IÑIGO, CHELISSA ISABELA ANA F.

MA COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

CONVERSATIONS ON WORLD LITERATURE

J.W. Von Goethe and J.P. Eckermann

I. JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE AND JOHANN PETER ECKERMANN

A. Goethe
i. first person to formulate the concept of world literature
ii. developed the term Weltliteratur
iii. voracious reader and prolific writer
iv. The Sorrows of Young Werther; Faust
p.17, Conversations
B. Eckermann
i. Goethe's friend and secretary
ii. Conversations with Goethe
http://www.eckermannhaus.de/html/j__p__eckermann1.html
II. “WELTLITERATUR”
A. ‘World literature’
B. term coined by Goethe to suggest capacity of literature to transcend national and linguistic boundaries
http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803121736102
III. “CONVERSATIONS”
A. reflection of literature from around the world, including those of Goethe himself
p.18, Conversations
IV. LITERATURE AND AUTHORS DISCUSSED
A. Chansons de Beranger (Beranger)
i. poetic work by Pierre-Jean de Béranger
https://www.poesie-francaise.fr/chansons-pierre-jean-de-beranger
i. perfect in the eyes of Goethe
ii. almost partial to the vulgar, and disregarding of accepted conventions and styles
iii. reminiscent of works of Horace and Hafiz
p. 18, Conversations
iv. Pierre-Jean de Béranger
a) French poet and writer of popular songs
b) celebrated for liberal and humanitarian views when French society was undergoing rapid and violent change
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pierre-Jean-de-Beranger
B. Horace and Hafiz
i. among the greatest poets of the world
ii. despite differences in motifs, concepts, and notion infrastructures, are similar in their Epicurean (Epicurus: Greek
philosopher) notions
iii. agree on notions on carpe diem, death acceptance, greed, absence, drinking, and being happy leading the readers to
perceptiveness and new horizons
http://jlsb.science-line.com/attachments/article/27/J.%20Life%20Sci.%20Biomed.%204(1)%2035-39,%202014.pdf
C. Helena (Goethe)
i. just-completed drama that begins as a tragedy* and ends as a modern drama**
* Tragedy: play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of
the main character
**Drama: composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character, or to tell a story usually involving
conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue; typically designed for theatrical performance
ii. possesses antiquity and a romantic element
iii. material is so rich, and heavy demands are made upon the reader
iv. appeals to all the senses; makes for a great spectacle of scenery and costume
p.19, Conversations

D. Die Novelle (Goethe),

i. a novel then-in-progress
ii. Eckermann suggested that Goethe not make a planned change to introduction, a change wherein he would have
people come in sooner rather than later in the novel; Goethe agreed and said that the change would have been a
wrong move; he says that it [the change] was merely a "case in aesthetics" and that rules (such as aesthetics) should
be broken to avoid a fault
p. 20, Conversations
E. Wahlverwandtschaften (Goethe)

The book is situated around the city of Weimar. Goethe's main characters are Eduard and Charlotte, an aristocratic couple
both in their second marriage, enjoying an idyllic but semi-dull life on the grounds of their rural estate. They invite the
Captain, Eduard's childhood friend, and Ottilie, the beautiful, orphaned, coming-of-age niece of Charlotte, to live with
them. The decision to invite Ottilie and the Captain is described as an "experiment" and this is exactly what it is. The
house and its surrounding gardens are described as "a chemical retort in which the human elements are brought together
for the reader to observe the resulting reaction."
Smith, Peter, D. (2001). Elective Affinities. Abstract from the article that appears in Prometheus 04 .

i. According to Goethe, may be called a novel because it discusses an unheard-of event

IÑIGO, CHELISSA ISABELA ANA F. MA COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

p. 20, Conversations

F. The Prison Key (Herr Gerhard)

i. translation of a Serbian poem
ii. beautiful, simple, clear, no disturbance in the contemplation of the object
iii. for Eckermann though, conclusion seemed abrupt and unsatisfactory; Goethe disagrees and says that is the beauty
of it
iv. Goethe feels that technical practice has done well for Gerhard and that he is at an advantage for having no actual
literary profession, but rather, one that takes him into practical life
p. 21, Conversations
G. Kunst and Alterthum (Goethe)
i. A journal
H. Chinese Romance Novel
i. in Chinese literary works, external nature is always associated with the human figures – goldfish splash, birds sing,
day is serene, night is clear, etc..
ii. an infinite number of legends which are constantly introduced into the narrative and are applied almost like proverbs,
all turning upon what is moral and proper
p.22-23, Conversations
I. Hermann and Dorothea (Goethe)
i. an idyll*** which portrays in Greek hexameters the fate of German refugees from the French Revolution
***Idyll: a short description in verse or prose of a picturesque scene or incident, especially in rustic life
https://www.britannica.com/art/German-literature/Late-Middle-Ages-and-early-Renaissance#ref794585
J. English Novels (Richardson),
i. Samuel Richardson
a) English novelist who expanded the dramatic possibilities of the novel by his invention and use of the epistolary
novel****
***Epistolary Novel: a novel told through the medium of letters written by one or more of the characters
b) Pamela; Clarissa
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Richardson
K. French Poetry
i. Goethe:
a) 'like those of Beranger, not thoroughly moral, unlike the subjects of Chinese poems'
p.22, Conversations
L. Herr Von Matthison
i. Friedrich von Matthisson
a) German poet whose verses were praised for their melancholy sweetness and pastoral descriptive passages
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Friedrich-von-Matthisson
M. Ancient Greeks
i. Goethe:
a) 'their works represent the beauty of mankind – the model for literature'
p. 23, Conversations
N. Alexander Manzoni
i. Goethe:
a) 'lacks nothing except to know what a good poet he is'
b) 'has too much respect for history'
c) 'faithful to detail'
d) 'though facts are historical, characters are not'
p.23, Conversations
ii. Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni
a) Italian poet and novelist
b) set the basis for the modern Italian language
c) helped creating linguistic unity throughout Italy
d) The Betrothed (generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature)
Pollard, John (2008). Catholicism in Modern Italy: Religion, Society and Politics Since 1861. Routledge. p. 18.
DiScala, Spencer M. (2018). Italy: From Revolution to Republic, 1700 to the Present, Fourth Edition. Routledge.
O. Shakespeare
i. Goethe:
a) 'writes his characters as more than they are in history'
p.24, Conversations
ii. William Shakespeare
a) English poet, dramatist, and actor, often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the
greatest dramatist of all time
https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Shakespeare
P. Philoctetes (Sophocles)
i. Goethe:
a) 'best treatment of the character and his story'
b) 'all Sophocles' characters bear something of his lofty soul'
p.24, Conversations
IÑIGO, CHELISSA ISABELA ANA F. MA COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

ii. Sophocles
a) with Aeschylus and Euripides, one of classical Athens’ three great tragic playwrights
b) Oedipus the King
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sophocles
Q. Aeschylus
i. Aeschylus
a) first of classical Athens’ great dramatists
b) raised the emerging art of tragedy to great heights of poetry and theatrical power
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aeschylus-Greek-dramatist
R. Phaethon (Euripedes)

In classical mythology, Phaethon is the child of the sun god Helios, who tries to drive his father's chariot and is killed in the
attempt. Euripides explains how this happened: Helios had seduced Phaeton's mother – already betrothed to another –
and as the price of her seduction had promised to grant her a favour. As an adult, Phaethon claims the promise and asks
to drive his father's chariot, with disastrous consequences.
https://www.oberonbooks.com/phaethon.html

i. Euripides
a) last of classical Athens’s three great tragic dramatists, following Aeschylus and Sophocles
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Euripides
S. Wilhelm Meister (Goethe)
i. 'Mignon'
a) character in Goethe's novel
b) recreated by many writers, including Walter Scott
http://www.academia.edu/32518166/The_figure_of_Mignon_in_Goethes_Wilhelm
V. TERMS AND PHRASES USED
A. “NOVEL”
i. peculiar and as yet unheard of event
p.20, Conversations
B. “POEM”
i. ancient ones had no titles, modern ones do; titles are meant to name things and distinguish them
p.20, Conversations
C. “ABRUPT AND UNSATISFACTORY CONCLUSION”
i. leaves a sting in the heart
ii. imagination of reader is excited to devise every possible case that can follow
p.20, Conversations
D. “PROSE VS. POETRY”
i. to write prose, one must have something to say
ii. he who has nothing to say can still write verses and rhymes
p.21, Conversations
E. “POETRY”
i. universal possession of mankind, revealing itself everywhere and at all times
p.22, Conversations
F. “NATIONAL LITERATURE VS. WORLD LITERATURE”
i. National Literature: unmeaning term
ii. World Literature: everyone must strive to hasten its approach
p.23, Conversations
G. “THE POET”
i. 'What would be his use if he only repeated the record of the historian?'
ii. must go further and give something higher and better
iii. should not always be asking whether a subject has been used before, and look to south and north for unheard-of
adventures
iv. require intellect and great talent to make something of a simple subject by a masterly treatment
p.23-24 Conversations