Friedrich Schiller, born Johann Christoph Friedrich Schiller, was an influential German poet, historian, dramatist, and playwright during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Schiller became one of the most universally acclaimed figures in German literature due to his works that exhibited the themes of human freedom and the necessity of justice. His early plays were characterized by the overthrow of corruption and tyranny, but his later works became renowned for their realistic and classical subjects, often featuring how humans uphold the principle of rising above the sleaze and corruption in order to attain solemnity through pacific means. The influence of Schiller has practically disappeared from the English-speaking world, but in Germany, his works are venerated as a crown of literary triumph along with those of his contemporary Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Schiller was born on November 10, 1759 to Johann Kaspar Schiller and Elisabeth Dorothea Kodweiß in Marbach, Württemberg. His father was an officer and a surgeon in the army of the Duke Karl Eugen, and was often unable to visit his family due to his enlistment in the Seven Years’ War. At the young age of seven, Schiller aspired to have a career in the clergy. However, the Duke Karl Eugen insisted Schiller enroll in the elite Karlsschule, a military academy, to study medicine. Although he was able to differentiate himself from his classmates and achieve academic excellence, Schiller found the school to be oppressive, and secretly studied literature. A year after his graduation in 1780, Schiller completed and self-published his first play, Die Räuber, drawing the attention of Wolfgang Heribert von Dalberg, the director of the Mannheim National Theater. Because of the play...
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...is ten year gap of philosophical and historical study exhibited new qualities that were not present previously. His later plays embodied his newly developed aesthetic theories on his claim of “naïve” works of art and “sentimental” works of art. “Naïve” works are moral whereas “sentimental” works have a moral. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany’s most vital classical playwright.
Die Räuber launched Schiller into a reputation of a bold and original thinker. From then on, he has had, and continues to have, a lasting impact on culture, continuing to do so in the 21st century. This influence is exemplified in the works of those after him, most notably, the works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Carl Gustav Jung, Friedrich Hegel, and Karl Marx. To this day, his works remain part of the German literary curriculum and the monuments erected in his honor endure.
Friedrich Nietzsche is recognized for being one of the most influential German philosophers of the modern era. He is known for his works on genealogy of morality, which is a way to study values and concepts. In Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche mentions that values and concepts have a history because of the many different meanings that come with it. Nietzsche focused on traditional ethical theories, especially those rooted in religion. Not being a religious man, he believed that human life has no moral purpose except for the significance that human beings give it.
Richard Hofstadter's The Age of Reform In 1955, Richard Hofstadter wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning book The Age of Reform, about the Gilded Age. Hofstadter’s arguments about the Populist and Progressive movements and their origins started debate and renewed scholarship on the Populist and Progressive movements. Many historians did not agree with Hofstadter’s arguments and published their own papers stating their conclusions based on their own research.
In terms of artists and their influences, the case of Nietzsche and Wagner has been the focal point of discussion between many great academic minds of the last century. The controversy surrounding the relationship has led many to postulate that the eventual break between the two men may have contributed to the untimely death of Wagner in 1882, and Nietzsche's eight-year writing spurt from 1883 - 1888.
During the latter parts of the Nineteenth Century, the German existentialist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote a great deal on his ideas of morality, values, and life. His writings were controversial, but they greatly affected European thought. It can be argued that Nietzschean philosophy was a contributing factor in the rise of what is considered our world's most awful empire, the Third Reich.
The beauty of Nietzsche’s philosophy lies in his prose. His thought and written word are poetically intellectual. His theologies on morality, the meaning of existence and the individual have influenced philosophers, such as Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucault; the founding fathers of psychology, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and writers, such as Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Thomas Mann and Hermann Hesse. Without a doubt he is one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, inspiring every field of theology and art.
From the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century major historical events such as the Industrial revolution had occurred. During this period of time Europe was switching into an economy that is focused mostly in the industrial field. From this emerged two social-economic classes, the rich bourgeoisie and the poor proletariats. Furthermore tension brewed from the two groups since the bourgeoisie source of wealth was from the exploitation of the proletariats. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ book The Communist Manifesto responded to the situation and created a vision of an equal communist society. The Communist Manifesto was defined by the abolishment of the bourgeois sovereign rule that followed to a revolution against capitalism
Simon Wiesenthal life and legends were extraordinary, he has expired people in many ways and was an iconic figure in modern Jewish history. Szyman Wiesenthal (was his real named and later named Simon) was born on December 31 in Buczacz, Galicia (which is now a part of Ukraine) in 1908. When Wiesenthal's father was killed in World War I, Mrs. Wiesenthal took her family to Vienna for a brief period, returning to Buczacz when she remarried. The young Wiesenthal graduated from the Humanistic Gymnasium (a high school) in 1928 and applied for admission to the Polytechnic Institute in Lvov. Turned away because of quota restrictions on Jewish students, he went instead to the Technical University
Benjamin, Walter. The Origin of German Tragic Drama. Trans. John Osborne. London: n.p., 1998. Print. fourth
Wyatt, C. (2010). Friedrich Nietzsche. In Tameri Guide for Writers. Retrieved December 6, 2010, from http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/nietzsche.shtml
When Nietzsche Wept is an inspiring novel that exhibits many of the perspectives from different theorists touched on throughout this semester. One such perspective is the existential one, and how it is related to Breuer’s behaviors and beliefs about responsibility and choice. All of Breuer’s life had been based around expectations that he placed on himself through external influence. In the novel, Nietzsche and Breuer uncover that this is was from aspects of life such as culture, and the expectations that society places on individuals. Breuer grew up Jewish, and like all his peers, wanted to grow out of the ghetto, have money, and meet all the markers for what they defined as success. Breuer never gave much thought to choosing something other
Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals can be assessed in regards to the three essays that it is broken up into. Each essay derives the significance of our moral concepts by observing
Bethany Lutheran College Goethe Dramatic Theory and Criticism THTR 420 Peter Bloedel Henry Heyer 12/2/14 Out of all of Germany’s history, one theorist and philosopher stands out as having had a major impact during the tail end of the Age of Enlightenment. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most influential men in regards to theatre, and the theory, behind how and why it is made. Furthermore, he helped to usher in the era of “Sturm und Drang” in literature. This paper will attempt to provide insight to Goethe’s life, his works, his ideas, and his influence on culture still.
Anyone who can travel across Europe and learn all forms of literature and poetry is truly an inspiration. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe truly was a Renaissance man, with many achievements under his belt. With many talents, such as literature and many sciences, he became renowned and famed for his works. Faust in particular brought him great fame and widespread adoration. Goethe was a jack of all trades who turned the world of literature on its head, and despite controversy, the world loved his work.
The ideas of the Modern Condition are clearly represented by the thinkers studied through out the course, as their writings reveal the true themes and concepts that have shaped and continue to affect society. Kushner’s play seems to embody these concepts and show how they manifest in the modern times, and what issues are still plaguing society. His characters take on the role of conveying, and in some cases embodying, the ideas of these thinkers: Nietzsche, Borges, and DeBeauvior. In this way, Kushner’s play can be said to be a product of the Modern Condition due to its representation and application of the ideas that have shaped modern philosophy.