Social Class System In Lambourne's Die Fledermaus

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During the end of the nineteenth century, Vienna became anti-Semitist. According to the doctoral thesis by Jeralyn Lambourne: “The Jews became an object of hatred after the stock market collapse in 1873, because many of them had been speculators in the market and were blamed for the crash.” Strauss took the opportunity by having a Jewish “stock” character Dr. Blind, Eisenstein lawyer. In Die Fledermaus, Dr. Blind is a timid person that stutters occasionally. He is one of the few characters in the operetta that is unique. Dr. Blind also portrays the current social class system in Vienna. As stated in the doctoral thesis, 86 percent of lawyers were Jewish in Vienna by 1890. Even though Jewish stock character is funny, in real life the Jewish community underwent the same economic issues as the rest of the social community.
On 9 May 1873, Vienna had a huge stock market crash. The stock market crash destroyed everyone from teachers to the bourgeoisie. Even though, a lot of people lost money during such a crisis, the city was thriving economically according to Camille Crittenden. She continues: “… with rapid growth in industry, banking, and the railroad. Civic building projects such as
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Champagne, wine or any other alcohol is a truth liqueur. Strauss was the first person the show the effects of alcohol on stage. According to Camille Crittenden: “Drinking heavily and exchanging the intimate “Du” form of address are typical carnival events found in Die Fledermaus.” In the German culture, “Du” is used when speaking informal conversations. This would occur when speaking to friends or family members. The formal way of “you” in German is “Sie.” Being at a ball gives the people the excuse to use Du because of the unknowing of a person and the influence of alcohol. The Fasching or carnival season was a time when people went wild before Ash-

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