Nell in Bridewell - Part 2

Those of you who have downloaded Nell from Library Genesis are probably wondering:

1.  which version did I get 

2.  what am I missing 

3. what is the relationship between the English and the German versions

Ok, so let's start with the German version, Lenchen im Zuchthause, which was printed in 1974, there are the following two questions:

1. How does it relate to the English Nell in Bridewell printed in 1900

2. How does it relate to the original published version of this work

With a good deal of confidence, we can say that the English translation published in 1900 is consistent with the 1974 printed German version including the postscript, but excluding Chapter 14 (last chapter in Nell).   Chapter 14 is a very long chapter containing little action, but a very long discussion/debate between the prison Chaplain and the new Governor. In this “debate” they argue over the prison systems in the US and other countries with frequent references to the use and necessity of corporal punishment.  

There is no such debate/discussion in the 1974 German version. So, where did Chapter 14 come from and who wrote it? At this time, I am sad to say: we don't know the answers to either.

Continuing on, the question of how the 1974 German version compares to the original version is not completely unknown. A book published in Paris in 1901 refers to Lenchen im Zuchthause as a "... much sought and extremely rare edition has become since 1885 almost impossible to procure.  ...  In 1872, a second edition, slightly modified so as to avoid modern censorship, was given to the press and many others have followed from the same plates. The work is now as easily obtainable as any work of German literature." 

 

What we know at this point is a shorten, heavily censored version of Lenchen im Zuchthause was printed in 1872 and that is the version which is widely circulated in German AND is the basis for the 1900 translation into the English "Nell in Bridewell". This 1901 book also contains the following footnote:

(1) Reinhard, W., Lenchen im Zuchthause, Carlsruhe. 1840, 8vo

So for the very first time, we have an idea of when the original Lenchen im Zuchthause was published - 1840.  Later on in this post, we'll share some additional corroborating evidence confirming this date. In future posts, we'll deal with the complex issue of censorship and how it impacted the 1872 version of Lenchen.

 

Now, let's turn to the two English versions and the file available to download.  In short, the file available in Library Genesis is a composite of the two versions (1900 and 1967) of Nell in Bridewell.  That is, in this one file you have everything.  Differences between the two version are:

1.  Font!  Library Genesis file has a modern English font (as .rft you can adjust font and font size to suit your computer, phone or tablet)

2. Introduction - 1967 version has a short introduction that is lacking in my 1900 version - naturally it's not signed, so no ideal who wrote it.

3. Table of Contents - I screwed up and neglected to include in the LG file - (to reconstruct simply copy the Chapter Headings into a Table immediately after the Introduction)

4. Footnotes in Chapter 14 - This chapter has 31 footnotes! In the 1900 version, they are a mess - scattered throughout.  In the 1967 version they are organized together at the very end of the chapter. I opted for the latter.

5. Postscript - does not exist in the 1967 version, but I included in the LG file

Postscript

In the Postscript we have an exchange of letters between Helen and Marie. (Curiously enough, the first few letters are in some type of script font, but then revert to that awful font as in the rest of the 1900 printing.)  Anyhow, in the very first letter Marie informs Helen she is to be set free with "an unconditional pardon". "An intimate family friend and relation one Government Commissioner" has obtain said pardon from the "sovereign".

 

In the balance of the postscript (some 17 pages), Helen tells Marie about her getting a check from her lover, Isidore, paying her debts (including the money she had stolen with interest) and sailing to New York. In New York, she meets up with Isidore, who has achieved great success, and they marry and live happily ever after!

Sound familiar?

Nothing about this postscript even remotely "feels" right.  There is a postscript in the 1974 German version as well and while I haven't translated the entire postscript, I did enough to know that in both cases, Helen's pardon is immediate and unconditional.  

Now, let's go over the problems.  One letter, from Helen to Marie, has a date of Aug. 12, 1899!  I mean, the numbers don't work!  So, Helen goes to prison in 1840 and gets a full pardon in 1899 - 60 years later????  

Pressing on, let's assume for the moment that the date was just a miscue by the publisher in 1900 and these letters are really exchanged in 1841.  Then there is the problem of that footnote, which mentions how fast today's "steamers" cross the Atlantic. Again, that pesky math - how would a writer in 1840 know about the "steamers" when steamship service began around 1870?

 

All of this points to a fabrication in the 1872 second printing of Lenchen im Zuchthause, that allowed for a shorten version of Lenchen to be printed AND with a "happy ending" to placate censors.

Further confusing this story, in 1906 a new book was published titled:  

Lenchens Abschied: Nachtrag zu Lenchen im Zuchthause  

(Nell's Farewell - An addendum to Nell in Bridewell)

https://books.google.com/books/about/Lenchens_Abschied.html?id=NEyiPgAACAAJ

I am currently translating that work into English and will post in future parts. For now, I will provide a small hint: it's NOT exactly the same as the happy ending above.    Postscript = 18 pages    Lenchens Abschied = 96 pages

Sir Henry, who lives in Trier, the oldest city in Germany, is responsible for getting an electronic copy of this book.  Next post will include more detail about this work.

Original Publication Date

Let's talk about when Lenchen im Zuchthause was first published.  I had read 1872.  Next 1860, so it was published posthumously as Wilhelm Reinhard died in 1858. I also heard some story about how Reinhard rushed to complete the work as his health was failing and published in 1857.  It wasn't until I noticed that footnote above (which showed a date of 1840), that I began to suspect the book might be older than I originally thought.

My friend, Sir Henry, has done some amazing detective work.  First, he found this entry in the German National Library:

Here we have a catalog entry for Lenchen im Zuchthause by W. Reinhard printed in 1920, 407 pages with reference to an earlier work dated 1840! So, now we have two references to 1840.  Next, Sir Henry unbelievably found a newspaper dated January 19, 1841 with a short notice:

Thus, in 1841 a copy of Lenchen im Zuchthause was confiscated due to the obscene nature of the descriptions of prison life. This immediately puts 1840 in play, but more importantly, shows that the German government was anxious to censor descriptions of what went on in German prisons. Censorship will be discussed further as we uncover the specific "modifications" to the original work made in that second printing in 1872.