The Lost Honor of...

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum

Author: Heinrich (theodor) Boell， also known as: Heinrich (Theodor) Boell， Heinrich Theodor Boell， Heinrich Boll， Heinrich Theodor Boll， and Heinrich (Theodor) Boll

Genre: novel
Date: 1974

Plot

Set in contemporary Germany， the novel recounts the story of a young woman， Katharina Blum， who is driven to violence by the exploitive practices of the press. the target in this novel is the irresponsibility of modern journalism， especially as practiced by the sensationalist "yellow press，" which ruins the lives of innocent individuals in the name of profit.

Katharina is hounded by the press because of her relationship with a known criminal， Ludwig. Yet she is not the only person to befriend the man; a wealthy， influential member of the government has also been seen with Ludwig， but because of his power and position， the press leaves him alone. Thus Böll shows how the press， the police， and the courts conspire to undermine the lives of the insignificant in society， while protecting the privileged. For several days Katharina is ruthlessly attacked in the press by a journalist named Werner Toetges， who depicts her as an amoral gangster’s moll and twists the words of his informants to create a woman whose character is based on falsehood and innuendo. He appears at Katharina’s apartment， and believing his own lies about her nature， tries to force her to have sex; she shoots and kills him， destroying the man who had destroyed her honor.

Böll focuses on the nature of truth and the responsibility of the writer. Katharina is driven to violence because she has been debased and dehumanized by the power of language. Böll does not present her as an idealized figure; she is a simple young woman， honest and capable of love. Yet while she is not motivated by the greed that drives the press and politics， she is also apathetic about social injustice until she herself is the victim. Thus Böll continues his theme of the importance of social responsibility in this， the most political and polemical of his novels.