Effi Briest is a novel by Theodor Fontane. Following in the tradition of Tolstoy and Flaubert, Fontane writes about an aristocratic woman who is ostracized from her aristocratic life because of marital infidelity. Choosing wealth over passion initially, Briest marries a much older man named Geert. When he neglects their relationship and keeps her locked away at home, she takes up an affair with a married but notable ladies man named Crampas. When her husband finds her love letters to Crampas years later, he immediately divorces her and takes away their daughter, Annie, raising her to hate her mother. Even Effi's own family disowns her lest she further soil their name. After attempting to reconnect with Annie years later, Effi fails and becomes horribly depressed and ill. Her family takes her in once again and cares for her until her death. Effi's final act is to dictate a letter to Geert expressing her regret for everything that drove them apart.
Fontane writes the novel on a hinge. Each end depicts a near perfect mirror image of the other. For instance, the novel begins with Effi living with her parents, betrothed to Geert. It ends with her divorced from him, again living dependent upon her parents. Another distinct parallel is Geert's rivalry with Crampas, which predates his marriage to Effi, and his final duel with Crampas over the infidelity. Comparing the opening of the novel to it's conclusion, one can clearly trace Effi's fall from grace. She chooses her marriage for the sake of the wealth and acclaim his title would bring, but she neglects to consider what sort of a man Geert really is and what sort of husband she actually wants.
It's interesting to note that Louise Briest, Effi's mom, was actually courted by Geert. She rejected him because, at the time he was not wealthy or reputable enough to satisfy her. Although never explicit within the text, one can conclude that Geert came into his marriage with Effi with some unsettled business with the Briest family. Perhaps he was trying to humiliate Louise for rejecting him. At the very least, the fact that he marries Louise's daughter must be factored into an analysis of his decision-making.
