Italy in the German Literary Imagination: Goethe's 'Italian Journey' and its Reception by Eichendorff, Platen, and Heine FROM THE PUBLISHER
Italy has long exerted a particular fascination on the Germans, and this has been reflected in German literature, most prominently in Goethe's Italienische Reise but also by numerous other writers who have returned to the topic. This book is concerned with two inextricably linked images - those of the German traveler in Italy and of Italy in German literature in the first third of the 19th century. Goethe's publication of his account nearly three decades after his actual journey was in some measure a vehicle to resist the challenge of a new generation of writers, who in turn would confront what they found to be a questionable, if not altogether false, representation. Hachmeister emphasizes the consequences of the disparity between the reality of Goethe's journey and his depiction of it, taking into consideration also his occasional discomfort with Italy's classical past. She shows how the German predilection for Italy is unique in the larger European cultural context of the Grand Tour, before moving on to chapters that contain readings of Italienische Reise and Goethe's R�mische Elegien. Individual chapters follow on Eichendorff's Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts, Platen's Sonette aus Venedig, and Heine's three Italian Reisebilder, each of which is to some degree a reaction to Goethe's work. These chapters investigate how the individual's reaction to Italy reflects his view of Germany and the author's role in early 19th-century German society. The conclusion offers a short glance at the continued evolution of the German fascination with Italy in the mid- and late nineteenth century.
SYNOPSIS
The German fascination with Italy, as seen in Goethe's Italian Journey and in a number of literary reactions to it.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Goethe's 1786-88 tour of Italy, and more importantly his accounts of it three to four decades later, became the standard for German travels to the southern peninsula. After examining several aspects of , published in 1816, 1817, and 1829, she considers how the three writers responded to his account between 1816 and 1831, as Italy became valuable as a potential ticket to literary success. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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