Goethe's Poetry and the Philosophy of Nature
Gott und Welt 1798-1827

Regina Sachers

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Germanic Literatures 7

Legenda

22 July 2015  •  170pp

ISBN: 978-1-907747-97-7 (hardback)  •  RRP £80, $110, €95

ISBN: 978-1-315093-50-5 (Taylor & Francis ebook)

RomanticismGermanPoetryPhilosophy

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, philosophy and theology come under increasing pressure owing to the emergence of the modern sciences. The collection Gott und Welt is Goethe's poetic contribution to this conflict, in which an alternative to orthodox Christianity was being sought. Following the collection's various stages of composition and publication, this study offers new readings of some of Goethe's best known poems: 'Die Metamorphose der Pflanzen', 'Dauer im Wechsel', 'Urworte. Orphisch' and 'Wiederfinden'. Sachers shows that Gott und Welt is the long poem on nature which Goethe attempted to write for the last third of his life. As such it represents Goethe's unique answers to the intellectual challenges posed by the dawning age of science.

Regina Sachers works at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen.

Reviews:

  • ‘Although the twenty-one poems of the original collection were composed over as many years or more, Regina Sachers rejects the ‘autonomous’ approach taken by Theodor Adorno, David Wellbery, and others, pointing out that by deliberately placing them together, Goethe must have wished the reader to view them as a single entity.’ — Osman Durrani, Modern Language Review 112.1, January 2017, 279-80 (full text online)
  • ‘Each of these poems has a history, and the combination of histories sheds new light on Goethe’s intellectual development, in particular the increased awareness of the image of a self that he was projecting.’ — David Hill, The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies 77, 2017, 269

Bibliography entry:

Sachers, Regina, Goethe's Poetry and the Philosophy of Nature: Gott und Welt 1798-1827, Germanic Literatures, 7 (Legenda, 2015)

First footnote reference: 35 Regina Sachers, Goethe's Poetry and the Philosophy of Nature: Gott und Welt 1798-1827, Germanic Literatures, 7 (Legenda, 2015), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: 37 Sachers, p. 47.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

Bibliography entry:

Sachers, Regina. 2015. Goethe's Poetry and the Philosophy of Nature: Gott und Welt 1798-1827, Germanic Literatures, 7 (Legenda)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Sachers 2015: 21).

Example footnote reference: 35 Sachers 2015: 21.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

This Legenda title was first published by Modern Humanities Research Association and Maney Publishing but rights to it are now held by Modern Humanities Research Association and Routledge.

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