Black or White? The representation of Toni and Mina in 'Die Verlobung in St. Domingo' and 'Peter Schlemihls wundersame Geschichte'

Essay from the year 2002 in the subject German Studies - Modern German Literature, grade: 2.0, University of Warwick, language: English, abstract: This essay will discuss similarities as well as crucial differences between the female characters Mina and Toni. Even though Mina's part in Chamissio's narrative is relatively small, it will be argued that she represents a specific representation of female charachters in romantic texts. Toni, on the hand, not only takes a central role in Kleist's narrative, but is also defined in a very contradicting way to Mina. Nonetheless, both characters still share a lot of features. Possible explanations for this diversity will be given by a close reading of both texts, a focus on historical circumstances and by taking into account the mere characteristics of romanticism and ancient archetypes. Furthermore, slight interpretations of other main characters of both narratives need to be given to present a wider understanding of Mina and Toni, as well as comparisons to other female characters of the romantic era.