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Goethe and Wordsworth: A comparative analysis

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Date Issued:
1988
Summary:
Although Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and William Wordsworth had no personal contact, and, in fact, were adversaries, several parallel passages show correspondences between the two artists. An examination of Faust and The Excursion reveals a strikingly similar attitude toward nature. A comparison of Faust and "Resolution and Independence" shows several significant resemblances: unusual verse measures, the use of personification, the bestowal of natural landscapes with consciousness, and the presence of images which suggest fluctuation and development. Finally, a close reading of Faust and the The Prelude reveals similar motifs such as veils, waterfalls, and mirrors; also common in both works is a satiric denunciation of scholarly learning. These parallels prove that incompatible poetic minds, without influencing each other directly, can share fundamental images, thoughts, and diction.
Title: Goethe and Wordsworth: A comparative analysis.
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Name(s): St. Pierre, Karin Lynn.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Mulvaney, Becky, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1988
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 69 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Although Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and William Wordsworth had no personal contact, and, in fact, were adversaries, several parallel passages show correspondences between the two artists. An examination of Faust and The Excursion reveals a strikingly similar attitude toward nature. A comparison of Faust and "Resolution and Independence" shows several significant resemblances: unusual verse measures, the use of personification, the bestowal of natural landscapes with consciousness, and the presence of images which suggest fluctuation and development. Finally, a close reading of Faust and the The Prelude reveals similar motifs such as veils, waterfalls, and mirrors; also common in both works is a satiric denunciation of scholarly learning. These parallels prove that incompatible poetic minds, without influencing each other directly, can share fundamental images, thoughts, and diction.
Identifier: 14480 (digitool), FADT14480 (IID), fau:11278 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1988.
Subject(s): Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von,--1749-1832--Criticism and interpretation
Wordsworth, William,--1770-1850--Criticism and interpretation
Literature, Comparative--English and German
Literature, Comparative--German and English
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14480
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.