This well-written, lively, concise and meticulously executed study establishes five basic models of thematic representation of arson in literature. By selecting texts from a wide spectrum that covers not only well-known works by Auerbach, Raabe, and Anzengruber, but also best-sellers of the nineteenth century that are no longer accessible, Professor Lewis succeeds in demonstrating that dominant thematic patterns and motif clusters foster schematized action sequences in works not usually grouped together by literary historians. In addition, the study shows that a unique social change (introducing fire insurance) and the resulting deviant behavior (arson for profit) are not simply mirrored in literature, but subsumed by previously existing thematic constellations.
"Lewis' results serve to enlighten the reader on the details of Realist narrative, showing the communalities between the high and more popular literatures of the day. She has produced a study that will introduce the narratological context for Realist prose and serve as a touchstone for many future sociological and structural analyses of German realism." (Katherine Arens, University of Texas at Austin)