Fräulein Doctor im Irrenhause: Eine Begebenheit aus unserer Zeit

The story follows Zerline, a celebrated provincial actress whose ambition drives her to study genuine madness to perfect an upcoming tragic role. To gain entry to a psychiatric asylum she adopts the guise of a female physician with the help of a supportive doctor and her theatrical backers. Inside she encounters staff resistance, vivid patient life, and confronts her own fears as she seeks material for an authentic performance. The narrative examines the boundaries between performance and reality, the uses of charm and deception, the ethics of exploiting suffering for art, and the tension between public acclaim and artistic desire.