The Impersonality of Style. Goethe’s Aesthetics in the Light of his Correspondence with Schiller (1794-1805)
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Abstract
The letters Goethe and Schiller exchanged between 1794 and 1805 document their collaboration. In this time span, Goethe redefines the main axes of his aesthetics with the aim of balancing the category of artifice and the traditional assumptions on the imitation of nature. According to Goethe, the artist is required to shape mat- ter without letting it dissolve in an abstract and intangible dimension; at the same time, he should follow the principle that nature is fruitful as an aesthetic object only when submitted to a rigorous selection process
Keywords
- Goethe
- Schiller
- Correspondence
- Weimar Classicism
- Aesthetics
