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Part 1: The author explains that he's writing to his children and makes special mention of his eldest daughter, Antonia. He states that he was born during a politically turbulent period and that his childhood was not happy. He lived in Paris between the ages of eight and twelve; while his mother died in 1804 having long suffered with dropsy. There was also the tragic occurrence of Wilhelm (his twenty year old brother) being found lying dead next to his bed one morning. Ochs went back to Basel where he trained as a businessman. However, he suffered financial problems and then in 1812 contracted scarlet fever. His eldest brother Albert died in 1816; while his sister Emma attempted suicide the same year and was admitted to an asylum. Believing the name Ochs gave rise to personality disorders, he decided not to perpetuate its lineage and changed his name in 1818 to coincide with his twenty-seventh birthday and engagement to be married. He did his military service during this same period.
Part 2: The text continues as if it were a diary with dates now prominent. In 1818 there was his wedding and honeymoon. Subsequently, the birth of his first daughter went well despite his wife having fallen down the stairs a few days earlier. The death of his father followed; although Edouard's finances improved. The couple had more children, yet his wife suffered from pulmonary disease and consumption was feared. She recovered and gave birth to more children, although we learn that two of their children (Eduard and Antonia) suffered from nervous fever. During this period he followed the political and military developments around him. He also suffered from nervous attacks and even mental illness. His wife eventually died of consumption in 1844. However, he continued to write about the education, career and marriages of his children until he saw his role as a family man fulfilled. |
