SOURCE: "Myths and Metaphors in Stifter's Katzensilber," in Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Vol. 86, No. 3, July, 1987, pp. 358-71.

In the following excerpt, Sjögren analyzes the significance of the "brown girl" in "Katzensilber."

Stifter's "Katzensilber," the only tale written expressly for the collection Bunte Steine of 1853, has recently been accorded two divergent interpretations. Joachim Müller, stressing the good works of the "brown girl," regards the story as a vehicle for edification. According to him, she exemplifies purest humanity set off against the title "Katzensilber" (mica), a traditional symbol of falseness and deception. Contending that the story demonstrates the triumph of truth over falseness, good over evil, Müller concludes: "Das verderbliche Katzensilber wird von einem echten Menschensilber überholt," a catchy comment arbitrarily imposed on the text, which nowhere suggests that mica is corrupting or that the girl embodies sterling, or even specifically human, qualities. Eve Mason's...