Interview and interior: Procedures of narrative surveys around 1900

Area of Science:

• Cultural history
• Sociology of opinion
• Literary studies

Background:

• Antisemitism was a contentious topic in European intellectual circles around 1900.
• Hermann Bahr, an Austrian writer, conducted interviews on public opinion regarding antisemitism in 1893.
• These interviews were published as a series and later compiled into a book by S. Fischer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the sentiments, perceptions, and opinions on antisemitism among the cultured classes.
• To analyze how Bahr used descriptions of interview settings to authenticate the reported opinions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of thirty-eight interviews conducted by Hermann Bahr with prominent figures.
• Examination of Bahr's written accounts, focusing on both the content of opinions and the descriptions of physical spaces.
• Interpretation of descriptive passages as a rhetorical strategy for validating "facts of opinion."

Main Results:

• Bahr's interviews reveal the prevailing sentiments on antisemitism within European intellectual elites.
• Descriptions of interview settings (interiors and physical spaces) were integral to Bahr's method.
• These spatial descriptions functioned as a form of authentication for the recorded opinions.

Conclusions:

• Hermann Bahr's interviews offer insight into elite perceptions of antisemitism in the late 19th century.
• The study highlights Bahr's innovative use of environmental description to lend credibility to reported opinions.
• This method underscores the interplay between subjective opinion and the objective recording of "facts of opinion."