Mahlendorf studies the artist hero who cannot feel and consequently cannot achieve his creative potential, a frequent character in Austrian, German, and Swiss fiction between 1890 and 1960. Taking Schnitzler's novella as her example she seeks to show that at the heart of these works there is an oedipal drama. The youthful artist protagonist whose creative failure connotes impotence is the son; his mistress is the mother; her older male protector is the paternal antagonist.