Sturm und Drang Movement in the Context of Goethes Faust - Essay Example

?Sturm und Drang Movement in the Context of Goethe's Faust. Similarities and Differences between English Romanticism Movement and Sturm und Drang Introduction Faust – one of the masterpieces by Goethe is an epic verse drama published in two parts, the first part in 1808 and the second in 1832, which restates the German story of a man who commits his soul to the devil in return to get knowledge ands power (The Enlightenment par. 12). The phrase Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) was the title of a drama by Friedrich Klinger, first enacted in 1776. It helped in creating a trend among young writers in Germany during the 1770s. Later, critics started using the title to refer to the entire school. Storm and stress were the elements with which these writers stirred the still literary water of the eighteenth century. The new style adopted by all writers of the eighteenth century, first of all, popularized the name of Goethe throughout Germany (World History par. 1-2). Faust represents Goethe’s desire to tread the theme of Sturm und Drang along with the theme of Romanticism. The European romanticism of the age leaves its impressions in many scenes of the play, showing the pathos of the inner self, human feelings. The phenomenon named as "Sturm und Drang" happened on the global literary platform. It has left its impression not only in individual works of the time but all-pervasive in the country contexts, first in Italy and France with the renaissance period, underneath the “mighty line” of Marlowe, and in French and German literature also by the ending decade of the nineteenth century. In individual works, the feeling of “Sturm und Drang” seemed imbibed in various literary works symbolizing youthful energy. This spirit is more evident in German literature than any other literary movement of the French, Italian or English literature. Goethe was one of the geniuses of this period of “Sturm und Drang” (Robertson par. 1). It was Goethe who provided recognition to the "Sturm und Drang” movement. Goethe’s excellent personality totally prevailed upon the movement to create an epoch in the European literature. Theatre was the leading impact behind the literary works of Goethe (Robertson par. 4). Goethe’s tragedy of Faust, a play of 1775, had occupied Goethe’s mind when he was a student. It is a projection of the first stage of Goethe’s life. One can say that this play of Goethe is the Faust of the “Sturm und Drang” indicating the extremeness of the movement in German literature. There is no visibility of the silent philosophic feeling of an accomplished art in it. In the finished “First Part” (1808) Goethe’s stature rises but here he is no better than his hero. He is similar to Faust, ending in the literary declaration of unfulfilled desires of new insights and of hatred also as Schiller named it the "tintenklecksende Seculum"; life was not simple for him. There were inexplicable problems (Robertson par. 20). The very opening lines of the monologue ponder over the drama of Hans Sachs, the expression of “Strum und Drang” towards scholarship, a keen desire to quench the thirst for knowledge through nature, which the books do not provide. In the first scene of the drama there is a dialog between Faust and his “Famulus,” Wagner and another dialog between Mephistopheles and the “student”, wherein the young "Sturmer und Dranger" expresses his scorn of academic ostentation. The scene does not provide any input on how to bring Faust and Mephistopheles at a place. "Auerbachs Keller" reminds one of Leipzig, enriched with later scholarship insights, and in its previous type, creates a new and realistic impact than the final version creates on the reader. In the final version, Faust is not a serene observer of the seriousness in the philosophy of the play, as we see that it is not Mephistopheles but Faust himself opens the table to provide the students wine. The “Strasse” scene starts the “Gretchen” tragedy. Gretchen expresses his raw joy over the finding of ornaments and the ballad of "Der Konig in Thule" both are true to heart; actually overall this tragedy expresses fine pathos; the love scenes are simply beautiful where Martha takes part. See another prose scene, "Truber Tag," accompanied by the memorable picture of Faust and Mephistopheles running towards the gallows on black horses, and, finally, the scene in Gretchen's prison, a scene that resembles any scene in drama form; and all this evolving out of the mind of Goethe during his period of "Sturm und Drang" (Robertson par. 20). Do these scenes bring the protagonist i.e. Goethe nearer to the “Sturm und Drang” movement? No, on the contrary one gets the feeling of a literary work nearer to English romanticism. The desire to learn the hidden knowledge seems to be although all-pervasive, as depicted in the opening lines of the monologue but at he same time, there is scorn for available learning because of its show-off to others that scholarship desires recognition but the finer pathos and the beauty of the love scenes related to Martha and how the two leading characters, Faust and Mephistopheles running on their black horses towards the gallows introduces a touch of romanticism, away from the purity of scholarship and knowledge. There seems to be a balance in the approach of Goethe who pictures both emotions nearer to the “Sturm und Drang” movement prevailing throughout the European literature of the time but at the same moment offering vivid and picturesque presentation of the love scenes, providing glimpses of English romanticism, which can be felt even in the Gretchen prison scene. So here the similarities are somewhat visible and somewhat not, as the leading trait of English romanticism were imagination at work but human feelings got beautifully expressed in English romanticism, which is similar to the pathos and feelings expressed in the love scenes beautifully. Goethe’s masterpiece seems to be a reflection of both his time of “Strum und Drang” and the English romanticism. Regarding difference in the Goethe’s version of the Faust story and earlier versions as of Marlowe, differences are distinct. Goethe’s version redeems the protagonist from the sins committed of bargaining his soul to the Devil for fulfilling his desire to know the unknown. In the earlier versions, the leading character bears the brunt of the error committed but Goethe frees the protagonist of the play from the punishment. In fact, Goethe finds a resemblance in Faust. The play is a sort of confession of Goethe’s desire for knowledge and seeking it at any cost but there is no total defeat of the protagonist Faust at the hands of Mephistopheles, as he looses only half bet and he is not damned, as he goes to heaven. The importance of the difference between the earlier versions of Faust and Goethe’s Faust lies in not bowing to the manipulations of the devil completely and succeeding in the endeavors in the world of new realities by seeking them although at some places in the play Goethe gives the hint that these new endeavors can be pursued in the realm of nature, befriending the romanticism of the age because knowledge provided in the books becomes a reason of artificial intelligence and is limited but the nature has endless oceans of knowledge that a true seeker should indulge to be happy. Published in 1832, Goethe’s Faust differs from its earlier inspirations by providing redemption for its protagonist at the conclusion of the play. Earlier versions of the same basic story have the character ending up damned for his actions and choices. Greenfeld (323) finds the seeds of separation between the two movements. The popular leaders of the “Sturm und Drang” dissociated themselves from the ethics of the movement and returned back to the group Aufklarung under the pretense of German classicism. It was due to this twenty years period of classicism that distanced away the Sturm und Drang from the “early” romanticism at the last of the eighteenth century, getting reflected through the genius of Goethe present in Sturm und Drang. Conclusion Goethe was a remarkable personality who blurred such a division of classicism and romanticism. Such a perspective of the relationship of Goethe with both the traits of two different movements essentially blurred the basic similarity, about near total similarity of the Sturm und Drang movement and romanticism. These two rivulets flowed otherwise in the literary ocean at the same time. Such an association between romanticism and Sturm und Drang finally could not be blurred as Goethe’s Faust brought them together but it should not promote the idea that romanticism was a creation from the possibilities of the Strum und Drang and survived because of the Strum und Drang movement only. It had its own identity, which was going to be felt by the age irrespective of the works of the original geniuses of the 1770s although the “early” romantics were impressed by its peculiar traits. Thus differences were there to demarcate a line between the two movements, which complimented each other especially in Goethe’s Faust. The two movements actually erupted from the structural realities by using the common cultural means: Pietism and Enlightenment. Differences between romanticism and Sturm und Drang were not hidden but these differences were not more than the differences between various Romantics or between individual Sturmer und Dranger, between Sturmer und Dranger and other “original geniuses” of the 1770s. Works Cited Greenfeld, Liah. “Nationalism: Five Roads to Modernity.” Harvard University Press, 1993. 5 October 2011. < http://books.google.co.in> Robertson, John George. “STURM UND DRANG.” A History of German Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1902. 5 October 2011. “The Enlightenment (1650–1800).” Spark Notes. 2011. 5 October 2011. “The Romantic Movement: Sturm und Drang: AD 1771-1782.” History World. 5 October 2011. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=MnwmMOWK-PsC&pg=PA323&lpg=PA323&dq=Similarities+and+differences+between+English+Romanticism+Movement+in+context+Sturm+und+Drang&source=bl&ots=mRkqvdci81&sig=wme4B1R5jFbQ8M94Pviu4sNVJ08&hl=en&ei=jf-LTq3jCIS0rAePsvyYAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&sqi=2&ved=0CF8Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false Read More