The Artificial Silk Girl

Ermine is a type of weasel, and its winter fur, especially the white variety from places such as Russia, was highly regarded by kings and emperors of Europe. The coat mentioned in the original German text is Fehmantel, and Feh is the winter fur of a type of squirrel. Although the two coats are made from the soft, silky furs of two different animals (and the English translation carries a more aristocratic connotation than the original German does), the coat’s symbolism remains constant.

The ermine coat that Doris steals from the theater is the antithesis of artificial silk. It represents the world of the elite and wealthy—the world to which Doris so strongly desires to belong. Doris’s thievery of the coat symbolizes her abrupt and violent breakout from her proletarian life and represents the first step toward her goal of becoming a star. Her subsequent love of and refusal to give up the coat represent her inability to part with her dream of achieving a new social status. 

Glanz is the word Irmgard Keun used in the original German to describe the life that Doris sought. The nominal derivation, from the original verb glänzen, means “to shine or glitter,” two words that can be used to describe a star. Therefore, the translator chose “star” as the translation for Glanz, although Doris didn’t necessarily seek fame; she would have made do with fortune.

Doris’s first attempt at becoming a Glanz happens when she obtains the extra line in Wallenstein’s Camp at the theater in her hometown. In English, Doris’s statement that she has achieved stardom, just because her former and current suitors shower her with gifts and praise after she speaks a single line, is highly comical. In the original German context (while remaining comical), it is far easier to argue that she did indeed achieve “stardom,” even if only fleetingly, because she shines for that one fleeting moment. 

Doris’s relationship with Alexander gives her all the external appearance of a Glanz, but she sees no point in shining for him. Believing that she will never find a wealthy man she’s also attracted to, Doris considers prostitution. She then meets Ernst and begins to question whether Glanz should be her life’s pursuit.

Berlin, the setting for more than two-thirds of the novel, is a symbol in its own right. For someone coming from a smaller city or town, Berlin was loud, fast paced, and filled with bright lights. It was, and still is, the cultural center of Germany and its most populous city, much like Paris, London, or New York. After World War I, Berlin grew into one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas. The city achieved a Golden Era during the 1920s and became a center for scientific and artistic developments.

During the Weimar Republic, Berlin was an important city for the film industry. The city also became known for its decadence: the rise in prostitution, symptomatic of a failure to provide solutions for the widows of World War I; and the increase in organized crime, which mirrored Prohibition-era Chicago.

Berlin, therefore, is the natural choice for someone like Doris, someone who is looking for fun, adventure, and a means to break free from her proletarian roots and achieve a new social status. The city provides her with the best and most opportunities for achieving Glanz, but as she discovers with Herr Brenner, Berlin has its dark side—as does the glamorous life.