The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Ebner-Eschenbach, Barones Marie von

EBNER-ESCHENBACH, āb'nĕr ĕsh'ĕn-bäH, Barones Marie von, Austrian author; b. (Countess Dubsky) Castle Zdislavic, Moravia, 13 Sept 1830. In 1848 she was married to an officer of the Austrian army. Her whole life was spent between Castle Zdislavic and Vienna. Her early products were dramas long since forgotten. She began in 1860 as a playwright with ‘Mary Stuart in Scotland’ {3860), and the tragedy ‘Marie Roland,’ with the one-act dramas ‘Doctor Ritter,’ ‘Violets,’ and ‘The Disconsolate One,’ all of which were but moderately successful. Her fiction beginning with ‘The Princess of Banalia’ (1872), a satiric tale, made little impression; but ‘Two Countesses’ (1885), a story of Austrian high society, met with striking favor. Her other writings include ‘Tales of Village and Castle’;, ‘The Child of the Parish’ (1887); ‘The Rival’; ‘Aphorisms’ (1880); and ‘Parables, Stories and Poems’ (1892); ‘Margarete’ (1891); ‘Drei Novellen’ (1892); ‘Glaubenslos’ (1893); ‘Das Schädliche’ and ‘Die Totenwacht’ (1894); ‘Rittmeister Brand’ and ‘Bertram Vogelweid’ (1896); ‘Alte Schule’ (1897); ‘Aus Spathersbttagen’ (1901); ‘Agave’ (1903); ‘Die arme Kleine’ (1904); ‘Die unsiegbare Macht’ (1905); ‘Meine Kinderjahre’ (1906); ‘Ein Buch Für die Jugend’ (1907); ‘Volksbuch’ (1909); ‘Altweibersommer’ (1909); ‘Genrebilder’ (1910). Her collected works were published in 1893-1911. She is a writer with a remarkably polished style, marked with wonderful powers or description and a facility in character delineation equal to the best. Her plots are well woven and the proportion is just. For her biography, consult Necker (Berlin 1900) and Bettelheim (ib. 1900).