Sigismunde Uhtke. Der weibliche Eremitenblick auf das Theater der Welt - Edition und Kommentar

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Current discourse in German Women's Literature has focused on prominent authors like Anna Louisa Karsch, Sophie von LaRoche, and Bettine von Arnim. In contrast, Silesian writer Sigismunde Uhtke (1752-1813) draws from Baroque literature's expressive language and style. While her short moral and pedagogical narratives may initially appear to conform to 18th-century stereotypes of femininity, a deeper analysis reveals a first-person narrator who critiques and subverts the traditional image of the docile wife and mother. Uhtke redefines female normative behavior by creating a resourceful recluse who claims an independent selfhood. In her work, "Der weibliche Eremitenblick auf das Theater der Welt," she transforms the medieval Vita of the Saints into a narrative of a woman who has found her voice. Unlike medieval recluses who seek perfection through service to Christ, Uhtke's recluse defines her space as one of enlightened vision, actively engaging with the world. She not only observes the spectacle of life but also comments on, interferes with, and influences it. This outward-looking perspective aims to improve the lives of others, informed by her own sorrowful experiences. By intertwining personal faith with Enlightenment rationality and the emotions of sensibility, Uhtke creates a dynamic space for progressive female agency, reshaping interhuman relationships through expressive storytelling.