Wilhelm Muller's Poesy and Life with an emphasis on 'The Winter Journey'

The motifs of the cycle of poems "The Winter Journey" ("Die Winterreise") are ambiguous and complex, inasmuch as they reflect Mueller's thoughts and life experiences. However, previous studies have tended to overlook the context of his personal background in analyses of this work. The current literature on Mueller's life gives some insight into the relation between his return from Brussels in the late autumn of 1814 and this poetry, but they do little to illustrate the direct relevance of his personal history due to the lack of data and sources before 1815. This study is intended to address the fundamental thematic substructure for the motifs of "The Winter Journey" on the assumption that the entirety of the Mueller's life experiences up to the origin of the work bear on its motifs.;Results show that the inspiration for much of Mueller's work can be found in his youth, the trauma from the Wars of Liberation and the pain of a twice-broken heart. Schubert was fascinated by Mueller's mood of resigned despair and reflected this sentiment in a polyphonic synthesis of lyric, meter and music in his lieder of "The Winter Journey". It transcends Mueller's confessions and experience. The work is a humane expression of the universality of life. For this reason, it has taken its rightful place in posterity, just as it did in Schubert's heart.;Historical documents, current research and biographical data are applied for interpretation of his poetry and his works are used to provide a window into his life and thought prior to 1814. The analysis of each of the poems focuses on motifs and meter based on the researcher's contention that Mueller's use of common verses in several poems and certain assonants in parts of the poems convey subtle nuances of meaning in the verse. The examination of his life and work is followed by a discussion of the influence of his work. The final chapter focuses on Schubert's interpretation of Mueller's work and its relation to his compositions.