Schnitzler, << SHNIHTS luhr, >> Arthur (1862-1931), was an Austrian writer whose works reflect the influence of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical ideas. Schnitzler was born on May 15, 1862, in Vienna. His plays and stories deal with the decline in morality, especially sexual morality, that he saw in middle-class and aristocratic Viennese society around 1900. Schnitzler was fond of the Viennese. However, he exposed their weaknesses and shortcomings through subtle psychological probing, thereby displaying his mastery of characterization.
Schnitzler’s two main themes are love and the nature of reality. Both appear in his play Anatol (1893), about a young man’s adventures in love. The themes also appear in Reigen, also called La Ronde (published 1900, first performed 1912). This play is an intricate cycle of love affairs involving different classes of society. Schnitzler’s best-known works of fiction include the short novels Leutnant Gustl (1901) and Traumnovelle (Dream Story, 1926). Schnitzler died on Oct. 21, 1931.
