Stülpner's Hart

About this issue

This issue contains the opening chapters of Charlotte Kielmannsegge, die Geliebte Napoleons (Charlotte Kielmannsegge, Napoleon's Beloved), a historical novel by Guido von Fels set in the Bohemian-Saxon border forests. The narrative begins in the Erzgebirge region, where Karl Stülpner, a handsome young man, returns home after failing to secure a promised forestry position through official channels. His sweetheart Marie Barthel, daughter of a tavern keeper, remains devoted to him despite her father's disapproval and rumors that Karl is a poacher (Wildschütz). Karl confesses to Marie that he is indeed engaged in illegal hunting, yet she pledges her loyalty. He gives her a silver ring engraved with her name, which he claims to have found on the Greifenstein rocks as a sign of fate. The chapter concludes as soldiers and officials, including the antagonistic Korporal Stange and a malevolent Bösenig character, arrive at the tavern, creating tension and danger for the young couple.