ENGAGEMENT IN BRIEFEN: FANNY TARNOWS TEILHABE AN DEN EREIGNISSEN VON 1848/49 ANHAND IHRER KORRESPONDENZ AUS DEN 1830ER UND 1840ER JAHREN

Abstract

In the time preceding, during, and following the revolution in France, Germany, and other European nations in 1848/49, numerous women writers actively participated in the fight for freedom and democracy. However, their involvement manifested in diverse forms. Besides the women categorised as ‘activist’ writers, there were others whose ‘engagement’ was less overt and public. Nevertheless, they too contributed through their writing and ideological alignment with the progressive political movements of their era. This article describes such subversive forms of engagement, using Fanny Tarnow and her correspondence with Karl August Varnhagen von Ense from 1833 to 1849 as a focal point for analysis. Central to this analytical framework is the notion of a dialogical exchange through letters, which served as a cornerstone for both Tarnow and Varnhagen in comprehending their socio-political roles as mature writers navigating a new era's political landscape and community.