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1. How is Effi Briest described?

At the beginning of "Effi Briest", Effi is a dark-haired seventeen-year-old girl with a zest for life. She is described as a girl who epitomizes grace and abandon, and is said to have good sense and kindness.

2. Who are Effi's childhood friends?

Effi's childhood friends are the red-haired and good-natured Jahnke twins, Bertha and Hertha, as well as Hulda Niemeyer, who is described as a conceited and boring young woman.

3. How is Baron Geert von Innstetten acquainted with the Briest family?

Baron von Innstetten is familiar with the Briest family because he has a history with Mrs. Briest. At the age of twenty, he was one of Mrs. Briest's suitors, but he lost her hand to the better established Mr. Briest.

4. What does Effi's sea burial for the gooseberry skins remind her of?

Effi and her friends give a mock burial to some leftover gooseberry skins. Lowering them into the water, she is reminded that in the past, women who were found guilty of infidelity were drowned for their actions.

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