The Plays Of Heinrich Von Kleist: Ideals And Illusions (cambridge Studies In German)

This is an accessible 1996 study of the plays of Kleist (1777–1811), who ranks with Goethe and Schiller amongst nineteenth-century authors and who has been a major influence on contemporary German writers. Seán Allan examines Kleist's critique of the aspirations of both Enlightenment and Romantic metaphysics, notably his suggestion that the pursuit of 'transcendent' ideals of perfection constitutes a formidable obstacle to genuine progress in human affairs. In so doing, he offers resolutions of a number of long-running controversies in Kleist criticism, as well as summarizing the state of research on all the plays. The book includes discussion of two plays usually neglected by scholars - Das Käthchen von Heilbronn and Die Hermannsschlacht. All quotations are given in both German and English and full references are given to published English translations of Kleist's works as well as to the German originals. This is a new and accessible study of the plays of Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811), an author who ranks in importance with Goethe and Schiller in the nineteenth century and has been a major influence on contemporary German writers. Sean Allan tackles a number of long-running controversies in Kleist scholarship, showing how Kleist's plays expose the contradictions inherent in the transcendent aspirations of both Enlightenment and Romantic metaphysics. Central to this critique is the view that the attempt to embrace fictitious ideals of perfection forms an insuperable obstacle to genuine human progress. The book includes chapters on two works often ignored by scholars - Das Kathchen von Heilbronn and Die Hermannsschlacht - and contains concise summaries of the current state of research on all of Kleist's plays. All quotations appear in both German and English, and full references are given to published English translations of Kleist's work. This is a new and accessible study of the plays of Kleist (1777-1811), an important and much-studied author whose work has been highly influential in contemporary German writing. Se?n Allan examines Kleist's critique of the aspirations of both Enlightenment and Romantic metaphysics, and offers resolutions of a number of long-running controversies in Kleist criticism. The book contains summaries of the state of research on all the plays. All quotations are given in both German and English, and full references are given to published English translations of Kleist's works as well as to the German originals. This is an accessible 1996 study of the plays of Kleist (1777–1811), an important and much-studied author whose work has been highly influential in contemporary German writing. Seán Allan examines Kleist's critique of the aspirations of both Enlightenment and Romantic metaphysics, and offers resolutions of a number of long-running controversies in Kleist criticism. This is an accessible 1996 study of the plays of Kleist (1777-1811), an important and much-studied author whose work has been highly influential in contemporary German writing. Sean Allan examines Kleist's critique of the aspirations of both Enlightenment and Romantic metaphysics, and offers resolutions of a number of long-running controversies in Kleist criticism. Ambiguity, paradox and self-contradiction have long been regarded as the hallmark of the Kleistian oeuvre. Seán Allan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 302-313) And Index.