Important historical events and social upheavals had a major impact on literature. This is because language and, above all, written products of it depict human reality. Works that were created in a certain period of time were separated from one another by social motifs and events.
Literature includes all written products and is a very broad term. The term itself was used in the past to denote the res publica literaria, i.e. to describe the scholarly sciences. It was only after the terminology changed in the course of the 19th century, in which greater importance was attributed to literature, that the current understanding of it developed.
A separation is not easy, since the transitions between the literary epochs are fluid. Therefore, chronological classifications overlap, which also means that certain works cannot only be assigned to one literary epoch, but also have characteristics of another epoch.
The literary epochs – an overview
A literary epoch is one Period of literary history that has certain characteristics. These features include themes and motifs dealt with in literature, but also important works of the time and contemporary historical events.
German literature is divided into the following eras:
Figure 1: Overview of the German literary epochs
This article is intended to give you an initial overview of the most important literary epochs in German literature. If you would like more information on the individual literary epochs, then please click on our numerous summaries, such as «Fin de Siècle» or «post-war literature».!
Enlightenment (1720–1785)
The literary epoch of the Enlightenment dealt with the reason and the rise of the bourgeoisie. She was mainly admired by German philosophers Immanuel Kant shaped.
Figure 2: The literary epoch of the Enlightenment
Contemporary background
At the time of the Enlightenment, Germany was ruled by absolutism from 1648 to 1789. The country was divided into about 350 principalities, in which absolutist princes held sole governmental powers.
Under the absolutism is a political form of rule in which all state power emanates from just one person. This ruler, also known as the monarch, made his own decisions about laws in the country without any political co-decision on the part of others. He also embodied the supreme judge.
The needs of the common people were usually completely disregarded, which led to great resentment and conflicts among the population. The absolutism ended with the French Revolution from 1789.
Important themes and motives
- Reason,
- tolerance and education,
- Enlightenment as «man’s emergence from his self-inflicted immaturity» (Kant),
- Autonomous ego as opposed to dependence on authority.
The Enlightenment was shaped by the commitment to reason. Going hand in hand with this reason, the enlightened attitude advocated for tolerance, training and independence.The following quote from the German philosopher Immanuel Kant was the leitmotif of the Enlightenment:
Sapere Aude!
Dare to use reason!
Among other things, he demanded a detachment from the arbitrariness of princes, class society and ignorance. Kant saw the Enlightenment as «Exit of man from his self-inflicted immaturity«. By this immaturity he understood the inability to think autonomously (independently), to speak one’s opinion and to criticize contemporary conditions. The counterpart to this immaturity is the «autonomous I«. This enables liberation from all dependence and leads to self-realization, progress, science and freedom.
The Literature of the Enlightenment
This dominated in the Enlightenment literature educated middle class.
The educated middle class is a social class that attaches particular importance to education, science, culture and the common good.
Above all moral weeklies gained popularity. In these the readership was instructed morally and enlightened values were suggested to the citizens.
Did you know that at the time of the Enlightenment, the complete works of the English poet William Shakespeare were translated for the first time? In 1762 the German author Christoph Martin Wieland began the translation, which was later continued by other translators.
Important authors of the Enlightenment are for example:
- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781): The German poet is one of the most important representatives of the Enlightenment. His most famous works include his dramas «Nathan the Wise» and «Emilia Galotti». Among other things, Lessing campaigned for a «Christianity of reason» and for more tolerance towards other world religions. This critical attitude led to a dispute with some theologians, which is why he was ultimately stripped of his freedom from censorship. Despite this, in his drama «Nathan the Wise» he made it into the famous ring parabola to deal with the question of the «true» world religion: Whether there is a single true world religion and what it is cannot be said, but all religions should be reconciled and tolerate each other.
- Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700-1766): Gottsched was a German writer, playwright and translator. As an enlightener, he demanded more morality and instruction in poetry. Among other things, he was the editor of the magazine «Die Reasonen Tadlerinnen», in which he suggested his ideal of reason to the readership.
Storm and Stress (1765–1785)
The literary trend of the Sturm und Drang ran at the same time as the Enlightenment, but to a certain extent formed one countermovement to her. At the center of the Sturm und Drang was the freedomthe emotionalitythe Nature and with it the so-called literary «(original) genius».
The term «(original) genius» formed the leitmotif of the strikers and drangers. The genius lived freely according to his own ideas and lived out his creativity.
Figure 3: The Sturm und Drang literary epoch
Contemporary background
At times of storm and urge prevailed enormous social inequalities. The representatives of this epoch formed a literary uprising against the social grievances, which included absolutist power structures and class barriers. The young generation rebelled against the so-called «father order».
The society of estates
A class is a social class (group). The society of estates could be divided into three estates: clergy (clerics), Noble and the simple folk (farmers, traders etc.). Over 90% of the people belonged to the third estate, i.e. to that of the common people.
The values of this literary era contrasted with the Enlightenment, which held that reason should be central. For the strikers and Dranger these ideals were outdated.
Important themes and motives
- Nature,
- artistic genius,
- Subjectivism and Emotionality.
At the time of the Sturm und Drang there was one cultural change in society and especially young people began to to question old values. The so-called strikers and urgers turned more and more to the Nature and found in her a source of creativity. For them, nature, just like man and every being, represented an image of everything divine (= pantheism). The so-called (Original) genius formed the model of the strikers and Dranger. They understood a genius to be a person who lives freely according to his own ideas and his creativity lives out Above all, man as an individual and his emotions were in the foreground.
Sturm und Drang literature
The authorship of the Sturm und Drang consisted primarily of young people. This was also reflected in the motives of the works created during this period: Friendshipdevoted lovebut also rebellion were among the main themes addressed in the literature.
Important authors of the Sturm und Drang are:
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): Goethe is one of the most important German-language poets. His epistolary novel «The Sorrows of Young Werther» is one of the main works of Sturm und Drang and tells of an unhappy love affair that ends in the protagonist’s suicide.
- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1895): Schiller’s most famous works include «The Robbers» and «Intrigue and Love». After moving to Weimar, Schiller met Goethe and became friends with him for many years. «Die Räuber» is regarded as the prototype of the Sturm und Drang literary epoch and was written by the then 21-year-old Schiller.
- Johann G. Herder (1744-1803): Herder is regarded as a pioneer of the Sturm und Drang. His fragments «On the Newer German Literature» from 1767 are among his most important works.
Did you know that the literary movement got its name from Maximilian Klinger? In his famous drama «Sturm und Drang» (1776) he deals intensively with his own emotional world. At the time, the literary epoch was still referred to as the «period of genius», and it was only from the 1820s that it was renamed «Sturm und Drang».
Weimar Classic (1786–1805)
At the center of Weimar Classicism was the humanity and harmony. The death of Friedrich Schiller in 1805 marked the end of this literary epoch.
Figure 4: Literature epoch of the Weimar Classic
Contemporary background
The literary epoch of the Weimar Classic was strongly influenced by the French Revolution: the people wanted to leave the consequences of the revolution behind and strived for a cultivated as well as orderly world.
The aim of the French Revolution was to deprive the king of his sole governmental power and thus overthrow the absolutist system. The values of liberty, equality and fraternity (French Liberté, egalité, fraternité) became the slogan of the revolution.
But not only the French Revolution, also the political instability due to wars and popular uprisings unsettled people. The society was therefore seen as a kind of project – with the help of the aesthetic self-education social harmony should be achieved.
Important themes and motives
- French Revolution,
- Humanity,
- Education of people as a task of art,
- the «beautiful soul».
The Weimar Classic can be understood as the interface between the ideals of the Enlightenment and the Sturm und Drang: It became a balance between mind (ratio) and emotions (emotion) aimed at.
motives of Greek antiquity were considered a model for the Weimar Classic (see, for example, the stage play Iphigenie auf Tauris by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). After the horrors of the French Revolution, values such as humanity, education and harmony aimed at. The «beautiful soul» embodied these values. The education of people was understood as the task of art. It was assumed here that every person already had all the potential for moral…