The day Claus is to be hanged, his son, along with a beautiful girl named Nele, the baker’s daughter, who may or may not be Tyll’s sister, flees the town under the care of a wandering, if talentless balladeer. Ultimately, he is condemned to death by hanging for the crime of heresy. He refuses to recant his questions about how the cosmos works. Despite intense interrogation and systematic torturing, Claus refuses to confess the sin of apostasy. Concerned over the implications of Claus’ investigations and by the books in his library, the papal representatives interrogate Claus and charge him with witchcraft. His reputation brings him to the attention of two traveling representatives of the Papal court. In turn, the father has earned a reputation for dabbling in magic, for concocting potions that remedy his neighbors’ afflictions. He reads widely in the metaphysical works of Medieval philosophers who pondered big questions about the world and its purpose and about the meaning of life and the afterlife. Tyll is a slacker, the son of a poor, uneducated miller, Claus, who, despite his lack of education, is something of an autodidact. In “Lord of the Air,” the narrative returns to Tyll’s childhood. In the ensuing tense moments, fights break out even as Tyll watches, smiling, bemused by their willingness to follow his absurd whims.
Uncertain, they nevertheless do it only to be told by the impish Tyll to then retrieve their shoe from among the hundreds now strewn in the town square. Inspired by their curiosity, Tyll capriciously commands them to remove their right shoe and toss it up into the air. The townsfolk are mesmerized by the performers, particularly the stunning acrobatics of Tyll on his tightrope.
A covered wagon arrives, unannounced, bearing a small traveling entertainment troupe of thespians and singers, among them Tyll Ulenspiegel, something of a celebrity known for his amazing juggling and his tightrope walking. The first section, titled “Shoes,” relates the story of a German village whose residents are caught up in the fear and anxiety of the brutal war going on all about them. The novel is told in eight discrete episodes, each related from a different point of view. The following edition was used to create this guide: Kehlmann, Daniel.
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