Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: A Literary Life
Early Life and Pre-Romanticism
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s life spanned the mid-eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, coinciding with the Enlightenment, Pre-Romanticism, and Romanticism literary movements. Born into a wealthy, though not noble, family, Goethe eventually became director for the Duke of Weimar and was granted the “von Goethe” distinction, signifying nobility.
Goethe’s literary evolution contrasted with the broader European literary landscape. While Europe embraced Neoclassicism, Goethe produced Pre-Romantic works like The Sorrows of Young Werther. As Europe transitioned towards Romanticism, Goethe advocated for Classicism in his writings. During the peak of Romanticism in the early nineteenth century, Goethe penned his classic works.
Due to his shifting perspectives, Goethe’s literary life can be divided into two phases: the Pre-Romantic, where he championed Sturm und Drang, and the Classical, where he renounced his earlier Romantic ideals. His Pre-Romantic phase, spanning his twenties and thirties, primarily focused on theater, with Götz von Berlichingen being a notable example. His most significant work from this period, which garnered him recognition throughout Germany, was the unpublished novel Ur-Faust.
Goethe’s most famous work during this time was The Sorrows of Young Werther, published in 1794. The novel achieved widespread success, translated into multiple languages, and became a cultural phenomenon, influencing fashion and even leading to imitations of Werther’s suicide by some readers. This success established Goethe as Germany’s leading writer and led to his appointment as director for the Duke of Weimar.
Consequently, Goethe temporarily paused his writing to focus on politics and scientific research. His 1784 trip to Italy marked a turning point, leading to a significant shift in his mentality. Goethe transitioned from Pre-Romanticism to become a proponent of Classicism, thus beginning his second literary phase.
Classicism and Later Life
From this point until his death in 1836, Goethe was regarded as the greatest German writer but held limited influence on contemporary literature. His aesthetic ideals diverged from the prevailing Romantic trends of the nineteenth century.
The Enlightenment (circa 1750)
The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement emphasizing human reason and the development of thought, emerged around 1750. This new way of thinking transformed the ideology of the time, leading people to believe that God had endowed humans with reason to improve society and the world.
Enlightenment philosophers and scientists began to view progress—the potential for society to advance towards a better world by eliminating its flaws—as not only possible but also limitless. This belief in a future free of problems persisted until World War I and is crucial for understanding the contemporary world.
The Enlightenment’s central tenet was that through the development of thought, humans could understand the world and society and establish norms for rational behavior. Despite its novelty, Enlightenment ideas were not overtly revolutionary, as they attributed human reason to God, thus avoiding conflict with established religious beliefs.
However, in the latter half of the century, less prominent but influential thinkers like the French philosopher Condorcet began to dispense with God. Immanuel Kant, a prominent German philosopher, developed his theories in Critique of Pure Reason and Critique of Practical Reason. He argued that reason stemmed from human capabilities, not divine providence. This led to conflicts between late eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophy and the Church.
Enlightenment philosophers also addressed politics, seeking new forms of government to improve society. Monarchs sought guidance from philosophers like Voltaire, who advised the King of Prussia, to implement Enlightenment ideas. Montesquieu, a French philosopher, proposed the separation of powers to prevent corruption. In his book, The Spirit of Laws, he advocated for the executive power to be held by a government, the legislative power by deputies, and the judicial power by independent judges.
The conflict between these two forms of government culminated in the French Revolution of 1789.