Die romantische Schule

by Heinrich Heine

.

Genres: Classics, Philosophy, German Literature, Romanticism, Literature, Poetry, History

450 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1833

About the author

Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century. He was also a journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder (art songs) by composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Heine's later verse and prose is distinguished by its satirical wit and irony. His radical political views led to many of his works being banned by German authorities. Heine spent the last 25 years of his life as an expatriate in Paris.

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book appeared in 1843, originally in French, and was intended to introduce a literate French audience to the major currents that had taken shape in the last generation or two in poetry and literature in Germany. It was originally intended as a sort of complement and rebuttal to Madame de Staël's De l'Alemagne, which Heine saw as a somewhat shallow salon piece.

His primary interpretive scheme relies heavily on a fairly crude and reductionist division of German authors into Protestant and Catholic camps, and the author sides strongly with the former camp, which he regards as critical-rationlalist in its main thrust, as opposed to what he caricatures as the atavistic tendencies of Catholic writers, with their anachronistic and reactionary love of the middle ages. He especially identifies this tendency with the Schlegel brothers, whom he repeatedly pillories.

Since many modern readers think of Heine as a Jewish author, it's interesting to note that he writes fully from a Protestant point-of-view, and does not identify as Jewish by confession or by heritage in this book at all.

I suppose the good romanticism for him is found in Ludwig Tieck, whose Novellen, such as Der Runenberg, he singles out for praise. He also gives a ringing endorsement to Ludwig Uhland, who to my modest knowledge is not much read today.

In my read he seemed to spend more time on his overall characterization of the tendencies of this or that movement or milieu as with any particular author. As I recall, he has not a word to say about Hölderlin, and spent very little time on Fichte and Schelling, or the philosophical inputs to Romanticism in general - he could have also spent time on Schiller's Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man, but didn't. I found his treatment of philosophy pretty superficial, and don't think he particularly understood Fichte or Schelling.

The main value of this book for me was getting a contemporaneous and somewhat catty running commentary on Romanticism as it was seen in its day by someone who actually met some of the key figures. But it lacks deep or revealing critical insight, unlike his much better critical work Zur Geschichte der Religion und Philosophie in Deutschland.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heine was hired by a French journal to write kind of a history of the newer German Romanticism in literature. Which he did, but much of the time he does so by exploring the weirdest metaphors and just roasting everyone.

Love this shit.

[Nikolay Nadirashvili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Einen aufklärenden Wert dieser Schrift abzusprechen wäre unvernünftig, vor allem heute, in der Zeit, wenn die meisten Namen, die Heine hier erwähnt in Vergessenheit gerieten (ob man einer Wiederbelebung dieser Namen heutzutage bedarf: da müssten wir uns nicht einigen). Ob die verschiedenen Teile des Werkes eine architektonische Einheit zu bilden vermögen, lässt sich wiederum bestreiten, hat aber einen Grund in der Ätiologie der Schrift. Die einzige Frage, die sich geradezu aufdrängt, ist ob Heine durch die Gewalt der Sprache sich seiner bemächtigen ließ. Es scheint mir manchmal als wäre der Gedanke Heines vom Worte gelenkt und nicht umgekehrt, wie es von einem großen Meister zu erwarten ist.

[AndreasRaptis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Να πω ότι τον ήξερα ως κάτι περισσότερο από έναν ακόμα ποιητή του γερμανικού ρομαντισμού, ψέματα θα είναι. Ελα όμως που ο τύπος αποδεικνύεται μια τρομερό πένα με κριτική ματιά που βγαζει μάτια (by all means). Δηκτικός, σαρκαστικός, είρων, έγκυρος, κουτσομπόλης, επαΐων, γενικώς δεν βαριέσαι στιγμή να διαβάζεις ντεσου και αναλύσεις για ανθρώπους ψιλοχοντροάγνωστους στους μη κατέχοντες βαθιά το ρομαντικό κίνημα. Απόλαυση, αποκάλυψη, βουρ για ο,τι άλλο έχει μεταφραστεί (επίσης, εύσημα στην σπαρταριστά εύστοχη απόδοση του Σκουτερόπουλου)

[Maxim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delicate language and heavy irony, impressed.

[Sinan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tek kelime; mükemmeldi...

[Enrique · Rating 5 out of 5]

"La escuela romàntica" es un auténtico combate por la historia en clave hegeliana. Si bien habla de poetas y literatos comprendidos entre 1750 y 1830, los encuadra en la lucha por las ideas y la emancipación de la Humanidad. Dos partidos se erigen: el católico, o de la reacción, y el protestante, o progresista. Una obra fundamental y muy divertido para entender la historia y la literatura alemana prèvia al Vormärz.

[Auli]

Riemastuttava muistelmapamfletti, jossa romantikkoudelle selkänsä kääntänyt Heine ruotii pikkutarkasti romantiikaksi kutsutun liikkeen vastenmielisyyttä. Suurin osa kirjasta käsittää aikalaisten henkilökuvia ja kirjallisuuskritiikkimäisiä jaksoja, ja joku toinen olisi voinut tehdä tästä äärikuivan akateemisen nurinan ja puisevan raportin, mutta Heine kirjoittaa kuin piirtäisi pilakuvia. Heine muuntaa kirjallisen elämän seikkailujen tyyssijaksi ja vyöryttää vinkeitä anekdootteja Goethestä, Schilleristä ja pahamaineisista Schlegelin veljeksistä. Äärimmäinen ansio näistä nauruista kuuluu loistavalle Jarkko S. Tuusvuorelle, jonka suomennos tavoitttaa saksan uusmuodosteet ja juurevat verbit ehkä paremmin kuin mikään muu lukemani. Todellakin harvinaista herkkua.

Tuusvuori on liittänyt mukaan paitsi mammuttimaiset selitysviitteet myös itse Heinen teosta laajemman "jälkipuheen" joka on kokonainen akateeminen tutkielma aiheesta (asianomaisen gradu?). Heinen liioitteleva, rönsyävä ja pippuroitu kieli on tarttunut tähänkin, ja Tuusvuoren tekstiä saa rämpiä kuin tiuhaa kuusikkoa. Etenkin alkupuoli on erinomainen tiivistys romantiikan käsitteestä.

Hyvää lämmittelyä omaan graduun.

[Joce McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

After not reading Heine for many years, it was a delight to read this essay intended as an introduction to German Romanticism for a 19th century French readership. While imbued with a witty style and marvelous Heine-esque irony, it should not to be taken at every word.