Weimar Classicism

Weimar Classicism was a special German way of thinking and creating art. It started in a place called Weimar in the Duchy of Saxe-Wemar. The people who made this movement happen were great writers and thinkers.

It all began in 1771 when a lady named Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel asked a theater group called the Seyler Theatre Company to come to her court. Soon after, many famous writers like Christoph Martin Wieland, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, and Friedrich Schiller joined in. These writers took ideas from older ways of thinking, like Romanticism, Classicism, and the Age of Enlightenment, to make something new. The movement became very important because it helped shape how people thought and wrote for many years.

Development

Background

The German Enlightenment, also called "neo-classical", grew from mixing ideas of Empiricism and Rationalism by thinkers like Christian Thomasius and Christian Wolff. These ideas spread through many magazines and journals, shaping German and European culture.

When these ideas couldn't easily connect feelings with thoughts, or the body with the mind, Immanuel Kant created new ways to understand these links. Another way to look at this was through beauty and art. Alexander Baumgarten started the study of "aesthetics" to focus on feelings and senses, which helped lead to a movement called Sturm und Drang. Goethe and Schiller were part of this movement for a time.

Cultural and historical context

The story of Weimar Classicism began in 1771 when Anna Amalia invited the Seyler Theatre Company, led by Abel Seyler, to her court in Weimar. This company was known as the best in Germany at the time and helped start the Sturm und Drang movement. The next year, she invited Christoph Martin Wieland to help educate her sons.

Before moving to Weimar in 1775, Goethe was already famous for leading the Sturm und Drang movement with his novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. In Weimar, Goethe's writing grew more classic, inspired by ancient art. He traveled to Italy to improve as a writer and artist. After returning, he met Schiller, and they became close friends. They worked together to create new standards for literature and art in Germany.

Schiller also changed his style from wild, emotional plays to a more classic approach. Together, Goethe and Schiller invited many writers, thinkers, and artists to join their movement, which became known as 'Weimar Classicism'. This helped shape Germany's culture and later its unification.

The movement also included many women writers, such as Caroline von Wolzogen, whose novel Agnes von Lilien was published in Die Horen. Other women writers included Sophie Mereau, Friederike Brun, Amalie von Imhoff, Elisa von der Recke, and Louise Brachmann.

Between 1786 and Schiller's death in 1805, Goethe and Schiller brought together many talented people to support their ideas. This group became a foundation for how Germany saw itself as a nation.

Aesthetic and philosophical principles

Goethe and Schiller followed important ideas in their work. One idea is called "Gehalt", which is the deep feeling or thought that an artist wants to show. This feeling lives in both the artist and the person who sees or reads the work.

Another idea is "Gestalt", which is the way the artist shapes their work. This shape comes from organizing different parts, like words or pictures, in a special way.

The last idea is "Stoff", which means the material or story the artist uses. The artist picks this material so it does not distract from the main shape or feeling of the work.

Primary authors

Goethe and Schiller

Two famous writers, Goethe and Schiller, were key figures in Weimar Classicism. Goethe wrote important works like Wilhelm Meister, Faust, and West-östlicher Divan. These books are full of playful and lively ideas. Schiller wrote many plays during this time, including Wallenstein in 1799, Mary Stuart in 1800, The Maid of Orleans in 1801, The Bride of Messina in 1803, and William Tell in 1804. Their writing helped shape this special period of art and literature.

Primary works of the period

Christoph Martin Wieland

Some important works by Christoph Martin Wieland include Alceste, a stage play from 1773, and Oberon, a rhymed novel from 1780.

Johann Gottfried Herder

Johann Gottfried Herder wrote many essays and poems, such as Ideen zur Philosophie der Geschichte der Menschheit and Volkslieder nebst untermischten anderen Stücken.

Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote many famous plays and stories, including Egmont, Iphigenia in Tauris (also called Iphigenie auf Tauris), and Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.

Friedrich (von) Schiller

Friedrich von Schiller wrote plays like Don Karlos and poems such as Das Lied von der Glocke. He also wrote essays exploring ideas about beauty and human nature.

By Goethe and Schiller in collaboration

Goethe and Schiller worked together on several projects, including Die Horen, a periodical they edited, and Xenien, a collection of poems.

See also: works by Herder, works by Goethe, and works by Schiller.