SOURCE: Godwin-Jones, Robert. Introduction to Narrative Strategies in the Novels of Jeremias Gotthelf, pp. 1-8. New York: Peter Lang, 1984.

In the following excerpt, Godwin-Jones examines what role Gotthelf's “implied readers” played in the writing of his novels, asserting that while he regarded the lower classes as his audience, his works were read primarily by the upper classes.

“Gotthelf wird verehrt oder ignoriert … Die Snobs zeigen in den meisten Teilen des deutschen Sprachgebiets nicht das geringste Interesse für ihn, was sicher nicht nur auf die sprachlichen Schwierigkeiten der Lektüre zurückzuführen ist. Der Schweizer ist doch zu gesund, zu wenig brüchig, als dass er für eine modernisierende Interpretation besonders geeignet erschiene.”¹ Friedrich Sengle's assertion is confirmed by the absence of major studies of Gotthelf's works in recent years.² The Swiss pastor's overt didacticism coupled with his inattention to form and his idiosyncratic style are...