Die Verquickung von Handlungsmacht: Determinismus und Freiheit in Leo Perutz' Der Schwedische Reiter

In: Journal of Austrian studies, Band 47, Heft 1, S. 79-101

Abstract

This article addresses the chief concern of Perutz scholarship: the nexus of determinism and freedom. The scales of scholarship are typically tilted toward determinism. However, agency and freedom are also to be found in Perutz's novel Der schwedische Reiter . This article is a differentiated account of the relationship between freedom and determinism in Perutz's novel and describes the break in Perutz's writing after Der schwedische Reiter that many have referenced but has not been sufficiently demonstrated. Perutz (or his narrator) is no longer bound to historical pessimism but rather to humanism. This is always connected to the idea of freedom—one that is not fully indeterminate—that Perutz applies in his novel.