A Renewed Look at Christa Wolf's “Neue Lebensansichten eines Katers”: Authority, Parody, and Readers as Scientists

Christa Wolf's death in December 2011 provoked an increase in scholarly attention focusing on her most recent work, Stadt der Engel oder The Overcoat of Dr. Freud, as well as some of her more enduring ideas, such as identity or Heimat.1 In light of the expanding role of technology in society, it is high time to reevaluate the significance of her short story "Neue Lebensansichten eines Katers." For its portrayal of an attempt to achieve an absolute state of human contentment through an all-encompassing system of scientific perfection, this story has been labeled a "satiric science-fiction," an "absurd satire," a "parodistic satire," and "utopischsatirisch," which all underscore the multivalent nature of its widely recognized satirical arrangement (Finney 46; Rossbacher 77; Martens 93; svensson 223).2 The story is narrated entirely from the perspective of the tomcat, Max, who, like his predecessor Murr from E.T.A. Hoffmann's lebensansichten des Katers Murr, opines on the customs and events surrounding him. He assumes an overtly pretentious, intellectual tone and shamelessly admires the technocratic aspirations of his owner, a prominent GDR scientist with a specialty in applied psychology named Professor Rudolf Barzel. Max's commentary revolves primarily around the scientific pursuits of Barzel and his two junior colleagues, Dr. Lutz Fettback and Dr. Guido Hinz, as they strive for the total "Ausbreitung der alles erkennenden, alles erklarenden, alles regelnden ratio" (440). The narrative details their attempts to force happiness upon all of humankind in the name of productivity through a project called TOMEGL, which stands for "TOTALES MENSCHENGLUCK."The success ofTOMEGL depends upon the implementation of its rigorous subsystem known as SYMAGE or "SYSTEM DER MAXIMALEN KORPERLICHEN UND SEELISCHEN GESUNDHEIT." For the whole hierarchy to function properly, SYMAGE must integrate flawlessly with the meticulous categorization of all human qualities (450). With the help of cybernetic theory, this "logisches, unausweichliches, einzig richtiges System der rationellen Lebensfuhrung" would relieve humankind of its burdensome "mystical" relation to life, which, according to Max, has caused little more than "Unordnung, Zeitverschwendung, unokonomischer Krafteverschleis" (451-52). Science can make people happy, and happy people are productive; however, humankind turns out to be far too complex for the stringent demands of SYMAGE, and the goal of ToMEGL is never realized before Max dies from a feline-specific disease.Max's and the scientists' enthusiasm for the comprehensive calculation of all human activity has lead critics to locate the target of Wolf's satire in problems such as hyperrationality, a misguided socialist project, and the endangerment of the individual and emotions. Most investigations proceed from a criticism of the excessive pursuit of rational and scientific goals. For example, Brigitte Rossbacher claims that the story satirizes "societal rationalization and its effects" with SYMAGE representing "the GDR's reified, non-dialectic Marxism" (77, 81). Similarly, Lorna Martens argues that Wolf attacks "the wrong kind of socialism," namely "misplaced scientific rationalism" (93). Gail Finney, Therese Hornigk, Birgit Lermen, and Sture Svensson all draw attention to the manner in which systematic thinking threatens the status of the individual and the emotions in society.3 According to Lermen, Wolf's story targets "die Sucht unserer Zeit, den Menschen bis ins letzte zu erklaren und programmieren," the consequences of which "gefahrdet Kontakt und menschliches Zusammenleben" (99, 101). In Hornigk's account, Wolf rebukes the "Herrschaft der Ratio" that would cleanse society of the conflicts imposed upon it by the individual (157-58).4 Svennson argues that Wolf appeals to both public and scientific communities not to forget "den emotionalen Sektor des menschlichen Daseins" (226). In summary, investigations of this story tend to bridge a critique of hyperrationality into an interpretation of some other corollary effect thereof. …