Pandaemonium Germanicum: Revista de Estudos Germanísticos (Nov 2008)
O mal-estar da Gerechtigkeit
Abstract
Der Fall Maurizius by Jakob Wassermann was first published in 1928. It is set partly in 1908 Germany and partly during the Weimar Republic. In this work, Wassermann criticizes German pragmatism by depicting the State bur eaucracy as the absolute power over citizens, even after the Imperial Era. Disgusted with the mismanagement of the justice system and with the perverse character of those in charge, the author renders German pragmatism as non-adherence to the moral values supposedly justifying the State apparatus – in particular, as a breach of the Gerechtigkeit principle. The harmless innocence of the adolescent Etzel von Andergast, the only child of a well-known prosecutor, highlights this violation of justice. At the same time, Waremme is a sinister character whose Jewish parents fled from Prussian-occupied Poland. He breaks with his ancestors’ moral values and is eager to play a key role in the German Nationalistic movement. However, he feels frustrated with his project of cultural assimilation and is pushed towards the outskirts of a bewildered society. The crisis of values and transgression of justice become the emblems of Wassermann’s generation.
