THE MISSING RIBBON: LOTTE QUOTES “THE SORROWS OF YOUNG WERTHER”

Abstract

The article deals with the general theme of quotation in Thomas Mann’s work. It briefly presents the concept of “life as quotation” from the official speech the author gave on the occasion of Sigmund Freud’s eightieth birthday. The concept is analyzed in order to develop a model of quotation, which is then used to examine a specific element from the novel “Lotte in Weimar”. The interpretation focuses on the literary image of the white dress with pink ribbons (one of which is missing) that the heroine chooses to wear when she meets Goethe again, forty-four years after the events recounted in “The Sorrows of Young Werther”. The tension between life and art that Mann’s work maintains is important for decoding the meaning behind Lotte’s gesture and the effect that this gesture has within the novel.