Types of Weltschmerz in German Poetry

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Braun, Wilhelm Alfred, 1873-

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"Types of Weltschmerz in German Poetry" by Wilhelm Alfred Braun is a scholarly examination of the phenomenon known as Weltschmerz, particularly as it manifests in the works of notable German poets. Written in the early 20th century, the book endeavors to define, classify, and analyze various aspects of Weltschmerz, contrasting it with general pessimism. The author focuses on three influential German poets-Hölderlin, Lenau, and Heine-each representing different dimensions of this melancholic sentiment and contributing to an understanding of its literary significance. The opening of the work sets the stage for a detailed exploration of Weltschmerz, describing it as an emotional response to the inherent suffering and evils of existence. Braun distinguishes clearly between Weltschmerz and pessimism, clarifying that the former is a more poetic and emotional state linked to heightened sensitivity and expressive of personal and universal sorrow. He proposes to investigate the selected poets through detailed analyses of their lives and writings, intending to illustrate how each poet embodies distinct types of Weltschmerz-ranging from Hölderlin's idealism to Heine's satiric perspective-and reflects broader psychological and societal conditions of their times. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Contents:

Introduction

Hölderlin

Lenau

Heine

Bibliography.

Credits:

Produced by David Starner, Ralph Janke and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 68.3 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Columbia University series of Germanic studies, vol. II, no. II

Release date is 2005-12-21