Irrungen, Wirrungen

Fontane's story of Lene Nimptsch, who lives with her foster mother in petty-bourgeois circumstances and one day encounters the young Botho von Rienäcker, divided opinions at the time. The young seamstress and the baron spend a happy summer together, yet they are aware that their love is constrained, as a marriage across social classes is unthinkable. Fontane's candid portrayal of their romantic relationship was met with disapproval from both the nobility and moral purists; however, the novel became a great success and established Fontane as a modern author of his time.