On The Early German Romantic Poetics: Friedrich Schlegel As A Representative

The rise of the early German Romanticism in late 18^th century is a turning point in the history of western poetics, which ended the monopoly of classicist poetics and lay a foundation for the European Romantic Movement. As an important representative of early German Romanticism with his original spirit, Friedrich Schlegel (1772-1829) made great contribution to the development of western Romantic literary theory and criticism. The literary value and cultural meaning of his poetics has drawn greater and greater affirmation since the 20^th century.Starting with Schlegel's poetics, this dissertation makes attempt to explore the social roots and philosophical foundation of early German Romantic poetics, and further to reveal its historical cultural meaning. This dissertation is composed of 5 chapters.The 1^st chapter deals mainly with the social background in which early German Romanticism rose. This chapter offers an analysis to the separateness of the German nation in terms of geography, history, religion, politics, culture, etc, and further to both positive and negative influences of the significant historical events such as the French Revolution on the German intellectuals. Great emphasis is placed on the discussion of the complicated relationship between the classical humanism represented by Goethe and Schiller and German Romanticism. Apart from that, this chapter makes attempt to revert the socio-historical context in which the early German Romanticism came into being.Chapter 2 attempts to reveal the philosophical basis of the early German Romantic poetics. The essential idea of this chapter lies in the belief that early German Romanticists tried to unify poetry and philosophy. The philosophical thoughts of the German Idealists such as Kant, Fichte and Schelling constituted vital influence on German Romantic poetics. The overall relevancy of these two parties and the core notions of them will be analyzed separately in this chapter.Chapter 3 deals mainly with the ontological and cultural meaning of the early German Romantic poetics. By discussing the ontology of living beings and the function of aesthetic salvation embodied in the early German Romantic poetics, this chapter reveals the historical role of the early German Romantic poetics, which, based on the sensual living beings, has a poetized human life as its approach to the full-rounded development of human beings.Chapter 4 focuses on Schlegel's life and the evolution of his poetic ideas. Based on a brief introduction to his life career and his academic experiences, further emphasis is placed on the summary of the development of the thoughts of Schlegel from a classicist to a romanticist and then to a symbolist.The 5^th chapter differentiates the major elements of Schlegel's poetics. Focused mainly on Schlegel's poetics in the romantic period, this chapter offers profound analysis to the contexts and connotations of the notions such as "Poetry," "Historical Criticism," "Myth," and "Roman," as well as the unique poetic discursive form of the terms like "fragment" and "dialogue."...