The Blue Angel
aka Small Town Tyrant

Heinrich Mann

Professor Unrat has complete rule in his classroom. But his name makes him an object of ridicule. The English translation in my edition is "mud" but a German friend says a better translation is "offal". This name better fits the sense of Mann's tale. Although never called it to his face, The obnoxious nickname is used behind his back and in a sideways manner to him, such as murmers of "it smells like offal in here". The Professor lives alone and his classroom is his life. He uses his power there to rule. In his small township his students grow into men and business leaders. His tyrannical influence extends far beyond his classroom. He lives to catch his boys in trouble and bring them down.

When three of his students appear to be hanging out at the local questionable night club, the Blue Angel. They are under age but spending their time with a woman of low repute. She is an amoral stage singer who tries to please the crowd. The Professor visits the night club to "catch" the three young men. If he can, he can have them expelled from the school for good, affecting their futures.

What the Professor cannot expect is his own reaction to Rosa Frohlich. When the young men avoid him the first night of his visit, he returns again to make another attempt to catch them. Rosa plays with him, denying knowledge of the three, then teasingly agreeing that the Professor had just missed them. He continues to return to the Blue Angel and spends his time with Rosa. The more he visits, the more enthralled he becomes. Soon his classes start to suffer as he devotes more attention to her or to giving the three young men their come uppance.

The Blue Angel is a study of a misogynist who has been harrassed most of his life. He retaliates by ruling his small kingdom in the classroom with an iron fist. Heinrich Mann, Thomas' older brother, shows the irony of the Professor's life as he is entwined by a woman who can bring down a man. Her morality is wrapped up in herself - what works to further her own wants and needs is the way she always chooses. When the Professor looks to become a strong protector for her, she snatches at it. She soon has his under her spell so she can continue her desires without his knowledge and all his support.

Professor Unrat allows himself to idolize Rosa Frohlich more than anything except his need for bringing down the men of his classes present and past. His school is nothing - eventually leading to his dismissal from his 25+ year position. He marries Rosa despite her reputation and her unfathered child. They become the center of the shady nightlife. Soon their home is a gambling hell. The Professor rejoices as more men in the town are bankrupted or destroyed.

The Professor is blind where Rosa is concerned. He swings between fearsome jealousy and ignorance as she goes out with other men. He gambles himself and often owes the local tradesmen as often as he pays them off. Rosa is intent on building a nest egg for her daughter. Often their money went to Rosa's desires rather than to pay their bills.

Heinrich Mann highlights how men can destroy themselves. Professor Unrat isn't a likeable character but is a sypathetic one as well. He is in his 50's and had been wrapped up in his schoolroom most of that time. He had been married before and his son had also acted improperly, having to leave the town under a cloud. But that doesn't shape him now. His sole aim is to catch his boys and bring them down. As the book continues the Professor occasionally recognizes he is not in control like he was, and is becoming the person he watches for in his boys. But then he ignores that. He lives for the revenge as the local men and families break apart.

The Blue Angel - the German title is Small Town Tyrant - is a bit difficult for a modern American to follow closely. It was written over 100 years ago (1905) in German about German small town society. Sometimes the translation doesn't fully capture the original meaning - especially in the translation of the Professor's nickname - Mud. Even so, mankind still has petty tyrants and loose women and forbidden delights to corrupt. We rejoice when a twisted person gets his come uppance. The Professor rejoices when he brings down his supposed tormentors and enemies. When he is brought down, they rejoice.

We can understand the irony involved. Also, we can recognize pieces of ourselves. Ouch...