Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 2. The Romantic School in Germany

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Gutenberg ID

47781

Title

Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature - 2. The Romantic School in Germany

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Georg Brandes offers a profound, naturalistic critique of the German Romantic School, tracing its psychological roots from Enlightenment reaction to political decline. With sharp insight into the movement's morbid emotions and artistic originality, this volume illuminates the era's complex interplay between literature, life, and national identity.

Summary up to 500 words

In his analysis of the German Romantic School, Georg Brandes characterizes the movement as a vast, musical reaction against the rationalism of the eighteenth century. Initially, this school revitalized German poetry, science, and social thought by reviving fairy tales, legends, and the study of antiquity. Figures such as A.W. Schlegel, Hölderlin, Novalis, and Hoffmann played pivotal roles, often struggling between nationalistic fervor and cosmopolitan ideals. Brandes contrasts the German approach with French Romanticism; whereas the latter produced defined figures, the German school was defined by a 'melody' of infinite aspiration, symbolized by concepts like the 'blue flower' and the longing for the supernatural. This focus masked a deep psychological crisis within the movement's adherents. Brandes details the trajectory of these thinkers from their early days as apostles of enlightenment to their eventual decline. While they initially widened the emotional range of poetry and attacked dead conventionality, particularly regarding gender relations, their pursuits ultimately ended in comparative failure. Politically, the Romanticists vacillated before succumbing to reactionary conservatism, directing proceedings at the Congress of Vienna and supporting figures like Gentz and De Maistre who suppressed liberty. Religiously, they shifted from revolutionary free-thinking to 'hysterical piety' and mysticism. Stylistically, Brandes argues that their use of archaisms and obscure imagery corrupted rather than enriched the literary vocabulary. Despite these flaws and the fact that much of their life-work has faded from memory, Brandes asserts that the Romanticists possessed unique artistic faculties. He highlights the enduring value of specific contributions, such as A.W. Schlegel's translations of Shakespeare, Tieck's productions, and the lyrics of Hardenberg and Eichendorff. The movement is presented not merely as a literary phenomenon but as a psychological dissection of a soul defined by intense, often unhealthy, emotional range. Brandes emphasizes that while German Romanticism was original and important, it served as a primary influence on Scandinavian literature, awakening Danish poets like Oehlenschläger and inspiring the collection of Norwegian folk tales. Ultimately, the work serves as both a historical survey and a critical judgment on a movement that, despite its fleeting endurance, fundamentally altered the landscape of European thought.

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Categories

• Romanticism
• Literature, Modern