Investigating the Unexplained: Paranormal Belief and Perception in Kleist’s «Die heilige Cäcilie» and «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» HOLLY A. YANACEK Univ ersity of Pittsburgh The young Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811), influenced by eighteenth-century Enlightenment views, was mistrustful of superstition and religious ceremony. In a letter to his sister, Ulrike von Kleist, dated May 1799, Kleist writes: «Etwas muß dem Menschen heilig sein. Uns beiden, denen es die Zeremonien der Religion u. die Vorschriften des konventionellen Wohlstandes nicht sind, müssen um so mehr die Gesetze der Vernunft heilig sein» (Kleist 491). Rather than supporting religious rituals and conventions that may have appealed more to the emotions, the young Kleist favored reason, as the above excerpt reveals. As scholars have long pointed out, however, reason for Kleist became unsettled two years later after his encounter with Immanuel Kant’s philosophy in 1801. This is not to say that Kleist completely abandoned reason, but he began to question its nature as well as the perception of sensory phenomena: is truth really truth or does it only appear so to a particular subject? In Kleist’s novellas, occurrences rarely turn out to be how they are first perceived. The entrance of supposed supernatural events into the world of causality, as well as the differences in perception of and belief in these phenomena, complicates the situations further. One example precedes the frequently cited rape scene marked by the dash in «Die Marquise von O-…» (1808). At first, it appears that the Russian Officer steps in to rescue the Marquise from the seizure and assault by the enemy riflemen. Immediately before the Marquise sinks to the ground and collapses in a dead faint, her perception of the Russian Officer resembles a type of hallucination: «Der Marquise schien er ein Engel des Himmels zu sein» (Kleist 105). Later it is revealed that a paranormal or divine encounter did not occur; the novella provides more closure, calling the initial perception and belief of the Marquise and the narrator into question. Along similar lines, mysterious events occupy the center of Kleist’s «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» (1810) and «Die heilige Cäcilie oder die Gewalt der Musik (Eine Legende)» (1810), but in these two narratives, the phenomena retain their shrouds of mystery even at the end. Critics tend to treat these two narratives separately in Kleist schol- CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 163 14.07.15 20: 41 164 Holly A. Yanacek arship or even dismiss «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» as an anecdote less worthy of critical study. Although the narrative development and thematic content of «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» and «Die heilige Cäcilie» differ, both narratives focus on the investigation of non-rational events and reveal much about Kleist’s understanding of belief and perception. The reader might interpret the recurring noises in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» as an auditory apparition linked to the beggar woman’s death, yet Kleist does not flesh out this phenomenon or leave any alternative interpretation other than coincidence. «Die heilige Cäcilie,» with its «Stimmengewebe» or multiple narrative voices, provides contrasting accounts of the same event (Stephens 90). Recent scholarship on «Die heilige Cäcilie» has examined its polyphonic narrative style and reached different conclusions: Lisa Beesley reads the narrative as a critique of institutional religion and David Pan argues that it shows the challenges involved in determining legitimate political authority (compare Beesley 302; Pan 151, 155-56). When read together, however, «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» and «Die heilige Cäcilie» bring the problem of signification and the apprehension of non-rational phenomena to the fore. This essay demonstrates that a parapsychological approach connected to the romantic science of Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert (1780-1860) gets to the heart of the unexplained phenomena in «Die heilige Cäcilie» and «Das Bettelweib von Locarno.» A parapsychological approach to these narratives draws the reader’s attention to perception (both visual and aural) and belief in paranormal experience and investigation. These insights encourage a reexamination of how Kleist prompts his readers to take part in the supernatural investigations within the texts, to struggle with the issues of perception and belief, and to attempt to explain the inexplicable. I do not suggest that Kleist was a prophet of paranormal studies due to his interest in Schubert’s «Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft» or the presence of paranormal investigations in his narratives. There is, however, evidence to suggest that paranormal phenomena are used here as a narrative technique, even as an allegorization of Kleist’s philosophical theory of perception. Kleist’s literary treatment of these ideas shows that he was aware of the puzzles of subjectivity and perception that continue to be explored in contemporary psychology, cognitive science, and parapsychology. The traditional apparition or ghost motif was used frequently in early modern German literature, even symbolically by rationalists who dismissed the validity of supernatural phenomena (Jennings 560-61). During the early nineteenth century, one finds many literary approaches to what we today call «paranormal phenomena,» especially by the German Romantics who CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 164 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 165 were generally more tolerant of the supernatural or of beliefs in a higher reality. The unexplained or paranormal suggests the possibility of multiple realities, that is, something that exists beyond human reason. Schauerromantik or Schwarze Romantik in the works of Ludwig Tieck (1773-1853) and E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776-1822) is often interpreted psychologically, that is, as grounded in the subject. Kleist, on the other hand, does not use the «dark side of natural science» to illustrate an alternate reality or simply a fascination with the supernatural, but rather to deal with issues of perception and philosophical questions, such as Immanuel Kant’s famous «Was kann ich wissen? » Kant’s question «What can I know? » also became a central one for Kleist, particularly after his readings of Kantian philosophy in 1801. Kleist’s literary works and letters show a preoccupation with the limits of human knowledge, as evidenced in the famous passage from Kleist’s letter to his fiancée, Wilhelmine von Zenge, on March 22, 1801: Wenn alle Menschen statt der Augen grüne Gläser hätten, so würden sie urtheilen müssen, die Gegenstände, welche sie dadurch erblicken, sind grün - und nie würden sie entscheiden können, ob ihr Auge ihnen die Dinge zeigt, wie sie sind, oder ob es nicht etwas zu ihnen hinzuthut, was nicht ihnen, sondern dem Auge gehört. So ist es mit dem Verstande. Wir können nicht entscheiden, ob das, was wir Wahrheit nennen, wahrhaft Wahrheit ist, oder ob es uns nur so scheint. (Kleist 634) This image of the green glasses avoids the abstractions of philosophical discourse, that is, it provides an «allegorization of theory,» to use Andrew Webber’s term (25). These eyes take the place of reason and demonstrate that perception is subjective and colored by belief, experience, and interest. It may also be gathered from the aforementioned excerpt that Kleist recognized the difficulty or impossibility of reaching truth or knowledge that is both objective and absolute. Kleist’s literary works address this problem of signification, which is especially evident in «Die heilige Cäcilie» and «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» since the narratives end without revealing the truth surrounding the mysterious phenomena. Contemporary studies in cognitive science and psychology recognize the important role that belief plays in paranormal perception. In a 2008 study by Peter Brugger and Christine Mohr, parapsychological beliefs are largely resistant to education and still widely found in the normal population today (1293). Attribution of normal or anomalous human experiences to paranormal phenomena has been found to be dependent on whether or not parapsychological beliefs are compatible with faith (i.e. religious ideology) and other belief systems (Brugger and Mohr 1293-94). Ursula Thomas reached a similar conclusion decades earlier in her study of the suggestibility of the CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 165 14.07.15 20: 41 166 Holly A. Yanacek human mind evident in Kleist’s early and later dramas: «The human mind is unreliable. It receives only those aspects of sense perceptions which it is predisposed to receive; and once the human being has seized upon a notion, it is very difficult with reasonable proof to rid him of it» (253). The above findings are important because 1) they call for a more critical analysis of belief in normal and anomalous experiences and 2) they resist the over-generalizing association of so-called paranormal perception with madness. One could easily argue that the Marquise’s vision of the «angelic» Russian officer, the musical ecstasy of the brothers in «Die heilige Cäcilie,» and the auditory apparition in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» are simply signs of the figures’ mental instability, but that would ignore the central issues of belief and perception in the narratives. It is first necessary to differentiate between paranormal and normal experiences. According to the current definition by the American Parapsychological Association, paranormal phenomena are «apparent anomalies of behavior and experience that exist apart from currently known explanatory mechanisms that account for organism-environment and organism-organism information and influence flow» (Irwin and Watt 1). An individual might report that something paranormal has happened even though there could also be a non-supernatural explanation for the occurrence. Believing that one has experienced a paranormal event sometimes results from misinterpretations of normal or anomalous experiences. Anomalous experiences include anything from hallucinations to sleep paralysis and a sense of presence, among others (see Brugger and Mohr 1292). Contemporary studies recognize the important role of belief in paranormal perception, but this idea is not new. It also has its roots in German romantic science, particularly in the work of Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert, the German natural scientist and philosopher. In Ansichten von der Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft (1808), Schubert discusses animal magnetism and other phenomena traditionally deemed unworthy of scientific examination and relegated to the belief in miracles (Schubert 2; Bryson 246). Rather than dismiss these phenomena or let them remain unexplained, Schubert set out to answer some of these questions, as he states in the following passage: «Wir werden nämlich in diesen Abendstunden, jene Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft, welche bisher öfters außer acht gelassen worden, mit nicht geringerem Ernst als andre allgemeiner anerkannte Gegenstände betrachten, und von verschiedenen jener Gegenstände die man zu dem Gebiet des sogenannten Wunderglaubens gezählt hat, handeln» (Schubert 2). For Schubert, states of madness pointed toward the possibility of heightened perception achieved through a transcendental reality and were not necessar- CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 166 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 167 ily attributed to a psychopathological condition, as noted by Nigel Reeves (291). He argued that, by studying these phenomena, it becomes «possible to demonstrate how all of nature derives from a single source, a sense of unity that has been lost because of man’s attempts to investigate and control nature» (Bryson 245). Schubert and others among his contemporaries, including Kleist, recognized that the influence these phenomena can have upon a subject depends on the level of trust and faith of that subject (Bryson 246; Thomas 252-54). Although Schubert’s thirteenth chapter of Ansichten focuses predominantly on animal magnetism or mesmerism, the fact that he studied phenomena that were typically disregarded by the other natural sciences relates his work to contemporary studies in psychology, cognitive science, and parapsychology. Psychological studies have argued that modern paranormal belief is likely associated with animal magnetism due to the blurring of three binaries in each: 1) the living and non-living; 2) the physical and mental; and 3) the self and non-self (Brugger and Mohr 1293). As a field, parapsychology is still highly controversial today and typically held to be more closely related to religion and metaphysics than the natural sciences (Williams 4). Recent studies in cognitive neuroscience recognize the important role of belief in paranormal perception, but, when examining Schubert’s and Kleist’s treatments of non-rational experiences as they understood them at the beginning of the nineteenth century, these findings hardly appear new. Soon after Kleist advocated the laws of reason («Gesetze der Vernunft») in his letter of May 1799, he acquired a familiarity with the non-rational phenomena of human nature. He made the acquaintance of Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert during his Dresden years between 1807 and 1809. In his autobiography, Schubert mentions Kleist in his comments about animal magnetism: «Namentlich für Kleist hatten Mittheilungen dieser Art so viel Anziehendes, daß er gar nicht satt davon werden konnte und immer mehr und mehr derselben aus mir hervorlockte» (228). Schubert’s recollection here provides evidence for Kleist’s preoccupation with the non-rational phenomena of nature, including animal magnetism, but it does not prove that Kleist believed in the reality of these experiences. In her discussion of the mutual influence between Kleist and Schubert, Thomas argues that Kleist had already been familiar with many of these ideas before he met Schubert. She proposes that Kleist and his friends (including Adam Müller, for one) even helped Schubert formulate his ideas about animal magnetism and the occult, theories that were published later, in 1808 (Thomas 260). Whether or not Kleist actually influenced Schubert’s work published in Ansichten, one thing is clear: non-rational phenomena were a source of amusement and re- CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 167 14.07.15 20: 41 168 Holly A. Yanacek flection for Kleist at this time, and investigations of such events found their way into his narratives. Like Schubert and some of his contemporaries writing during the early nineteenth century, Kleist foregrounds non-rational phenomena of nature in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» and «Die heilige Cäcilie.» Kleist does not seem to fully subscribe to the metaphysical optimism of Schubert’s romantic science, however; his writing demonstrates a healthy dose of skepticism. He never elucidates the mysterious phenomena in each narrative; it becomes the reader’s task to find a logical explanation for each. As is typical for Kleist, however, his works strongly resist a single, all-inclusive interpretation and instead provide a study of perception, belief, and suggestibility. In Kleist’s works, the influence these phenomena can have upon a subject depends on the level of trust and faith of that subject, a conclusion also reached by Thomas (252-54). It was not until the late nineteenth century when similar discoveries about the human mind emerged, including the theory that suggestibility (being a believing and willing subject) determines the success or failure of hypnotism (Thomas 254). The unexplained events in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» and «Die heilige Cäcilie oder die Gewalt der Musik» fit the contemporary definition of paranormal phenomena provided by the American Parapsychological Association. An auditory apparition in «Bettelweib» and the brothers’ mysterious religious conversion and ascetic behavior in «Die heilige Cäcilie» are the central anomalous events. Lee B. Jennings has noted that, when compared to other real or symbolic tales of the supernatural, «Bettelweib» may be considered a more realistic account of paranormal experience (563). Michael Niehaus interprets the recurring noises in «Bettelweib» as a response to the first event, the death of the beggar woman: «Es muß als Form einer Bestrafung lesbar sein. Und weil es sich um einen Vorfall handelt, der auf dieser Welt nicht justiziabel ist, springt eine höhere Macht oder eine jenseitige Gewalt ein, um die gestörte Ordnung wiederherzustellen, um für ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit zu sorgen» (233). Although readers may attribute the enactment of retributive justice to a vengeful spirit or symbolic auditory apparition, Kleist does not flesh out this phenomenon. A similar case is found in «Die heilige Cäcilie.» According to the beliefs of the characters and narrator, the conversion of the ex-iconoclasts is a direct result of either divine intervention (God or St. Cecilia) or the power of music, a dual possibility reflected in the narrative’s title. Does Kleist provide any clear, rational alternatives to the assumptions that something paranormal has occurred in both narratives? Both texts deal with the belief in the supernatural, paranormal experiences, as well as the perception and investigation thereof. An analysis of key pas- CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 168 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 169 sages and anomalous events in both narratives provides insight into Kleist’s understanding of similar phenomena. The anomalous event in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» (1810) is an unexplained sound that repeatedly manifests itself at midnight [«mit dem Schlage der Geisterstunde»] in the guest room of the Marquis’s castle (Kleist 197). This noise bears an uncanny resemblance to the sound of the old beggar woman walking across the floor, slipping, crying out in pain, and dying in the space assigned to her behind the oven. At first, the narrator provides little indication that this haunts the Marquis’s conscience a break in the narration occurs after the description of the incident and the narration resumes with the visit of a knight who intends to purchase the castle several years later [«mehrere Jahre nachher»] (196). Kleist offers no plausible alternative to the interpretation of the noise as an auditory apparition linked to the beggar woman’s death. The Marquis, whose command makes him responsible for the tragic outcome, is not the only one to experience the noise. Neither is he the first one to witness the auditory apparition; instead, the visiting knight first witnesses the unexplained sound: «Aber wie betreten war das Ehepaar, als der Ritter mitten in der Nacht, verstört und bleich zu ihnen herunter kam, hoch und teuer versichernd, daß es in dem Zimmer spuke» (Kleist 196). The knight knows nothing about what transpired in the guest room of the castle years before, yet he is horrified by what he witnesses. He fears the unknown and hears a disembodied sound, which he describes to the Marquis and the Marquise as follows: «etwas, das dem Blick unsichtbar gewesen, mit einem Geräusch, als ob es auf Stroh gelegen, im Zimmerwinkel aufgestanden, mit vernehmlichen Schritten, langsam und gebrechlich, quer über das Zimmer gegangen, und hinter dem Ofen, unter Stöhnen und Ächzen, niedergesunken sei» (Kleist 196). In the same manner, this disturbing noise is heard every night and scares away other prospective buyers who visit the castle. All of the other visitors describe the acoustic phenomenon in the same manner, a description which again reminds the Marquis (and readers) of the death of the beggar woman. In her study of music and noise in Kleist’s works, Helga Kraft notes: «Es ist trotzdem sehr gut möglich, dass diese Geräusche dennoch eine ganz harmlose Ursache besitzen und nur ganz ‹zufällig› denen ähneln, die von der Bettlerin verursacht wurden» (97). Coincidence or not, however, the uncanny similarity of the noise to the sounds made by the beggar woman before she died points to a possible paranormal origin of the phenomenon. After first hearing about the knight’s encounter with the unexplained noises, the Marquis is not fully aware of the reason for his state of shock: «Der Marquis CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 169 14.07.15 20: 41 170 Holly A. Yanacek erschrocken, er wußte selbst nicht recht warum, lachte den Ritter mit erkünstelter Heiterkeit aus» (Kleist 197). Even if he is only partially conscious of it at first, the Marquis senses an ominous force, something that reminds him more and more of the incident that he had long since repressed. To complicate matters, the experience of the auditory apparition is not limited to the perception of human observers. Following the testimonies of the guests and the resulting rumors of the haunted room in the castle, the Marquis conducts three separate investigations: first by himself in the room, then with the Marquise and a servant, and finally with the Marquise and their dog. The dog also bears witness to the paranormal event, revealing that the phenomenon is not just the product of an active human imagination: «und mit dem ersten Schritt: tapp! tapp! erwacht der Hund, hebt sich plötzlich, die Ohren spitzend, vom Boden empor, und knurrend und bellend, grad als ob ein Mensch auf ihn eingeschritten käme, rückwärts gegen den Ofen weicht er aus» (Kleist 198). Although all figures experience the auditory phenomenon, both human and canine alike, only the Marquis, despite his attempts to investigate and refute the rumored haunting, is affected deeply enough to commit suicide at the end of the narrative. What does Kleist reveal about paranormal events, perception, and belief in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno»? First, it is interesting that all figures who happen to be in the guest room at midnight hear the noise. Each of these individuals, beginning with the first visiting knight, claims that something is haunting the room [«daß es in dem Zimmer spuke»]. A rationalist would try to find a non-paranormal explanation for the anomalous phenomenon, but the characters in «Bettelweib» are open enough to the idea of apparitions and other non-rational phenomena of nature. This openness to belief in the paranormal then affects the characters’ perception of the phenomenon. The Marquis and the Marquise recognize the similarity of the noise to the beggar woman’s movement across the floor, while the others are simply scared away by what they perceive to be disembodied human sounds. Helga Kraft’s analysis speaks to a pattern in Kleist’s work: «Kleist kommt es jedoch darauf an zu zeigen, das der Mensch ständig allen Phänomenen eine Bedeutung zumisst, die seinem Erfahrungsbereich bzw. seinem Gefühl entstammen» (97). Rather than dismissing the existence of non-rational phenomena of nature as Wunderglauben, Kleist, like Schubert in Ansichten, draws attention to these events. He recognizes the role of human experience, emotion, and belief in perception, especially in the perception of the so-called paranormal. In the case of «Bettelweib,» all of the figures experience the fear of the unknown, but the Marquis’s experience and feelings of guilt affect his perception and set him apart from the others. CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 170 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 171 Second, as Thomas argues in her discussion of Kleist’s dramas, «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» also demonstrates that Kleist recognized the role of suggestibility on the unconscious human mind and in the experience of the occult or non-rational phenomena, although the evidence here is not as strong as that which we find in «Die heilige Cäcilie.» Before the Marquis undertakes his own first investigation of the phenomenon, the knight and the numerous other visitors to the castle insist that something is haunting the room. These reports by independent observers are convincing because they all report the same thing and claim that the room is haunted. But is the Marquis perhaps suggestible and merely influenced by the guests’ assumptions? Later, the Marquise also asserts that an unknown presence is in the room, though this occurs only after listening to her husband’s report from his first investigation. «Bettelweib» deals with the suggestibility of the human mind and explores how beliefs and emotions, in this case, guilt, influence human perception. The ending of «Bettelweib» contrasts with «Die heilige Cäcilie» because the narrative only offers two possibilities an auditory apparition or a coincidence while the narrator in « Die heilige Cäcilie» presents many differing perspectives. Similar to «Das Bettelweib von Locarno,» «Die heilige Cäcilie oder die Gewalt der Musik» revolves around the investigation of an unexplained event, a mystery that remains unresolved at the narrative’s conclusion. Even the duality of the narrative’s title provides evidence for this apparent irresolution. Due to the conflicting testimonies of the witnesses in the narrative, I choose to read the «or» in the title as one of contrast rather than equalization; the conversion of the ex-iconoclasts is attributed to either divine intervention or the power of music. Over three-fourths of the narrative is devoted to interpreting various recollections of the event on Corpus Christi during the mother’s visit to Aachen, which occurs six years after the incident originally takes place (see Birrell 72). Four different accounts are provided, details that appear to equal a coherent whole on the surface so much so that the mother, «deren Anwesenheit in Achen gänzlich nutzlos war, ging […] nach dem Haag zurück, wo sie ein Jahr darauf, durch diesen Vorfall tief bewegt, in den Schooß der katholischen Kirche zurückkehrte» (Kleist 228). The case of the brothers’ sudden conversion is puzzling, but equally interesting and important are the circumstances of the mother’s conversion. It appears that she is sufficiently impressed by what she hears and sees in Aachen. She attributes the emotions she feels and the power behind the conversion to something specifically related to the Catholic Church. For the reader, however, there is yet another mystery: the narrator reveals that the convent was secularized some sixty years later. No music or divine forces are able to save CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 171 14.07.15 20: 41 172 Holly A. Yanacek the convent the second time. Since this information is revealed in the first pages of the narrative, the reader must question whether or not divine providence or some supernatural force was really responsible for the conversion. According to Birrell, «Die heilige Cäcilie» can be viewed as the prototype of the detective story; in this case the mother plays the role of the detective who becomes the next victim (73). Birrell’s analysis mentions two important aspects of the narrative the mother’s investigation and the two conversions that occupy the center of the «Die heilige Cäcilie.» He suggests that the only way that the mother can come to terms with her sons’ fate is to «reenact» their conversion by subjecting herself to it as well, but another way to interpret the two conversions is to focus on paranormal perception and belief in the narrative. The intrusion of supposed paranormal phenomena in «Die heilige Cäcilie» underlines the incomprehensibility of experience and demonstrates the difficulty in separating belief from perception. Paranormal or not, the actual reason for the brothers’ conversion appears to be of lesser importance than the conflicting ways in which the various witnesses retell the story of the mysterious event. At first, the brothers’ conversion from enthusiastic Protestant iconoclasts to Catholic ascetics seems unlikely given their initial conviction and carefully organized plans for the riot. The brothers gather about 100 to 400 supporters, make elaborate plans to destroy the convent, and are «entschlossen keinen Stein auf dem andern zu lassen» (Kleist 216). As we remember, however, the brothers have weak family ties, no professions (all are students except for the predicant), i.e. no «grounding.» Birrell argues that this lack of grounding makes room for instability, allowing the brothers to be susceptible to the effects of the intense music, a sound that, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, was thought to induce magnetic sleep (74, 77). Birrell’s argument is convincing but risks reducing the narrative to a literary illustration of animal magnetism and magnetic sleep. The idea of a lack of stability or grounding is helpful, though, in evaluating the brothers’ beliefs and perception. In both cases, the brothers’ beliefs take the form of religious fervor, first as Protestant iconoclasts before the conversion and then as Catholic ascetics. This zeal makes the brothers more inclined to be emotionally moved by any power (e.g. divine intervention or the sublime music). Read from this angle, the narrative suggests that such experiences of non-rational events are only possible with absolute trust and faith of the subject. Even more revealing is an analysis of the paranormal beliefs and perceptions of the other figures in the narrative. The mother’s conversion occurs one year after she hears the testimonies provided by the four informants. Unlike the three of the four ex-iconoclasts who are not yet established in CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 172 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 173 their careers or personal lives, the witnesses who recount the event that took place on Corpus Christi are characterized by their professions: the asylum warders, Veit Gotthelf (a textile dealer), the innkeeper, and the Abbess. Each of the figures provides his or her own explanation of the mysterious event that is highly influenced by unique personal experiences and belief systems. The mother first hears the testimony of the asylum warders, whose interpretation is the most scientific and distinct from the others. When one considers that their profession most likely influences their perception, their skeptical view appears logical and predictable. Rather than supporting or dismissing religious or paranormal belief, the warders recall: «daß sie bloß in der Verherrlichung des Heilands begriffen wären, von dem sie, nach ihrem Vorgeben, besser als andre, einzusehen glaubten, daß er der wahrhaftige Sohn des alleinigen Gottes sei» (Kleist 220). The syntax is especially important here, revealing information about the perception of both the brothers and the asylum warders. Through «nach ihrem Vorgeben» and «einzusehen glaubten,» it is apparent that the brothers’ understanding of the world in their religious ecstasy is inseparable from their new beliefs. At the same time, the distance achieved in the asylum warders’ report through the use of the subjunctive [«begriffen wären»] underlines their skepticism and assumption that the brothers’ behavior is not the response to some absolute knowledge about God and the world, but pathological. Although they assert that the brothers have been leading this ghostly existence [«dies geisterartige Leben»] for six years, the warders agree that the four are physically healthy (Kleist 220). Later it becomes more apparent that the warders confirm the brothers’ madness: «sie, wenn man sie für verrückt erklärte, mitleidig die Achseln zuckten, und daß sie schon mehr als einmal geäußert hätten» (Kleist 220). Their assessment of the brothers’ mental health is defined by their education and experience in dealing with madness. In contrast to the other characters, they do not try to persuade the mother that her sons’ behavior is a result of divine intervention, demonic possession, or supernatural phenomena. Veit Gotthelf is the second informant who tells the mother about the event on Corpus Christi. In contrast to the warders’ report, Veit Gotthelf’s version of the story is emotionally inspired. He and his friends ask themselves after the incident, «was ihnen in aller Welt Schreckliches, fähig, ihr innerstes Gemüt dergestalt umzukehren, zugestoßen sei» (Kleist 222). He appears to come to his own conclusion in his description to the mother and compares the intonation of the «Gloria in excelsis Deo» to the chanting of «ewig verdammter Sünder, aus dem tiefsten Grund der flammenvollen Hölle, jammervoll um Erbarmung zu Gottes Ohren heraufdrang, aufzusuchen» (223). CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 173 14.07.15 20: 41 174 Holly A. Yanacek Veit Gotthelf also directly reveals how he first perceived the conversion: «der Himmel selbst scheint das Kloster der frommen Frauen in seinen heiligen Schutz genommen zu haben» (221). Walter Müller-Seidel points out that contradictions and errors in perception or differentiation often underlie Als- Ob structures in Kleist’s work and are associated with the verbs «scheinen,» «erscheinen,» and «vorkommen» (126-27). From Veit Gotthelf’s story, we can see how difficult it is to separate belief and experience from perception. For him, divine providence intervened through the sublime music, a view that is also supported by the narrator earlier in the text. The «Gloria» movement of the oratorio suggests a sublime, if not violent, power of music; the narrator recalls that it was «als ob die ganze Bevölkerung der Kirche tot sei» (Kleist 219). Neither the narrator’s nor Veit Gotthelf’s reports, then, are completely reliable and free from the influence of belief. The innkeeper’s story, though not heard directly, is recounted through Veit Gotthelf. Perhaps more superstitious than Veit Gotthelf, the innkeeper views religion as based upon fear and believes that the brothers have been punished for their actions. We recall that the brothers never move beyond their criminal intent, however; the music begins and they are thus deterred from carrying out their plans for the iconoclastic riot. In any case, the innkeeper asks the authorities to remove the brothers, «in welchen ohne Zweifel der böse Geist walten müsse» (Kleist 224). The use of indirect discourse in this passage stresses that readers learn of the innkeeper’s account from another source, namely, from Veit Gotthelf six years after the incident. Due to the conspicuous presence of «ohne Zweifel» in this testimony, this account of the story becomes even more suspect. In the case of the innkeeper, religious belief is inseparable from perception, but self-serving interest also plays a role in his actions and petition to have the brothers removed from his property. This evidence is untrustworthy as well due to the innkeeper’s selfserving insistence on the brothers’ demonic possession and the fact that we do not hear this account directly. Finally, the Abbess is the last person whom the mother meets in Aachen. As one might assume, the Abbess’s story is shaped by her beliefs and life experiences, namely, her religious vocation. According to the Abbess, «Gott selbst hat das Kloster, an jenem wunderbaren Tage, gegen den Übermuth eurer schwer verirrten Söhne beschirmt» (Kleist 227). While the mother is suggestible, the Abbess is also influenced herself. Her belief that God himself intervened and protected the convent is soon replaced by the decree of the pope and the Archbishop of Trier who explain, «daß die heilige Cäcilie selbst dieses zu gleicher Zeit schreckliche und herrliche Wunder vollbracht habe» (Kleist 227). The juxtaposition of «schreckliche» and «herrliche Wun- CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 174 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 175 der» reminds the reader of the numerous contradictions in the narration of the mysterious conversion. None of the four contrasting assertions can be proven with evidence that is free of emotions, personal interests, or beliefs. In each of these cases, the mother appears more and more moved by the testimonies. When she glances at the open score of the «Gloria» lying on the music desk, she recalls Veit Gotthelf’s explanation of divine intervention through the power of music and wonders if this music was truly responsible for her sons’ condition. Is there actually a divine force at work here, or is the mother simply impressionable? Although a reading of the narrative yields many possible explanations (e.g. sublime music, God, Saint Cecilia, animal magnetism) for the mystery of the brothers’ conversion, the mother associates the musical score directly with whatever caused the conversion of her sons on that fateful day. She cannot read the musical notation of the ancient Italian Mass, yet she attributes divine power to these unknown symbols: «Sie betrachtete die unbekannten zauberischen Zeichen, womit sich ein fürchterlicher Geist geheimnißvoll den Kreis abzustecken schien […]. Es war ihr, als ob das ganze Schrecken der Tonkunst, das ihre Söhne verderbt hatte, über ihrem Haupte rauschen daherzöge; sie glaubte, bei dem bloßen Anblick ihre Sinne zu verlieren…» (Kleist 226-27). This passage describes the mother’s confusion or overwhelming sensory experience, as if the musical score, as a signifier, momentarily allows her to reenact her sons’ destruction. The reader cannot overlook the presence of «als ob,» «scheinen,» and «glauben» in the passage, however. This scene calls to mind hypnotism or animal magnetism, which require the suggestibility and absolute trust of the subject. The mother, a believing and willing subject, allows herself to be influenced by the testimonies of the others, and these beliefs alter her perception, producing the illusion that something «paranormal» has also happened to her. A reader who pays attention to the language in this passage will only be frustrated by the «basic inability to link a sign to a metaphysical signifier,» which Pan also sees as the premise of Kleist’s work as a whole (153). Kleist gives us two narratives about the investigation of anomalous events: «Die heilige Cäcilie» and «Das Bettelweib von Locarno.» Although each differs in its structure and subject matter, both treat what we may call the paranormal or non-rational and offer different examples of how belief and experience influence perception of the unexplained, something for which there might be many different perspectives. The reader cannot say with complete certainty if the paranormal forces were responsible for the mysterious events; in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» it seems that this is the only interpretation aside from coincidence, while in «Die heilige Cäcilie» we are CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 175 14.07.15 20: 41 176 Holly A. Yanacek left with a number of possible reasons for the conversion and ascetic behavior of the brothers. Rather than indicating a single explanation for the event in «Die heilige Cäcilie,» the reports prove to be contradictory and speculative: madness, divine intervention, the power of music, demonic possession, God’s grace, and Saint Cecilia’s intercession. Readers must take into consideration the credibility of all informants, including the narrator. Each perspective is determined by the personal experiences and religious faith of the individual, showing the difficulty of removing belief from perception or, as Kleist might phrase it, the impossibility of removing our green glasses that color the way we view the world. From the examples provided in «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» and «Die heilige Cäcilie,» we see that Kleist was familiar with the ways experience and belief alter perception, as well as the necessity of belief in animal magnetism or paranormal experience. Perhaps Kleist, through these narratives that allegorize differences in the perception of paranormal phenomena, is encouraging readers to examine their own perception and beliefs in each case. What explanations would we accept for the seemingly inexplicable phenomena in the narratives and what might that say about our experiences, belief, and level of suggestibility? How do our beliefs and experiences influence our perception of normal and anomalous events, shaping the way we view the world? The open quality of Kleist’s endings means that there is no conclusive explanation for the phenomena at the center of the investigations. Here, Kleist permits the entrance of the non-rational or paranormal into the world of causality. Schubert tries to make the paranormal scientific, but even this scientific basis is problematic and affected by belief. Kleist’s focus on the investigation of these mysterious events and the «Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft» demonstrates the limits of human understanding and the difficulty in achieving absolute knowledge that is truly objective. Although Kleist never became a philosopher like Kant, his insight into the relationship between belief and perception as applied to the interpretation of both normal and anomalous phenomena, is well worth revisiting because these ideas are still relevant today. Much like Kleist’s awareness of the «gebrechliche Einrichtung der Welt» mentioned at the end of «Die Marquise von O-…», our experience of the world is inherently imperfect or impaired, always perceived through our green-colored glasses and based on our individual experiences and beliefs (see Kleist 143). If belief or the non-rational «innerstes Gefühl» is unreliable, then reason is equally suspect. Kleist’s arched gate, which stands «weil alle Steine auf einmal einstürzen wollen,» although it has no supports, is a useful image CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 176 14.07.15 20: 41 Investigating the Unexplained 177 for this idea because it questions the possibility of achieving absolute truth (Kleist 593). Through parallels drawn between the narrative divergence in «Die heilige Cäcilie» and the gospel narratives of the four evangelists, Beesley has shown that Kleist’s narrative questions the doctrines of Christianity. Yet we also know that Kleist longed for certainty of belief and expresses the desire for such religious-aesthetic experience in his letter to Wilhelmine on May 21, 1801: «Nirgends fand ich mich aber tiefer in meinem Innersten gerührt, als in der katholischen Kirche, wo die größte, erhebendste Musik noch zu den anderen Künsten tritt, das Herz gewaltsam zu bewegen. […] - Ach, nur einen Tropfen Vergessenheit, und mit Wollust würde ich katholisch werden» (Kleist 651). But for Kleist, this kind of absolute truth or belief is impossible in a post-Kantian world. By allowing readers to participate vicariously in the investigations of the unexplained, Kleist’s narratives «Das Bettelweib von Locarno» and «Die heilige Cäcilie» provide readers with the opportunity to experience what Friedrich Theodor Vischer would later call «poetic belief» («poetischen Glauben») in his philosophical essay «Das Symbol» (162). The aesthetic realm permits one to engage in poetic belief, that is, to enjoy the power of symbols (e.g. a ghost, St. Cecilia, the Mother of God) and what they represent in art and literature even if one lacks actual belief. In «Die heilige Cäcilie,» however, readers are confronted with contradictory explanations, all of which are colored by individual beliefs and special interests, making it impossible to establish stable links between a symbol and its referent. For Kleist’s readers, then, the experience of poetic belief in the paranormal, like the existence of the Convent of St. Cecilia in Kleist’s narrative, is only temporary. Works Cited Beesley, Lisa. «That’s the Gospel Truth: Narrative Divergence in Kleist’s ‹Die heilige Cäcilie oder die Gewalt der Musik.›» Heinrich von Kleist: Style and Concept. Explorations of Literary Dissonance. Ed. Dieter Sevin and Christoph Zeller. Berlin: de Gruyter, 2013. 301-12. Birrel, Gordon. «Kleist’s St. Cecilia and the Power of Electricity.» German Quarterly 62.1 (1989): 72-84. Brugger, Peter, and Christine Mohr. «The Paranormal Mind: How the Study of Anomalous Experiences May Inform Cognitive Neuroscience.» Cortex: A Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior 44.10 (2008): 1291-98. Bryson, Liane. «Romantic Science: Hoffmann’s Use of the Natural Sciences in ‹Der goldne Topf.›» Monatshefte 91.2 (1999): 241-55. Irwin, Harvey J., and Carolina A. Watt. Introduction to Parapsychology. 5th ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007. CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 177 14.07.15 20: 41 178 Holly A. Yanacek Jennings, Lee B. «Hoffmann’s Hauntings: Notes toward a Parapsychological Approach to Literature.» The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 75.4 (1976): 559-67. Kleist, Heinrich von. Sämtliche Werke und Briefe. Vol. 2. Ed. Helmut Sembdner. Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2008. Kraft, Helga. Erhörtes und Unerhörtes: Die Welt des Klanges bei Heinrich von Kleist. München: Fink Verlag, 1976. Müller-Seidel, Walter. Versehen und Erkennen. Eine Studie über Heinrich von Kleist. Köln: Böhlau, 1961. Niehaus, Michael. «Ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit? Zum ‹Bettelweib von Locarno.›» Ausnahmezustand der Literatur. Neue Lektüren zu Heinrich von Kleist. Göttingen: Wallstein, 2011. 226-45. Pan, David. «Aesthetic Truth and Political Action in Kleist’s Die heilige Cäcilie.» Wissensfiguren im Werk Heinrich von Kleists. Ed. Yixu Lü, Anthony Stephens, Alison Lewis, and Wilhelm Voßkamp. Berlin: Rombach, 2012. 151-66. Reeves, Nigel. «Kleist’s Bedlam: Abnormal Psychology and Psychiatry in the Works of Heinrich von Kleist.» Romanticism and the Sciences. Ed. Andrew Cunningham and Nicholas Jardine. New York: Cambridge UP, 1990. Schubert, Gotthilf Heinrich von. Ansichten von der Nachtseite der Naturwissenschaft. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1967. -. Der Erwerb aus einem vergangenen und die Erwartungen von einem zukünftigen Leben: Eine Selbstbiographie. Vol. 2. Erlangen: Palm & Enke, 1855. Stephens, Anthony. «Stimmengewebe: Antithetik und Verschiebung in ‹Die heilige Cäcilie oder Die Gewalt der Musik.›» Kleists Erzählungen und Dramen: Neue Studien. Ed. Paul Michael Lützeler and David Pan. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2001. 77-92. Thomas, Ursula. «Heinrich von Kleist and Gotthilf Heinrich Schubert.» Monatshefte 51.5 (1959): 249-61. Vischer, Friedrich Theodor. «Das Symbol.» Philosophische Aufsätze. Leipzig: Fues’s Verlag, 1887. 153-93. Webber, Andrew J. The Doppelgänger: Double Visions in German Literature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. Williams, Carl. «Metaphor, Parapsychology and Psi: An Examination of Metaphors Related to Paranormal Experience and Parapsychological Research.» Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 90 (1996): 174-201. CG_45_2_s113-208_End.indd 178 14.07.15 20: 41