Pharmakologische Initiation im Boudoir

Abstract

This article explores the first literary portrayal of drug use in German literature. Though the cycle of novellas by O. A. H. Schmitz, entitled Haschisch, gained considerable recognition when published in 1902, the book was soon forgotten. Though there survives no proof for Schmitz’s personal experience of the drug, the descriptions of an altered state of mind in the stories closely mirror the known effects of hashish consumption. While the plot and motifs of most stories represent conventional variations of turn-of-the-century literature, there is one remarkable tale set in 17th century Spain which describes the story of a group of men aiming to manipulate a young virgin into committing the ultimate sin against the Holy Spirit. However, their wicked plot of transgression is foiled by divine intervention. This can be read metaphorically as a warning that drugs do not enable their users to cross boundaries. While similar didactic warnings against drug use can be found throughout the book, its fi nal story represents a remarkable counterweight to this conservative attitude. Set in the era around the 1848 revolution, this surreal story of the narrator’s drug-induced encounter with a band of smugglers can be interpreted as a political allegory on the tragic failure of revolutions to implement true social change.