German Female Poets during the German Romanticism Period - Research Paper Example

Introduction The different concepts that were associated with German Romanticism led to philosophies and ideologies that many included in their poetry. During this time period, there were not only specific themes that were used in writing, but also a rise in different types of poets and writers. One of the changes and influences that began to alter the way that literature was looked into was from the rise in German female poets that began to make an impact during the German Romantic Period. The focus and the themes that are a part of this created a different understanding of poetry and writing. The main focus of the German female poets during this time was to create a change in consciousness in society and culture toward specific issues that were prevalent during this time frame. Themes of the Romantic Period The German Romantic period lasted from 1750-1860 and was intertwined with both Europe and America. During this time, many attached to philosophies that were based on liberalization, equality and the emergence of society into new understanding of life. As this developed, so did political societies that were a part of the idea of liberalization and the way that individuals looked at different opportunities within society. The political movements led to revolutions that were a part of society. Specifically, many that were a part of the Romantic movement and focused on liberalization also developed a strong understanding of women’s rights and equality among men and women. Intellectual and cultural activities that were a part of society also began to emerge and were intertwined with the philosophies based on different political and cultural rights for women. The different activities that were held led to an increase in the female influence over writers and also showed an emergence of more women that were able to follow in the cultural activities that were surrounding society (Murray, 2004). The combination of themes that were prevalent from the German Romantic period and from the women was known to be created from specific incidents that occurred in society. The legal crisis of women’s rights was one of the major movements in Germany that created a different identity and gender role among women. The national code that was a part of this time period began with the ideal role that women should hold. However, women began to rebel against these ideals and to create a different approach to the themes used in poetry to show that the legalities which were being created on the nation were incorrect. Nationalism was one of the responses that many held when focusing on poetry and the ideologies of the nation. Others merged into ideas of liberty and equality to drive the poetry and the concepts of the aristocratic politics that were a part of the time period. Concepts such as aristocratic privilege, bourgeois rights and educational tensions all intertwined with this and created specific differences between women and men. The challenge of the poets during this time was to question these ideologies and why they were a central component of society and politics. The women poets took a specific perspective on this, related to the suppression that was a part of Germany and which they were beginning to come out of (Ziolkowski, 1990). The concepts that were held within society during the Romantic era expanded with the themes and the ideals that women held as poets and writers. Each of the women was known not only for the specific writing and poems that they established. More importantly, there was an emergence of ideas of feminism and women’s rights within society. Women that began to write as poets focused on more than the established and traditional types of poems that were currently in society. Instead, they led into an enlightenment that was able to create an experience specifically related to women and the rights that they had to face. Female passion, self – sacrifice and the experience of being a woman in Germany were all a part of the poetry that was written during this time. Women were able to create not only different types of writing during this era, but also associated with the depiction of the role that women held in society as well as the interpretations that came from myth and the feminist ideologies. Unlike the masculine poetry that was focused on enlightenment, intellectualism and nature, women poets were able to move into the feminist age and into redefining love and passion through their poetry (Esterhammer, 2005). Women Poets and German Romanticism There were several different female poets that were able to show the different themes of liberalization, women’s rights and the private life of women during this time. Each of these poets focused on the themes that related to society and culture, as well as the political movements that were a part of this time frame. The emergence of female poets into the intellectual and cultural circles were able to create a continuation of these themes and led to several women who held a high esteem in relation to the poetry that was created during this time frame. The emergence of women as poets was able to represent an alternative voice that was a part of German Romanticism during this time frame. More importantly, there was the ability to create different understandings of the experiences that women had within society. The first changes that were noted with the women poets and German Romanticism didn’t come specifically from the poetry that was created, but was instead enforced by the actions from other women who were focused on liberalization. The first concepts of equality emerged in both England and in the United States with different treaties on the rights of women. This was followed by the German author, Theodor von Hippel, who wrote the essay On Improving the Status of Women. The main concepts that were used in the several treaties were based on the enlightenment and the rights that women should have within each country. However, it was known that the different treaties were not only about the rights of women, but also were trying to define gender identity and the roles that women had within society. Poets were then able to follow this with their own interpretations of gender identity, equality and the specific needs that women had within society. Renowned poets, such as Schiller and Humboldt created a strong association in their poetry with the concepts that were presented in these treaties. For instance, Schiller’s poem, “The Literary Lady,” focused specifically on the emotions, social status and the characteristics of women. These were developed not only to express the rights of women, but also to add into the enlightenment that was centering in Europe and America during this time frame (Catling, 2000). To add into the characteristics of women during this time, was not only a focus on liberalization, but also the association with enlightenment. Many of the women poets in Germany began to centralize their writing on bringing a sense of intelligence and understanding of the women’s role in society. One of the associations with this was the domesticated lifestyle that women led, as well as the desire to have a sense of liberalization, political power and association as more than second class citizens in society. To do this; however, the women focused on characteristics and associations that were a part of daily and domestic life. Many of the women associated with ideologies such as romantic love, materialism and the relationships that they held within society. The obligations and the desires that women wrote about in poetry was used not only to show the philosophies that women held. Instead, it was used to empower women and to show the different themes and associations that women held in society. As women began to write about the humanistic and controversial subjects, society was forced to respond by acknowledging the new impressions that women held within society. Social status and prestige were one of the themes that women used to show the ideologies that women were subjected to. At the same time, many women began to reject the ideas of romantic love in association with the social status, showing a realistic view of the issues that women had to confront. The issues then related directly to the idea that women should have a domestic place in the household, all which allowed society to recognize the depth of inequality that was a part of daily life (Borscheid, 1986). There are several women poets that represented these ideals in these works and used them for the liberalization of women. Hedwig Dohm, Louise Otto, Claire von Glumer and Fanny Lewald are some of the many overlooked names that associated with the specific themes used in Romantic poetry. Each of these individuals was known to represent a part of the women’s movement through their writing and became radical voices that allowed women to not only speak about liberalization, but also the lifestyle and thoughts of women in regards to love, culture and society. The main focus of these women was to move beyond the poetry that was masculine in nature and which represented only one side of society. Instead, the women had a focus on liberalization and radical thoughts that forced society to rethink and change the condition that women were under. “These women were exceptional: Not only were there intellectual and literary capacities distinctive, they also violated social norms and expectations for middle – class German women. Doing so, they threatened to become social deviants. If the nineteenth century German woman writer was no longer a novel phenomenon, she was phenomenon enough to be mocked, dismissed, and feared” (Joeres, 1998). The German poets that were a part of the Romantic era not only created a specific understanding of themes and the enlightenment of women. More importantly, those in society were able to see these women as ones that began to rebel against society. The poetry that was created in Germany during this time then became a central focus because of the approach that women began to take while writing. Creating a change in the social norms and breaking the rules that were a part of the society at the time through themes and the approach to writing allowed the women in Germany to create a silent revolution toward the liberalization of women. As the women poets were able to create a representation of liberalization was also an association with new ideas of romanticism and feminism. Hedwig Dohm was one of the strongest representations of this particular ideology and focused on the narrative that moved outside of the household and into the secret lives of women. Dohm used poetry as a means to show that women could be liberalized with their daily lives and the way in which they lived. One of the first pieces of literature that Dohm published was known as “Puzzling Images of Life and Death.” The main approach that Dohm took was to question Nietzshe, who had focused on the enlightenment and art for art’s sake. Dohm rebelled against this ideology, specifically because she believed that there was the need to have deeper meaning and more significance. Her response to the enlightenment in this manner led into her questions of gender and age in the same writing. The main theme of this work was to show a woman who was trying to re-live her life as an old woman because she had spent her time as a mother and wife and never had time to live the way that she desired. As this continued, Dohm was able to not only question the masculine concepts that were associated with themes during this time frame. More importantly, Dohm was able to associate this type of story with the question of the woman’s role, desires of love and life and the expectations that women held within society (Joeres, 1998). This is one of several poets who opened into feminist literary criticism and questioned the masculine approaches to the enlightenment, literature and the philosophies that were dominating over society. Conclusion The different concepts that were associated with the German Romantic Period were not only based on the Enlightenment and movement into modern styles of writing. More importantly, was a countermovement with the women poets that were a part of this time frame. The beginning of the Romantic era saw an emergence of new female poets, all which were brought into the forefront to question the ideologies that were currently a part of society. The female poets had a strong association with ideas of liberalization and radical approaches to the women’s role in society. Specifically, many of the women began to confront the concepts of feminist ideologies, domestic life and the lack of power that many had because of gender role. These associations led to poetry that was based on understanding the daily life of women and the desires that were often not available through romantic relationships and the expectations of being a domestic wife. The poets that associated with these concepts were then able to show a sense of liberalization and presented a feminist voice during this time frame that pushed into the freedoms and new representations of women. References Borscheid, Peter. (1986). Romantic Love or Material Interest: Choosing Partners in Nineteenth – Century Germany. Journal of Family History (11), (2). Catling, Jo. (2000). A History of Women’s Writing in Germany, Austria, Switzerland. London: Cambridge University Press. Esterhammer, Angela. (2005). Romantic Poetry (Vol 7). Amsterdam: John Benjamin Association. Joeres, Ruth – Ellen. (1998). Respectability and Deviance: Nineteenth Century German Women Writers and the Ambiguity of Representation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Murray, Christopher. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era: 1760-1850. New York: Taylor and Francis. Ziolkowski, Theodore. (1990). German Romanticism and Its Institutions. London: Princeton University Press. Read More