Continued Existence, Reincarnation, and the Power of Sympathy in Classical Weimar

Erscheinungsjahr 1999
ISBN: 978-1-57113-156-0
Verlag: Boydell & Brewer

Buch, Englisch, Band 1, 280 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 163 mm x 230 mm, Gewicht: 558 g

Reihe: Studies in German Literature Linguistics and Culture

A study showing that the ancient lore of reincarnation was a living part of the thought of Weimar Classicism.

In Wieland's novel Agathodaemon, Apollonius ponders fundamental questions that have fascinated a host of poets and philosophers Throughout history. Intensely aware of this tradition, the writers of German Classicism eagerlyparticipated in searching for answers, and one possibility for continued life, the transmigration of the soul, caught their abiding interest. Wieland was the first among them to treat these ideas in greater detail, presenting anextraordinary variety of perspectives on preexistence, reincarnation, and the concomitant concept of 'sympathia,' the compelling inherent affinity that characterizes certain human relationships. Goethe included these notions in his poetry, novels, and dramatic works many times, and, firmly convinced of the permanence of man's soul, or his entelechy, he often expressed his hope for continued life in correspondence and conversations. In 1781-82 Schlosser andHerder presented their contrasting views on reincarnation in five connected dialogues that were attentively received in Weimar. And in his early works and letters the young Schiller also participated in the ongoing discourse concerning these topics. The present study traces the development of these concepts in ancient literature, Judaism, and early Christianity; it outlines their discussion during the Enlightenment and indicates the importance of Orientalism for Western views on reincarnation. The final and major part of the book treats the reception of these ideas in the writings of the Weimar classicists.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kurth-Voigt, Lieselotte E.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
Greek and Roman Heritage
Judaism and Early Christianity
Early Enlightenment
Orientalism
Dissenting Views and Satirical Voices
Christoph Martin Wieland
Johann Georg Schlosser and Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Friedrich von Schiller
Later Voices: Toward Romanticism
Concluding Observations