He also joined a Platen Club, which
afforded him less literary stimulus, but far more social pleasure.
During his year in Leipzig he brought himself to the notice of
literary circles by the publication, in the _Tageblatt_, of a
satirical poem entitled _Shakespeare's Stocking_. As a result he was
made a member of the Herwegh Club, where he met, among others, the
celebrated Max Mueller, who remained his life-long friend. After a year
in Dresden Fontane returned to Leipzig, hoping to be able to support
himself there by his writings. He made the venture too soon. When he
ran short of funds he visited his parents for a while and then went to
Berlin to serve his year in the army (1844). He was granted a furlough
of two weeks for a trip to London at the expense of a friend. In
Berlin he joined a Sunday Club, humorously called the "Tunnel over the
Spree," at the meetings of which original literary productions were
read and frankly criticised. During the middle of the nineteenth
century almost all the poetic lights of Berlin were members of the
"Tunnel." Heyse, Storm, and Dahn were on the roll, and Fontane came
into touch with them; he and Storm remained friends in spite of the
fact that Storm once called him "frivolous." Fontane later evened the
score by classing Storm among the "sacred kiss monopolists." The most
productive members of the Club during this period (1844-54) were
Fontane, Scherenberg, Hesekiel, and Heinrich Smidt. Smidt, sometimes
called the Marryat of Germany, was a prolific spinner of yarns, which
were interesting, though of a low quality.
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