With her wedding, Effi Briest leaves the sheltered space of childhood in Hohen-Cremmen. Her move to Kessin, where Baron von Innstetten is the district administrator, is marked by the presence of the foreign, even the exotic, which fascinates her but also frightens and confuses her. In an atmosphere of uncertainty and isolation, so to speak on shaky ground, Effi succumbs to the seduction of the "ladies' man" Crampas. A new departure, this time to Berlin, seems to steer life onto secure paths and resolve all tormenting inner conflict. Ultimately, it is a coincidence that changes everything: life into death, community into exclusion, hope into resignation.

When the novel was published, it found unexpected resonance, leading Fontane to conclude the year 1895 in his diary with the satisfied remark: "In autumn, 'Effi Briest' appears as a book and achieves five editions in less than a year - the first real success I have had with a novel." In her comprehensive commentary, Christine Hehle describes, among other things, the dramatic process of the novel's creation, which is linked to Fontane's boundary experience of a serious health crisis, and illuminates the highly artificial play with motifs and quotes.

Edited by Christine Hehle.