Joseph II and His Court: A Historical Novel

by Luise Mühlbach

He turned and looked at her with a benevolent smile. "Come hither, my child," said he. "You would speak with the emperor. I am he." The girl uttered a stifled cry, and falling on her knees, she hid her death-like face in her hands. For she had recognized her unknown protector. Yes, this noble man, who had proffered help and promised protection, this was the emperor, and to his face she had called him miser and tyrant! -from "Chapter The Disguise Removed" In the constrained culture of 19th-century Europe, Luise Mühlbach was thwarted in her desire to become a historian, so instead she wrote historical novels in her native German-more than 100 of them, most of which were bestsellers in Europe and many of which were translated into English, with great success. This 1865 novel, set among the intrigue of the court of Austrian emperor Joseph II, is a wonderful example of German literary realism, a movement to which Mühlbach was an important contributor, though one frequently overlooked today. And it is a shining model of the fierce feminism Mühlbach evinced in her life as well as her fiction-Empress Maria Theresa is a potent presence here, a beautifully realized womanly force. With deftly realized characters-male and female-and page-turning plots, Mühlbach's stirring historical novels are ready to find a new readership today. Luise Mühlbach was the pseudonym of German author LUISE MUHLBACH (1814-1873). Among her many works of historical fiction are A Conspiracy of the Carbonari, The Daughter of an Empress, Henry VIII and His Court, Marie Antoinette and Her Son, and Napoleon and Blucher.

Genres: Historical Fiction

692 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

Luise Mühlbach was the pen name of Clara Mundt, a German writer best known for her works of historical fiction.

Luise Mühlbach, Pseudonym für Clara Mundt (Geboren Clara Maria Regina Müller) war eine deutsche Unterhaltungs-Schriftstellerin. Ihr Gesamtwerk umfasst 250 Bände und Mehrere ihrer Bücher wurden ins Englische übersetzt und besonders auch in den USA gelesen.

Reviews

[Doria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof, what a maudlin, sentimental, and looong telling of the life of Emperor Joseph II. I might have forgiven the ridiculously romanticized depiction of the emperor and his many (completely made-up) amours (I lost count of all the white shoulders, long necks and flashing eyes). But the anti-semitism put it over the top for me, and this wasn't simply the author's attempt to invoke the spirit of the times. This tawdry pseudo-historical drivel was obviously an opportunity for her to insert several chapters in which to vent her own personal distaste for Jews, whom she sharply contrasts with the purportedly noble and self-sacrificing gentiles of this artificial narrative. Did I mention how long this book was? Ugh. Two stars for some nice descriptive passages, and for a plethora of historical quotes from Joe himself, with which this completely absurd and non-historical farce was interlarded. I have no doubt that the real Joseph would have rejected it as having "too many [words]". He would be right.