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Conversations Of Goethe With Eckermann And Soret
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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
622 pages, Paperback
Published February 8, 2018
About the author
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
13.4k books7,132 followersA master of poetry, drama, and the novel, German writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent 50 years on his two-part dramatic poem
Faust
, published in 1808 and 1832, also conducted scientific research in various fields, notably botany, and held several governmental positions.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .
With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.
Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.
Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 1, 2019
I am possibly in agreement with Nietzsche that this is the greatest book ever published in the German language. I say this for a number of reasons:
1. German is the language of the Bildungsroman, and how could there be any better Bildung than one conducted by Goethe himself?
2. On the flip side of this equation, Eckermann’s worship of Goethe produces a master-student relationship unlike anything else in Western literature. The pure positivity emanating from this book is a source of boundless creative energy.
3. It is a masterpiece of aesthetics, as it is not merely the work of a single aesthete offering opinions, nor of two aesthetes debating, but of a combination of inspired conversation and hard contemplation. Eckermann seriously believes in this stuff, and through his seriousness he convinces you to believe in it too.
4. Compared to German classics like The Magic Mountain which are unspeakably deep but also grandiloquent, this is a book that speaks to the novice and the expert alike. It introduces you to the idea of Germany and Europe through straightforward table talk, while digging in as deep as any historian of thought would be willing to go.
Some of what Goethe says is actually absurd or self-contradictory, but when he is not contradicting himself he is offering brilliant insights. In a single evening of chatting with Eckermann, Goethe prophesied that America would build the Panama Canal, England would come to own the Suez Canal, and Germany would eventually have a Rhine—Danube canal. On another evening, he transformed the concept of occasional poetry, from an act performed in court for a patron to a tribute to the ultimate patron, Nature. He performs these daily marvels with joy and cheer. It is a book you can drink from like a well.
1. German is the language of the Bildungsroman, and how could there be any better Bildung than one conducted by Goethe himself?
2. On the flip side of this equation, Eckermann’s worship of Goethe produces a master-student relationship unlike anything else in Western literature. The pure positivity emanating from this book is a source of boundless creative energy.
3. It is a masterpiece of aesthetics, as it is not merely the work of a single aesthete offering opinions, nor of two aesthetes debating, but of a combination of inspired conversation and hard contemplation. Eckermann seriously believes in this stuff, and through his seriousness he convinces you to believe in it too.
4. Compared to German classics like The Magic Mountain which are unspeakably deep but also grandiloquent, this is a book that speaks to the novice and the expert alike. It introduces you to the idea of Germany and Europe through straightforward table talk, while digging in as deep as any historian of thought would be willing to go.
Some of what Goethe says is actually absurd or self-contradictory, but when he is not contradicting himself he is offering brilliant insights. In a single evening of chatting with Eckermann, Goethe prophesied that America would build the Panama Canal, England would come to own the Suez Canal, and Germany would eventually have a Rhine—Danube canal. On another evening, he transformed the concept of occasional poetry, from an act performed in court for a patron to a tribute to the ultimate patron, Nature. He performs these daily marvels with joy and cheer. It is a book you can drink from like a well.
January 7, 2023
أفكر أني سأحب أن أعود إليه وأفتح أيّ من هذين المجلدين على صفحة عشوائية وأقرأ فيها قليلاً من حوارات المؤلف وزياراته المتكررة لجوته خلال التسع سنين الأخيرة في حياته وهو يستمع إليه كاستماع الطالب إلى معلّمه، فالمؤلف إيكرمان كان في الثلاثين من العمر فيما كان جوته يدلف إلى الثمانين، فهي ليست حوارات متبادلة بقدر ما هي استماع وتقدير لخبرة الرجل العظيم واسع الشهرة، ولا أدري لماذا كُتب على هذا العمل الجميل أنه ينتمي لتصنيف الفلسفة، فهو بجلاء سيرة ذاتية ومحاورات متنوّعة وأحاديث عامة ووصف لقاءات، وليس مما قد تجلبه كلمة «فلسفة» من صورة جهمة غير واقعية لطبيعة هذا الكتاب خفيف الروح وبسيط العبارة، والتي سيخرج القارئ له بإعجابه بحكمة جوته في الثمانين من عمره وهدوءه النفسي وتعليقاته المتأملة لما كان من حياته وخبراته، وسيعجب أيضًا بامتنان للمؤلف إيكرمان من أجل هذا التواري بشخصه ليفسح المرور للمزيد من النور إلى شخصية جوته دون أن يلقي عليه الكثير من ظلاله.
..
أجاب جوته:
بالطبع قلت ذلك، ولكن هل يصغى الناس لما نقوله نحن المسنّين؟! الكلّ يرى أنه سيعرف بنفسه بشكل أفضل ثم وفي الطريق لذلك يتوه البعض عن الطريق وينحرف الآخر طويلاً عن الجادّة، إنه لم يعد هناك وقت كاف لارتكاب الأخطاء التي وقعنا فيها، بل ما جدوى رحلتنا وإنحرافتنا على الطريق إذا كنتم أيها الشباب تريدون السير على الطريق نفسه مرة أخرى؟! بهذا الشكل لن نتمكن أبدًا من السير قدمًا إلى الأمام، وإننا لمعذرورن في أخطائنا لأننا لم نجد الطريق معبَّدًا، ولكن على الذين يجيئون من بعدنا أن يبدأوا من حيث توقفنا، لا أن يتوهوا وينحرفوا هم أيضًا! استعينوا أيها الشباب بما قدّمه لكم القدماء ثم استمروا في الطريق الصحيح، فليس كافيًا أن تتخذوا الخطوات التي سوف تقودكم يومًا إلى هدفكم، بل الأحرى أن تصبح كل خطوة بمثابة هدف في حدّ ذاتها، إلى جانب كونها خطوة على الطريق.
..
أو كما قال، وهو كتاب جميل وافر التأملات، وإن تعجّبت قليلاً من مقولة نيتشه عنه من أنه أفضل كتاب نشر بالألمانية!
..
أجاب جوته:
بالطبع قلت ذلك، ولكن هل يصغى الناس لما نقوله نحن المسنّين؟! الكلّ يرى أنه سيعرف بنفسه بشكل أفضل ثم وفي الطريق لذلك يتوه البعض عن الطريق وينحرف الآخر طويلاً عن الجادّة، إنه لم يعد هناك وقت كاف لارتكاب الأخطاء التي وقعنا فيها، بل ما جدوى رحلتنا وإنحرافتنا على الطريق إذا كنتم أيها الشباب تريدون السير على الطريق نفسه مرة أخرى؟! بهذا الشكل لن نتمكن أبدًا من السير قدمًا إلى الأمام، وإننا لمعذرورن في أخطائنا لأننا لم نجد الطريق معبَّدًا، ولكن على الذين يجيئون من بعدنا أن يبدأوا من حيث توقفنا، لا أن يتوهوا وينحرفوا هم أيضًا! استعينوا أيها الشباب بما قدّمه لكم القدماء ثم استمروا في الطريق الصحيح، فليس كافيًا أن تتخذوا الخطوات التي سوف تقودكم يومًا إلى هدفكم، بل الأحرى أن تصبح كل خطوة بمثابة هدف في حدّ ذاتها، إلى جانب كونها خطوة على الطريق.
..
أو كما قال، وهو كتاب جميل وافر التأملات، وإن تعجّبت قليلاً من مقولة نيتشه عنه من أنه أفضل كتاب نشر بالألمانية!
May 17, 2010
During the last ten years of his life, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), the famous German author of "The Sorrows of Young Werther", "Egmont" and "Faust" became mentor to a young man named Johann Peter Eckermann who had decided to make writing his career. After a few years had passed, Eckermann began to compile his most memorable conversations with the great poet, scientist and statesman of Weimar, and asked for his blessing to publish them. According to Eckermann, Goethe approved of the plan and directed which conversations should be printed. Trusting the dates provided by Eckermann, the first two volumes appeared about three years after Goethe's death in 1835, and a third volume with additional conversations was published in 1848, which also featured various discussions Goethe had with an acquaintance named M. Soret.
This edition by Adamant is a complete facsimile of the 1883 English translation by John Oxford printed by William Clowes and Sons and revised by George Bell and Sons. Hence, you will find in this one book all three volumes, including the short autobiography of Eckermann. The entries compiled from the third volume, and Soret's conversations, are clearly marked. This is an important book as Goethe did not publish his autobiography in one complete form -- this edition chronicles Goethe's last decade and reveals his personal opinions on many interesting subjects. Of importance, there are discussions with Eckermann and Soret featuring Goethe's hindsight views of his earlier endeavours, and also discussions of his work-in-progress concerning his later writings, such as the "Novella" and "Faust Part Two". In addition, the style of this compilation is quite charming to read with its nineteenth-century expressions, which helps to bring the reader back to Goethe's era, even the font-style is reproduced exactly as seen in the 1883 edition. The original select index is also included. According to Eckermann, contemporaries agreed the conversations were true-to-life representations of Goethe's personality and manner of speech. This book is a real time-capsule, a gem for Goethe devotees.
E.A. Bucchianeri, author of "Faust: My Soul be Damned for the World"
This edition by Adamant is a complete facsimile of the 1883 English translation by John Oxford printed by William Clowes and Sons and revised by George Bell and Sons. Hence, you will find in this one book all three volumes, including the short autobiography of Eckermann. The entries compiled from the third volume, and Soret's conversations, are clearly marked. This is an important book as Goethe did not publish his autobiography in one complete form -- this edition chronicles Goethe's last decade and reveals his personal opinions on many interesting subjects. Of importance, there are discussions with Eckermann and Soret featuring Goethe's hindsight views of his earlier endeavours, and also discussions of his work-in-progress concerning his later writings, such as the "Novella" and "Faust Part Two". In addition, the style of this compilation is quite charming to read with its nineteenth-century expressions, which helps to bring the reader back to Goethe's era, even the font-style is reproduced exactly as seen in the 1883 edition. The original select index is also included. According to Eckermann, contemporaries agreed the conversations were true-to-life representations of Goethe's personality and manner of speech. This book is a real time-capsule, a gem for Goethe devotees.
E.A. Bucchianeri, author of "Faust: My Soul be Damned for the World"
February 9, 2023
كتاب من مجلدين عن الاديب الالماني غوته
في اعوامه الأخيرة حيث يدون فيها سكرتيره
مراسلاته و مقابلاته الشبه يوميه مع غوته
كتاب لابأس به لمن قرأ كتب لغوته
وان لم تقرأ عنه فلن يفيدك الكتاب
في اعوامه الأخيرة حيث يدون فيها سكرتيره
مراسلاته و مقابلاته الشبه يوميه مع غوته
كتاب لابأس به لمن قرأ كتب لغوته
وان لم تقرأ عنه فلن يفيدك الكتاب
February 11, 2023
"Goethe me vio pasar, y me hizo gestos desde la ventana para que me acercara"
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews