Religion Reason And Culture In The Age Of Goethe

By Elisabeth Krimmer

Book Description

In an era often viewed as the triumph of reason over faith, a fascinating paradox emerges from the cultural landscape of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Germany. While intellectual giants like Goethe, Schiller, and Kleist appeared to distance themselves from conventional Christianity, their masterworks remained deeply infused with biblical references and religious themes.

Elisabeth Krimmer explores this compelling contradiction, revealing how the Age of Goethe navigated the complex relationship between spiritual tradition and rational thought. Through careful examination of canonical works including Goethe's Faust, Schiller's Die Jungfrau von Orleans, and Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas, she demonstrates that religious frameworks continued to shape literary expression even as secular philosophy gained prominence.

This scholarly investigation illuminates how German culture both influenced and responded to ongoing debates about religion's proper place in politics, philosophy, and society. Rather than simply abandoning faith for reason, the period's greatest thinkers engaged in a nuanced dialogue between spiritual heritage and Enlightenment ideals.

For readers interested in understanding how spiritual and intellectual traditions intersect, this work offers valuable insights into a pivotal moment when Western culture grappled with fundamental questions about belief, reason, and human meaning. The book enriches our comprehension of how religious thought evolved during this transformative period in German intellectual history.