“Red Room” Strindberg in summary
The second half of the 60’s. XIX century. Stockholm, May. The young man, who was disgusted by the service in the College of official salaries, is burning with the desire to benefit the society. He meets with Struve, a venerable journalist from the opposition “Little Red Riding Hood”, and asks for his advice and help: from today he, Arvid Falk, is giving up public service and is fully committed to literature. The experienced Struve discourages Arvid: if now he lives to work, then, studying literature, he will have to work to live – in other words: a hungry person has no principles. But the words Struve – and this is understood by both companions – are in vain. Youth aspires to the impossible – the liberation of the world, no less. Struve, after listening carefully to Arvid’s sarcastic tale of ministerial orders and writing something on cuffs,
This is only the first of the lessons of a new free life, the main content of which is –
Having destroyed his younger brother morally, Karl-Nikolaus comes to an excellent mood and suggests to take him to a restaurant to have breakfast. But Arvid, terrified by such unexpected generosity, immediately, without saying goodbye, disappears on the street. He has much to go. He goes to the suburb of Lille-Jans, where his friends and acquaintances live, work and work – shorty sculptor Olle Montanus, talented painter Sellen, unprincipled Zhuir artist Lundell, skinny and dull as a pole, philosopher-writer Igberg and a young baron from an impoverished aristocratic family Renelm, posing artists instead of the sitter. All the free evenings this poor brother spends in the Red Room-the hall of Bern’s restaurant-where the
Yes, the restaurant needs money – the blood pulsing in the veins of a huge and infinitely diverse with the closest acquaintance with the body. This is what Arvid Falk is now doing as a correspondent for the Little Red Riding Hood. Impressions are depressing. At meetings of the Riksdag, Arvid is surprised at the zeal with which the parliamentarians are discussing trivia, and their indifference to the fateful issues for the country; at the accounting meeting of the shareholders of the insurance marine society “Triton”, he is amazed at the ease with which, it turns out, the society was organized by several scoundrels who did not have a penny in their hearts. Already familiar with the newspaper business, Arvid is indignant at the hidden springs, exposed by close examination, with the help of which businessmen from journalism and literature manage public opinion: publishing magnate Smith, for example, creates and ruins writer’s reputation at his own discretion. And previously skeptical about religion, Arvid is struck by the scope of purely commercial operations, which are rotated behind the signs of religious and charitable societies.
The theater is not the best either. Attempts of the well-known tragedian Falander to dissuade him do not stop Rennelm, who also fell in love with the sixteen-year-old actress Agnes, whom he also likes. “Well,” advises Phalander, “let him take it, enjoy life.” No, the young moralist decides, he can not now marry Agnes, in spiritual terms he is not yet worthy of it.
The theatrical career of Rönlm does not develop, he is not given a role. Director of the theater does not give a role and Agnes, extorting from her in return a love, which, as it turns out, has already been given to the experienced in heart affairs of Falander. But Phalander for Agnes is not the main thing: you need a role – and the director achieves his. Affected to the depth of his soul, Phalander opens his eyes to Renelm. He invites Agnes the next morning, who spent the night with the director, and at the same time Renehlma – in fact, he arranges a confrontation. The young baron of this scene does not stand and runs from the city where the troupe is touring back to Stockholm, refusing his first role as Horace in Hamlet, which he was supposed to play in the evening.
Meanwhile, Arvid Falk continues to uphold the lofty ideals of humanity and social justice. He attends meetings of the Riksdag and church councils, the board of church societies and charitable organizations, is present during police investigations, sometimes at festivities, funerals and people’s gatherings. And everywhere he hears beautiful words that do not mean what they should mean. So Falk develops “an extremely one-sided view of man as a deceitful social animal.” The discord of the ideal with the reality of his friends artists and writers decide in an original way and each in his own way. Igberg, for example, tells Falk that he has neither convictions nor honor, he only fulfills the man’s most basic duty – to survive. Söllen, a true talent, is completely immersed in the solution of his artistic tasks. Medic Borg generally despises all social conventions, asserting in their place the will – the only criterion for him, Borg, personal truth. Lundell, becoming a fashionable portraitist and forgetting about all problems, adapts to circumstances, and although he has a black heart, he lives, trying not to look into his soul.
But there is one more. One day, after listening to the carpenter’s dispute with the ladies visiting the house from the charitable society, Arvid learns about the growing discontent among the people. The carpenter directly threatens: for hundreds of years the common people, the lower classes, have been beaten by kings; the next time they hit on idlers who live off someone else’s labor. So, maybe the future is for the workers? Having achieved some recognition as a poet by this time, Arvid Falk leaves the festive table in his brother’s house, preferring to him the meeting of the working union “Morning Star”, where, however, hears only truths about the patriotism of the Swedes, , which he heard Arvid, words do not give. A friend of Arvid Olle Montanus is also being dragged from the rostrum: still, he has encroached on the “sacred cow” of the Swedes – on patriotism! Olle claims that there is no national identity in Sweden: in fact, the south of the country always gravitates and gravitates toward the Danes, the west led by the city of Goetheberg to the English, the Finnish northern forests are inhabited by Finns, the metallurgy was always dominated by the Finns who founded it in Sweden XVII century. valons, and the gene pool of the nation was destroyed by military campaigns of the glorified Swedish monarchs – Charles X, Charles XI and Charles XII. Therefore long live internationalism! Long live Charles XII! And yes will perish Georg Shernelm – the creator of the Swedish literary language! If it were not for him, the Swedes would have spoken in a German that everyone understands! In metallurgy, it was always dominated by those who founded it in Sweden in the 17th century. valons, and the gene pool of the nation was destroyed by military campaigns of the glorified Swedish monarchs – Charles X, Charles XI and Charles XII. Therefore long live internationalism! Long live Charles XII! And yes will perish Georg Shernelm – the creator of the Swedish literary language! If it were not for him, the Swedes would have spoken in a German that everyone understands! In metallurgy, it was always dominated by those who founded it in Sweden in the 17th century. valons, and the gene pool of the nation was destroyed by military campaigns of the glorified Swedish monarchs – Charles X, Charles XI and Charles XII. Therefore long live internationalism! Long live Charles XII! And yes will perish Georg Shernelm – the creator of the Swedish literary language! If it were not for him, the Swedes would have spoken in a German that everyone understands!
Arvid Falk is leaving the insufficiently radical “Little Red Riding Hood” in the “Worker’s Banner.” But here, too, he feels uncomfortable: contrary to the simplest common sense, the editor praises “everything is just working,” he directs the newspaper, forgetting about the democracy he praises as a dictator or tyrant, without even stopping corporal punishment. In addition, and most importantly, it is also sold. Arvid is on the verge of despair… And at this moment it is picked up by the newspapermen from the tabloid “Viper”, from whose embraces Borg rescues him, the most original and honest person, nothing but his own will, which does not recognize. Borg takes Arvid on a yacht to the skerries, where he treats him of adultery before a simple man. Treatment of the physician Borg gives brilliant results. Having lost faith in all his ideals, Arvid Falk surrenders. He goes to work in the gymnasium board for girls and serves as a freelancer in the Supply Board of cavalry regiments with fresh hay, as well as in the Distillation College and the Department of Taxation of Deceased. Falk also happens at family dinners, where women find him interesting, and he occasionally tells them muck. He also visits the Red Room, meeting there with Dr. Borg, Söllen and other old acquaintances. The former rebel completely got rid of dangerous views and became the nicest person in the world, for which he is loved and respected by his superiors and fellow workers. where women find it interesting, and he occasionally tells them muck. He also visits the Red Room, meeting there with Dr. Borg, Söllen and other old acquaintances. The former rebel completely got rid of dangerous views and became the nicest person in the world, for which he is loved and respected by his superiors and fellow workers. where women find it interesting, and he occasionally tells them muck. He also visits the Red Room, meeting there with Dr. Borg, Söllen and other old acquaintances. The former rebel completely got rid of dangerous views and became the nicest person in the world, for which he is loved and respected by his superiors and fellow workers.
But still, – writes Borg in a few years to the artist Sellen in Paris – it is unlikely that Falk calmed down; he is a fanatic of politics and knows that he will burn if the flames start flaring up, and so he tries to put out a smoldering fire by persistent numismatics. The Borg does not rule out that Arvid already belongs to one of the secret societies that have emerged recently on the continent. And further. Falk married, having by force obtained an agreement on the marriage of the daughter with her father, a former military man.
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