Siebenkäs
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Siebenkäs is a German Romantic novel by Jean Paul, published in Berlin in three volumes between 1796 and 1797.
As is common for Romantic novels of the period, the original title Flower, Fruit, and Thorn Pieces; or, the Married Life, Death, and Wedding of Siebenkäs, Poor Man's Lawyer is commonly abbreviated as Siebenkäs.
Plot
As the title suggests, the story concerns the life of Firmian Stanislaus Siebenkäs and is told in a comedic style. Unhappily married, Siebenkäs goes to consult his friend, Leibgeber, who, in reality, is his alter ego, or Doppelgänger (a word of Jean Paul's own invention). Leibgeber convinces Siebenkäs to fake his own death, in order to begin a new life. Siebenkäs takes the advice of his alter ego, and soon meets the beautiful Natalie. The two fall in love; hence, the "wedding after death" noted in the title.
