SOURCE: Stanley, Patricia H. “Annette von Droste-Hülshoff's Poetic Vision Unmasked: The Importance of the Novel Fragment Ledwina.” South Atlantic Review 61, no. 1 (winter 1996): 1-25.

In the following essay, Stanley, in light of Droste-Hülshoff's biography, interprets Ledwina as a representation of the author's twin impulses toward creative openness and feminine containment. Stanley concludes that although Ledwina is unfinished, its themes and literary qualities make it a central part of Droste-Hülshoff's oeuvre.

Introduction

From 1862, when Levin Schücking published his biography of Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, to the present, scant attention has been paid to Ledwina, the Westphalian poet's first attempt at prose. Begun in 1819, the intended novel was set aside for some time in 1821; “another attempt to continue” was made in 1825-26, but finally in 1837 Droste-Hülshoff “notes her regret” that she never completed the project (Guthrie 26). Although she described her text as gloomy (Morgan 57), haunting is...