_Trials and Tribulations_ (1887) and _Stine_ (1890) were the first
German novels absolutely to avoid the introduction of exciting scenes
merely for effect. These histories of mismated couples from different
social strata are recounted with hearty simplicity, deep understanding
of life, and frank recognition of human weakness, but without
condemnation, tears, or pointing a moral. They made Fontane famous.
_Frau Jenny Treibel_ (1892), an exquisitely humorous picture of the
Berlin _bourgeoisie_, and _Effi Briest_ "the most profound miracle of
Fontane's youthful art," added considerably to the fame of the
gray-haired "modern," while _The Poggenpuhls_ (1896) and _Stechlin_
(1898) won him further laurels at a time when most writers would long
ago have been resting on those they had already achieved. If a line
were drawn to represent graphically his productivity from his sixtieth
year on, it would take the form of a gradually rising curve.
His career as a novelist began so late in life that when he once
discovered his particular field he cultivated it with persistent
diligence and would not allow himself to be drawn away by enthusiasts
into other fields. Strength of character was not, however, a new
phenomenon in his life, for as long ago as the days when he was an
active member of the "Tunnel" he had come in close contact with the
Kugler coterie in Berlin, where the so-called Munich school
originated, and yet he did not follow his friends in that eclectic
movement.
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