Edith Wharton in Lederhosen: The Limited Omniscient Narrator in Quicksands R A Williams College

In Quicksands, published in 1884, Adolph Streckfuss conveys contemporary German class standards, cultural assumptions, and depictions of appropriate and moral human behavior while relating the events of the novel. By doing so, he creates what is often called a “novel of manners”. This essay will examine three specific techniques by which Streckfuss introduces information about social and moral standards. First, Streckfuss reveals the cultural biases, history, and perspective of his characters by directly describing their thoughts and feelings, particularly when they react to what other characters say and do. Second, Streckfuss employs character narration in which individual characters, speaking in their own voices, explicitly share thoughts and opinions that reveal their class perspectives, biases, and expectations. Finally, Streckfuss borrows from the epistolary tradition but adds a twist: he uses letters to convey information and perspective directly, but also allows the letters to be read and commented upon by multiple characters. This essay will discuss these three narrative techniques and show how Streckfuss uses them to provide the cultural context within which the story occurs.

Quantitatively speaking, Streckfuss employs...