hillesum, Etty. An Interrupted Life: Letters From Westerbork. Comp. Jan G. Gaarlandt. Trans. Arnold J. Pomerans. New York: Pantheon Books, 1986. 1-156.
- Matthew, H.C.G., Harrison, Brian. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. 471-473.
- The Dial, September 13th, 1917.
- Von Moltke, Helmuth J. Letters to Freya. Trans. Beate R. Von Oppen. Ed. Beate R. Von Oppen. New York: Alfred a. Knopf, 1990. 1-441.
