Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/561

Rh — ROMANTIC senooL.] ordered and vigorous style presents many traces of his French origin. He is now chieﬂy remembered by Peter Sr:/zlenu'/e./, a tale of quaint a11d suggestive humour. The most distinguished dramatist of the Romantic school was Heinrich von Iileist (1776-1811), whose dramas were not represented till after his death, but have since then attracted 1m1ch attention. Some of his characters are con- ceived with great vigour, b11t in his tragic motives he lacks invention, and all his works are 111ore or less marred by morbid scntimentalism. Allied to the Romantic school, although 11ot directly connected with it, were the writers of the so-called fate-tragedies. The originator of this curious class of works was Werner (1768-1823). It would be diﬂicult to imagine a more trivial conception of fate than that which he develops in his '1'went_I/-Fem-I/a of Felzruary, which represents a series of disasters as occu1'1'ing at i11ter— vals on a particular day in consequence of a father’s curse. The notion, however, struck the popular fancy, a11d for ten years even Kotzcbue could not contest the supremacy of the fate-tragedians. The chief followers of Verner were lliillner and 1-louwald. Franz Grillparzer (1791-1872) began his career with a play—I)z'c A/mfrcm (“ The Ances- tress ")—in the style of these popular writers, but in his later tragedies he strove to attain classic force and dignity 5 and by at least one play, ;S'app/zo, he achieved a place among the most distinguished German dramatists. The whole life of Germany was to some extent inﬂuenced by the Romantic school. In politics it was represented, among others, by Joseph Giirres, who agitated with con- stantly growing enthusiasm for the revival of mediaevalism both in church and state. In philosophy Franz Xaver Von Baader followed a like tendency by entering deeply into the spirit of Jacob Boeh1ne’s mystical philosophy, and interpreting its principles in accordance with Catholic chleier- doctrine. Frederick Schleiermacher (17 68-1834) was a ‘“°h°1'- thorough Protestant, and his services to serious literature were incomparably higher than those of Baader. IIe was an admirable dialectician, and did more than any other writer ta promote in Germany a sympathetic study of Plato. Yet there is a touch of Romanticism in the vague, shadowy, and mystic language in which he presents the elements of hilolo- Christian thought and life. The love of the Romantic C_-'11 writers for previous epochs of German history and litera- m°”' ture led to the great researches of the brothers Grimm, who founded the scientiﬁc study of the German language and of German antiquities. They were followed by many de- voted scholars, among whom may be named Beneke, Lach- _ mann, Moritz Haupt, and Franz Pfeiffer. The Oriental studies of the Romanticists also promoted comparative philology, which acquired something of the character it now bears through the labo11rs of the illustrious scholars, ‘Vil- helm von Humboldt and Franz Bopp. l t_t1-_iotic During the calamitous period when Germany was “t"1S3- beaten and humbled by Napoleon the Romantic school, by continually recalling the past glories of the nation, con- tributed largely to the revival of patriotic feeling. A like result was achieved by Fichte, whose addresses to the Ger- man people, delivered in Berlin while it was occupied by French soldiers, are models of fervid yet thoughtful and digniﬁed eloquence. I11 the war of liberation the popular excitement was expressed with great spirit by Theodor Korner (1791-1813) and Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769-1860). Of these two writers Arndt is the most poetic, but few even of his lyrics have 1n11ch literary value. To judge them fairly we 1m1st think ourselves back into the epoch in which the nation spontaneously arose to avenge its wrongs and assert its independence. It was as a writer of patriotic "ickenz. war-songs that Frederick Riickert (1789-1866) opened his career. Afterwards he moved over a wide range, dis- tinguishing himself especially as a translator of Oriental Fate- tragedy. 1111101100 f Ro- .antie ‘hool. GERMANY 543 poetry. He was master of almost every form of lyrical expression, and had hardly less facility in narrative and didactic verse. As regards the substance of his poetry, he is perhaps chieﬂy remarkable for the tone of calm resig- nation which he learned from his Eastern masters. In his preference for Oriental modes of thought he has been followed in recent times by Daumer, Bodenstedt, and other poets, who, however, chieﬂy aim at contrasting the ascetic ideals of Christianity with a gayer, brighter scheme of life. The whole movement had its origin, and was virtually exhausted, in Goethe’s lVesti}.stZiv:/wr Divan. IIad the hopes of German patriots been realized after War of the war of liberation, literature might have proﬁted by the 1i_b€1‘a- growth of an intelligent national spirit. But the reward t“”‘' of the German people for their immense sacriﬁces was bitter opposition on the part of their Govcrmnents to every aspir- ation for freedom and unity. Arndt himself, who had done so m11ch to kindle patriotic ardour, was dismissed i11 disgrace from his professorship at Bonn, which he did not regain till 1840, when Frederick William IV. mounted the Prussian throne. And the brothers Grimm with other scholars were ignominiously turned out of Giittingen. The mass of the people lost interest in high thought and endeavour, and nourished itself on weak poetry like the U-rcmiu of Tiedge, and detestable novels like those of Clauren. Yet even in poetry the period U1,1and_ was not destitute of important names. Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862), whose ﬁrst volmne of poems appeared in 1815, ranks with the greatest of modern lyrical writers. He is truly popular a11d patriotic in tone, yet his songs and ballads have an ease and grace of style which raise him far above any of the Romantic school. Uhland was the founder of the so-called Swabian school of poets, of whom S“-aman the most cultivated was Gustav Schwab. Other Swabian school. poets were J ustinus Kerner, who attempted, not unsuccess- fully, to combine pathos and humour, and Eduard 1Ii3rike, whose poetry is generally of a melancholy tone, relieved, however, by touches which indicate a ﬁne sympathy with nature. The theatre was dominated by laupach (1784- 1852) and Freiherr Von Auffenberg (1798-1857), the former reigning in Berlin, the latter in Carlsruhe. Both had talent and knowledge of the stage, but there is neither genius 1101‘ art in their plays. I1n1ner1na11n (1796-1840), although 11ot without poetic power, lacked the faculty of controlling his dramatic conceptions. He was more successful in romance—his Epigonen, and still more his Jﬂinc/a/zausen-, displaying vivid fancy and a quaintly original humour. Sir Valter Scott, who was deeply inﬂuenced by German literature, repaid his obligations by inﬂuencing it in turn. One of the best of his imitators was Wilhelm Hauﬂ? (1802-1827), who had the merit of nearly putting an end to Clauren’s popularity by satirizing his style. Haufi”s chief work was Liclzteazstein, which excited hopes that were too soon extinguished by death. Wilhelm Haring, known as Wilibald Alexis (1798-1876), also began as an imitator of Scott, but he afterwards wrote more original historical romances, the scenes of which he laid in Brandenburg. Johanna Schopenhauer, mother of the philosopher, was considered in her day an attractive writer of romance, but she is now remembered only for the sake of her son. She was surpassed in vigour of thought and style by Caroline Pichler (1769-1843), who wrote several well-known historical novels. Throughout the whole of this period Germany maintained her eminence in classical study, contributions of the highest importance to the knowledge of ancient life being made by Wolf, Hermann, Boeckh, and Otfried Miiller. In history History. she produced several writers of distinction. Spittler (1752- 1810) was a worthy successor of Justus Moser iii the free and artistic treatment of historical subjects; in youth he