Günderrode and Early Romantic and Idealist Philosophy - Martinson

German Studies Association
"...aus dem Schiffbruch des irdischen Lebens": The Literature of Karoline von Günderrode
and Early German Romantic and Idealist Philosophy
Author(s): Steven D. Martinson
Source: German Studies Review, Vol. 28, No. 2 (May, 2005), pp. 303-326
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of the German Studies
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"...aus dem Schiffbruch des irdischen Lebens":
The Literature of Karoline von Giinderrode
and Early German Romantic and
Idealist Philosophy
Steven D. Martinson
The University of Arizona
Abstract: Due, in large part, to her unfortunate suicide, Karoline von G0nderrode (1775-1806)
has been portrayed as a victim of her times. By appreciating the quality and uniqueness
of her contributions to German culture, a much different view of the writer emerges. Her
Studienbuch constitutes a running dialogue with some of the most influential theoreticians
of her time. She created an impressive body of literature, which shows her mastery of
language, form, and action. It is especially in the area of mythology that she excels. Her
suicide should be interpreted in her own terms. For G0nderrode, death meant new life.
Wandeln ist unsterblich Sterben.

"Adonis' Totenfeier"
The romantic writer Karoline von Giinderrode (1775-1806) was especially well
read.1 She pursued many different fields of inquiry, such as philosophy; East Asian,
ancient Greek, and Nordic mythology; the history of religion, physiognomy, clas-
sical languages, in particular, Latin, metrics, and chemistry, all of which enriched
the quality of her lyrical, prose, and dramatic works. The Brentanos-Clemens
Gunda, and Bettina, the latter of whom wrote Die Giinderrode (1840), are among
the romantics with whom she associated.
The present undertaking constitutes a first attempt to illuminate the crosscur-
rents of the literature of Karoline von Gtinderrode and early romantic and idealist
philosophy, while remaining sensitive to the aesthetic quality of her works and
the turmoil of her inner world. Rather than redraw the picture of Gtinderrode as a
victim of her times or as a self-sacrifice,2 we seek to disclose the positive, produc-
tive side of Gtinderrode's contributions to German culture.3 The study concludes
with a detailed analysis and reevaluation of Gtinderrode's suicide in the light of
her many original writings.
I. Giinderrode and Romanticism

As an impoverished noblewoman, Gtinderrode sought sanctuary in the Evange
cal-Lutheran Cronstetten-Hynspergische Adelige Damenstift in Frankfurt am M
Rather than resign herself to her economic plight, however, Giinderrode emplo
her intellectual faculties and talents of artistic expression, power of intuition,
feeling to create an expansive concept of reality. As John McGowan, in his bo
304 German Studies Review 28/2 (2005)
Postmodernism and Its Critics, has seen, "Rom

hegemony of the economic by presenting an alter
vision that it insists is more inclusive."4 McGo
romanticism, the realist (political) and spiritual
Karoline von Giunderrode schooled herself in t
Novalis, Fichte, Schelling, Schleiermacher, and ot
self-education (Selbstbildung) and enriched her cr
revealed her insatiable appetite for ideas to Gund
19, 1801. "Es gehirt zu dem Leben meiner Seele
geistere; es ist auch oft der Fall; doch mu3 es imm
trinke so unm8il3ig an dem Nektarbecher bis ich i
wenn er denn leer ist, das ist unertriglich."7 In t
belief, "dal3 alle geistigen Gentisse fast durch Mi
that because ideas are shared within the intellectu
constitutes "eine Widerlegung gegen den Material
the communication (Mitteilung) of ideas and the sh
essential components of her activities as a writer.
The claim that the romantic alternative to reality
escapism into a world of one's own creation, wh
intellectual than Friedrich Nietzsche,8 denies the
more informed sense (Sinn) of reality in its total
dynamic vs. totalizing concept of reason (Vernunf
these faculties one is not only better prepared to
est sense, but with the empowerment that Geist
the traditional limits imposed upon reality in the
however, by taking seriously the relationship not o
of the individual parts to each other, the romantic
that is, a view of reality that embraces difference.
II. Giinderrode's Studienbuch

Not unlike a number of other romantic writers, such as Friedrich Schlegel, G
rode recorded many of her thoughts in notebooks. Unlike Schlegel, howeve
Studienbuch is comprised largely of excerpts mostly from the works of Ge
romantics and idealist philosophers with some interesting variations on sele
topics. Although it may appear that she simply copied the thoughts of her
contemporaries, the choice of material to study, quote, and refashion was h
Remarkably, scholars of romanticism today still refer to those writings that Gt
rode studied most carefully: Friedrich Schlegel's Athendum, Novalis' Hymn
die Nacht, Fichte's Die Bestimmung des Menschen, Schelling's Philosop
Natur, and Schleiermacher's Uber die Religion.
In this section of our study we will identify some of the intellectual affi
between Giinderrode and individual German romantics and idealist philosop
Steven D. Martinson 305
with the intention of de

thought and the originali
A. The romantic writer

Wilhelm Joseph von Sch
address explicitly the a
consciousness, the centra
ings of Nature, and the f
Schlegel's style, and as s
shared common ground.
Schlegel comprehended t
es das Wesen des Geistes
sich herauszugehen und
ist, als das Resultat eine
und grol3en jeder Form
jenes Selbstgesetzes ist,
welches die geheime Kraf
durch die allgemeine Wir
the first part of Schlege
studying the work of som
began to map out her ow
B. Giinderrode was espec

up new land," that is, N
mind (Geist).16 From No
in her notebook, two sig
mtithe/ Wolkenloses Bla
is symbolized by the clo
Consistent with the gene
was initiated within her
Giinderrode's exploratio
Novalis' "Hymnen an die
"Im Tode ist die Liebe am
ein [Geheimnis] stiBer M
love relationships with F
appreciate how Giinderr
night (Brautnacht). Time
possibility of rebirth, th
While cultivating the r
valis, mined the depths
"Der Kul im Traume" are
Gestillet meines Busen t
umnachten/ DaB neue Wonne meine Lippe saugt"

however, Ginderrode did not subscribe to the noti
dramolet, Magie undSchicksal, underscores the ve
the central hero, Ligares, uses the magic scepter to
that it is the will of fate (des Schicksals Wille) that
events. In fact, there are moments when Giinderro
cal qualities,20 as for instance in the employment o
verb hauchen, and its variants, e.g., einhauchen. Ti
(Hauch des Lebens) reinvigorates her work, creati
and poetic inspiration.
C. Gfinderrode followed her mother's example by

his works, she studied most carefully his popular
Menschen. Although we are unsure if Giinderrode
schaftslehre, she would have had some familiarity
the philosopher revisited the basic tenets of the W
chapter of the Bestimmung.
When studying Giinderrode's reading of Fichte,
the essential differences between German idealism
in particular. Fichte disagreed with Descartes' for
For Fichte, my being is such that I exist and think
in something higher than I am. "Ich bin nicht, was
will...sondern ich bin und denke-beides schlechthin; beides aber stimmt aus
einem hdheren Grunde zusammen."21 As human beings, we come to know the
world of things through (self-)consciousness. For Fichte, my thinking (denkende
Natur) is first activated by the awareness of the limitation (Beschrinkheit) of my
own person, that is, by the reality of the world of things and other human beings.
Although thinking extends from my own unique determination in nature (Natur-
bestimmung), my thoughts encounter those of others outside of me. This meeting
of minds influences the conclusions I reach concerning the nature of the external
world. In short, I am not alone in the world. I am a social being who thinks.
It is important to note here that, unlike some romantic writers, Giinderrode
rarely, if at all, addresses the theme of loneliness (Einsamkeit). In fact, many of
her works are comprised of dialogues which confirm her belief in the importance
of sustained communication (Mitteilung).22
Fichte's ruminations on nature are especially important for an understanding of
Giinderrode's work. In Fichte's philosophy, nature visualizes itself through the lens
of every manifestation of nature, including one's individual perspective. "Injedem
Individuum erblickt die Natur sich selbst aus einembesonderen Gesichtspuncte" (BM
186). I am therefore an active agent of nature: "Ich bin eine durch das Universum
bestimmte Aeusserung einer durch sich selbst bestimmten Naturkraft" (BM 189).
Who am I? "Subject und Object in Einem, das allgegenwirtig Bewusstseyende
und Bewusste, Anschauen

(BM250). The philosopher
"Absolut selbststaindig, u
da" (BM256). In the pivot
advances a thesis that is
importance to Gtinderro
Verstand erhilt, sowohl,
ganz von mir ab" (BM 25
(Denkgesetze) and must
A characteristic elemen
one should act in a way
"Bestimmung, sittlich zu
with this tenet since h
society seemed predeterm
ever resolved the questio
tion. One thing is for su
Fichte, she wished to be
selbststaindig [sein],... ni
fiir mich selbst Etwas se
Bestimmungen sein" (BM
the final cause of her ow
romanticism and idealism
that is, "mich machen, z
D. Because of her dimini

friend, Susanne von Heyd
they conducted intensiv
especially those of Fried
In a letter of August 5,
Kayser, professor of phil
visit with Karoline von G
pressed her gratitude th
something of Schelling's
tohave been endowed wit
She also felt relieved tha
theories had been engage
At first drawing upon
Gottfried Herder, Giind
of nature as perpetual, s
Werden" (II: 364). The co
(Anschauung) and reflect
of one's being into two p
Schelling conceives as "eine sich selbst organisiren

be reconjoined in consciousness (II: 371). In Sche
absolute unity of object (the world of things) and sub
that philosophy seeks, is manifested in an actual
of art. In order to gain greater insight into the na
activities, let us take a close look at a representat
analysis in the Studienbuch.
In the introduction to his Ideen zu einer Philosop
defines philosophy as a "Naturlehre unsers Geistes.
the entire system of our conceptions not in its S
Gtnderrode's notes show some minor variation on
laBt sich das ganze System unserer Vorstellung
However, at this point in her notebook, Gtinderr
Schelling's introduction to consider his conclusion
die Natur mit den Gesetzen unsers Geistes zufdillig
Dritten) zusammentreffe, sondern daB sie selbstno
Gesetze unsers Geistes-nicht nur ausdriicke, sond
seye und Natur heiBe, als sie dies thut. Die Natur
Geist die unsichtbare Natur seyn. Hier also, in der
in uns und der Natur aufer uns, mu3 sich das Pro
miglich seye, aufl~isen" (IPN 107). Giinderrode he
tion of one of the main points of his discussion int
"diese Filosophie will zeigen wie die Natur mit
zufaillig) zusammentreffe, und sie realisire, wie di
der Geist die unsichtbare Natur sei" (II: 374).
Although it has not been credited to her in the
beyond the introduction to the Ideen zu einer Phil
she sums up Schelling's explanation of the interna
based on principles ofphysics and chemistry. On oc
statements from Schelling's work reflect some, a
thought. Furthermore, Giinderrode was struck by
of attraction and repulsion, to which topic she de
notes. The Studienbuch also reflects the writer's in
light and warmth, and the chemical properties ofth
water. As we will see, she envisioned death as a ch
discussions of science, specifically natural science
in Giinderrode's literary writings.26 A major mot
Erzihlung," for example, is the opposition betwee
In retrospect, a close study of the Studienbuch
edness to many of the leading thinkers of her tim
philosophers' major theses verbatim and, at other m
eral statement of what she held to be the main tenet
Giinderrode had a comm

einer Philosophie der Nat
personally and profession
by infusing the knowled
decisive transformation in
Schleiermacher's Ober
E. For Schleiermacher,
noch praktisch, wie die
Anschauung und Gefiih
his uniqueown
perspect
termining its limits and
Giinderrode's work, as t
Endliche gleichsam aus
Endliche Un zugleich ein
seiner Grtinzen" (II: 28
that true religion has ne
one's own religion, that
Giinderrode also embra
tionen des Geistes" are
Divinity (die Gittlichkei
Geist. Only self-observ
Dasein der Freiheit," wh
to the critical idea that t
holds that humanity (M
Hauch des Lebens hin u
was struck by this idea,
articulated.
III. The Sea-Motif in Giinderrode's Work

The metaphor of life as a vast ocean is one of the oldest and most frequen
ployed motifs in human history which has been employed not only in lite
but also in philosophy, as well as other fields of intellectual endeavor. It i
an essential part of ancient mythology. For example, as Herder pointed ou
Zerstreute Blitter (1792-1793), Brahma, a symbol of creation, first appear
lotus leaf swimming over a calm sea.27
The sea-motif is especially well suited to amplify that which one is una
formulate in everyday language, such as the romantics' search for origins. G
the metaphor of the ocean depths signifies the nature ofbeing in the world
Romantic writers often employed the metaphor to mark the voyage within
the excerpts from Novalis' works that Giinderrode recorded in her Studienb
one which she complemented in her own poetry, reads as follows: "In den
Strom [ergiesen]/ Wir uns auf geheime Weise/ In

Gott hinein;/ Und aus seinem Herzen flieB3en/Wir
der Geist des hdchsten Strebens/Taucht in unsere
Lucher sees that the main mission here is crossing
of freedom.28 In her poetry, Giinderrode also depi
completing the voyage, that is, the "Schiffbruch
In the poem, "Piedro," a sailor mans the helm in
have kidnapped his love. "Dunkel ruhet auf den Was
Piedro's Schiff nur theilt die Wellen,/ Seine Ru
I:103). Wounded in the fearsome battle that ensue
the boy he had stabbed, Piedro's bride tries to con
from a dream, he turns away from his loved one,
54; I:105) The situation is tragic. "Und das stifle Ma
Angesicht,/ Michte gem vor Schmerzen sterben,/
(11. 57-61; 1:105). Seeing that the young woman is
the eternal peace of the grave. "Dunkel ruhet auf
umher,/ Piedro's Schiff erreicht die Kiiste,/ Aber
In the poem, "Zilia an Edgar," Zilia waits at the sea
who will never return.
Aesthetically, Giinderrode's literature registers considerable mastery oflanguage,
form, and action. For example, her poetry and prose often take sudden turns that
are characteristic of dramatic action. A fine example is the poem "Luftschiffer."
Here we are transported into a dream state. While rocking gently in a boat on a
beautiful, blue ocean, the "I" communes with the heavenly powers. She has drunk
deeply of the eternal ether and left earthy life completely behind. The I has visual-
ized the divine rhythm in images (bildlich) and heard the resounding ring of"des
Wohllauts wogenden Drang" (1. 12; II: 390). In short, all of the senses are tuned
to the harmony of the universe. But, "Ach!," the scene changes abruptly as the I is
suddenly encircled by fog, her vision is obscured, and clouds drive her back. Oh,
"Wehe!," the I now beholds the earth's boundaries, and the law of gravity reas-
serts its right from which no earthly thing can escape. The sudden change from the
tranquility of the dream state to reality in the narrow sense produces a heightened
form of romantic irony. The poem, "Einstens lebt ich stisses Leben," follows a
similar pattern.
Literary representations such as these work against the idea that the writer escaped
into an imaginary dream world that bore dangerous consequences.29 Indeed, anumber
of Giinderrode's works register a positive spirit. "Ich bin wie ein ktihner Schiffer, ich
vertraue mich der stirmischen See."30 An especially optimistic statement appears
in the fourteenth paragraph of her prose work, "Ein apokalyptisches Fragment":
"ich dachte,/ u[nd] fiihlte, woogte im Meer, glinzte in der/ Sonne, kreiste mit den
Stemrnen; ich fiihlte/ mich in allem u[nd] genos alles/ in mir" (I: 61).31 In her drama,
the heroines of Hildgund and Nikator (Adonia) prove to be two of Giinderrode's
strongest and most resol

discussion of these two w
ments our discussion of G
idealism and creative lite
immer wieder vollziehen
119). In the end, Giinder
her shocking act of suic
IV. Giinderrode and M

Giinderrode's biographer
for concepts of death as
of Asian and Egyptian re
Ginderrode developed an
her lover, Friedrich Cre
tantly, perhaps, Creuzer
in mythology on accoun
"mythisch, offenbarend.
Although Jean Sedlar's b
ence to Ginderrode, it re
was writing. For the late
humankind. As Sedlar ex
history of Hindustan and
in England and Germany
Herder's widely-read and
schichte derMenschheit(1
four) most ofHerder's dis
appears as a wise and lear
that Brahma was also th
Giinderrode's attention.
"die Erzieher der Jugend
14: 28). In actuality, the B
everyone one's own religi
they were tolerant, that
Ginderrode's originality
romantics regarding the
share Schlegel's and othe
embraced the notion of t
nor did she share Goethe'
ogy.35 Most importantly
did not take the next ste
Giinderrode proves to be
although she was enamor
not accept the idealist's derogatory opinion of Ind

passage from one of Schelling's letters. In English
made to this disgraceful business... [of preparing]
the fragrance of India, and the spices of Oriental s
the nerves, which lames all independent powers
Gianderrode, the fragrances of East Asia were sw
life (Hauch des Lebens) that characterizes Hindu my
poetic insights into the nature of reality as whole
idea of the integrative power of the work of art, G
rich Schlegel could only theorize, namely "a trans
poetry,... the fusion of philosophy and poetry, refl
the real."38 Clearly, Karoline von Giinderrode's lite
and ahead of, her times.
What has not been observed is that Ginderrode e
prejudice against the East. Her Geschichte eines B
cism of those proud Europeans, who think they ar
enlightened world (der Mittelpunkt der gebildeten
The Brahman teaches Almor that India's culture ex
predates all other peoples. Although, as Otto Grupp
(49), the point demonstrates that Giinderrode (an
interest in origins.
Strikingly, Giinderrode begins her tale, Geschicht
her main hero's journey from Europe over Persia
Almor's father had given up Christianity and embr
his path of development, however, Almor encoun
and training change his life. On his deathbed, the
his daughter's earthly father. Consistent with Hin
serves as a medium through whom the departed so
with that of his child.
Herder informed his readers that when Vishnu came

cruel and proud kings (16: 69). In Giinderrode's pl
stand for King Egestis' prideful desire to possess
is in love. He is unrelenting in his mission to rectif
"Ist er [der Kinig] der Fels? Wohlan! Ich bin di
seiner Stiirke reibt'..." (11. 235-236; I: 287). Lamen
banished, the queen hopes that a god will lend Nic
more determined than ever: "Ich sterbe, oder ich
though he qualifies his plan to kill Nicator, the k
ein Gott nicht rettet, fiillt er heut'" (1. 440; I: 297
Nicator stabs and kills the king, exclaiming, "Woh
Schatten" (1. 497; I: 301), that is, to the darkness
too, it seems, will follow

state. But when the capta
that he did not wish to co
wenden..." (1. 506; I: 301)
the second by his soldiers,
"Er lebe! bis wir ihn ve
rechtfert'gen kann" (1. 5
for oneself whether or n
Although she is afforded
the battle between her l
read as a cry for human
die blut'ge Macht" (1. 3
In retrospect, while the
Krishna as Vishnu with r
shares is of greater impo
es ewig bleiben,/ Denn ic
von der Sonne scheiden,/
289).
One of Gtinderrode's fragments, "Die Manen," which refers to the spirits of the
deceased in ancient Roman and Greek mythology, is a kind of Socratic dialogue
between a teacher and his student. The writer incorporates her knowledge of a
capacity that all people share in common, namely an "innerer Sinn," which she
describes further as "das tiefste und feinste Seelenorgan" (I: 34). We find a trace
of Giinderrode's idea here in the second part of the widely-read Ideen zu einer
Philosophie der Geschichte der Menschheit, where Herder identifies an internal
sense41 as one of the most basic of human "organs," that is, faculties (14: 85).
Schelling also refers to an "innerer Sinn" (1: 35) toward the end of his essay, "Ueber
die Mythen, historische Sagen und Philosopheme der altesten Welt" (1793). We
find the concept in the work of the romantics, as well. Novalis, for example, once
declared: "Aller innere Sinn ist Sinn ftir Sinn."42
In her recent book on Giinderrode that addresses Die Kunst des inneren Sinns
(2004), Helga Dormann describes the internal sense as the "Wahrnehmungsorgan
des Unsichtbaren" (98). Importantly, Dormann sees that, in the eighteenth cen-
tury, the internal sense was a number of things at once, namely the sense for the
beautiful (113) and the world of the spirit (120), a moral organ (117) and, even,
the faculty of self-reflection (125). According to a number of late eighteenth- and
early nineteenth-century writers, with the aid of this faculty the artist could envi-
sion the hidden unity of nature and spirit, as well as the purely intellectual powers
of the human being. Taking Dormann's argument a step further, by virtue of the
fact that the internal sense is universal and of a divine nature, it could be especially
helpful in creating a new mythology. Unlike the rational powers, which are capable
of analyzing nature, the internal sense comprehends the fundamental unity of al
diverse phenomena (108). Appealing, then, to the in

could effect a new unity between nature and min
the finite and the infinite. But how did Karoline von Giinderrode herself conceive
of the internal sense?
Like Herder, Giinderrode saw in the organ of the internal sense the source of
aesthetic sensibility (Kunstsinn). But Giinderrode's concept is both more expansive
and fundamental than Herder's. For her, this faculty helps us to visualize the tie
between the past, the present, and the future, that is, the flow of historical events.
It also makes possible the connection between cause and effect. Most importantly
for our discussion here, however, for Giinderrode, the internal sense is the very
source of religious and apocalyptic Vorstellungen in both ancient and modern times
and of prophecy, as well as the ground of all mythology.
In the dramolet, Immortalita, for example, Erodion, who represents the dual
unity of love and beauty (die doppelte Vereinigung, der Liebe und Sch6nheit; I:
45), and who desires immortality, casts all earthly goods aside and steers his ship
to the dangerous cliffs, "wo alles Irdische scheitemrn sollte" (I: 46). Looking behind
him at the shore between life and death, he is reassured that "Die Fakel meines
Lebens... noch jenseits der stygischen Wasser [brennt]" (I: 46). In Giinderrode's
mythological drama, an everlasting realm of love can be established only through
the coupling of Erodion and Immortalita. The writer's insight is profound, for
Immorality recognizes that it has itself been transformed by love. "Der theurer
Jiingling [Erodion] in deiner Liebe erblikke ich mich selbst verklaihrt, ich weis nun
wer ich bin, weis dal3 ein sonniger Tag diese alten Hallen beglainzen wird" (I: 47).
Only by uniting can Erodion and Immortalita finally know who or what they are:
love immortal.
V. Giinderrode's Death in the Light of Her Writings

In November 1805, Lisette Nees (von Mettingh) grew fearful that her friend
Karoline was about to commit suicide. Nees addressed the issue directly and tried
to talk her out of it. "Du ftirchtest den Tod nicht, aber fir wen wilrdest Du denn
eigentlich sterben? Die Phantasie wiirde sich an Dir richen, daB Du sie aus ihrem
eigentiimlichen Gebiete der Poesie und Kunst in die birgerlichen Verhiltnisse hast
tibertragen wollen, wo sie stirbt und Dich verzehrt" (Weilenbomrn 267). Friedrich
Carl von Savigny shared Lisette Nees' opinion concerning their friend's plan to take
her own life. He charged that she was confusing reality and fantasy. "Etwas recht
von Herzen lieben, ist gtittlich, und jede Gestalt, in der sich uns dieses Gottliche
offenbart, ist heilig. Aber daran kiinsteln, diese Empfindung durch Phantasie hiSher
spannen, als ihre nattirliche Kraft reicht, ist sehr unheilig" (Weil3enbomrn 275). At
this very time, November 1805, Giinderrode wrote to her second lover, Friedrich
Creuzer, stating that her soul would always belong to him, live for him, and die for
him (WeiBenborn 258). Eight months later, she committed suicide.
Giinderrode's reception
Frankfurt historian Johan
of Friedrich and Charlotte
to "Ueberspannung, eine
von La Roche, too, blamed
ism. Writing to Christoph
manche Opfer dem Charo
to ancient Greek mytholo
over the river into the Hades of the underworld.
The fact is, however, that Karoline von Giinderrode could not separate her
vocation as a poet-writer from her social life. For her, Fichte's moral imperative
regarding one's "Bestimmung, sittlich zu handeln" did not mean the passive ac-
ceptance of the status quo. Rather, it presupposed change, which, at times, meant
resistance and non-acceptance. In the end, Giinderrode believed that the divide
between theory and practice, the intellectual and the practical, could be overcome
only in death, which meant new life.
Almost all scholars agree that Giinderrode's decision to commit suicide can-
not be adequately explained on the basis of biographical information alone. The
intricate fabric of her collected writings contains clues as to the reasons for and
significance of her suicide, an analysis of which follows.
Hannelore Schlaffer claims that Giinderrode died for an idea, that is, as the result
of the search for cultural recognition, the highest accomplishment of which was
death. Karl-Heinz Bohrer's lengthy examination of the contours of Giinderrode's
suicide, in Der romantische Brief, is based exclusively on various exchanges of
letters, thus leaving out of consideration a large part of her work that is essential
for an understanding of her life and death. Finally, Markus Hille has advanced
the idea that Giinderrode suffered from the kind of split consciousness the author
depicts in her representation of Mohammed.
In the opening monologue of Mahomed, der Prophet von Mekka (published
1805),44 Giinderrode assigned the following words to her dramatic hero: "Zwei-
faches Leben floI3 aus diesem Gestirn aufmich herab, und ein Sinnbild war es mir
meines doppelten Lebens, das mich theilweise an die Erde und die Geschlifte der
Welt kniipft, und mich theilweise zu dem Ueberirdischen und zu seltsamen Offen-
barungen fiihrt" (I:111). Although there would seem to be some affinity between
Ginderrode's Mohammed and Goethe's Faust (that is, the Faust-fragment of 1790),
Mohammed's double life actually coincides with the idealist philosophies of Fichte
and Schelling. According to Schelling, for example, and as Giinderrode noted in her
Studienbuch, all things have a double existence (ein doppeltes Dasein), a limited
individual nature and an unlimited universal one (II: 368). When taken together,
they participate in the infinite. Quoting Schelling, Giinderrode writes: "Dies dop-
pelte Dasein ist das Prinzip aller Wesen so sind alle Kdrper und Materien der Erde
jedes fuir sich ein indiwiduelles Dasein und auch zugleich ein universelleres in dem
sie ein Element sind das zu dem groBen Ganzen de

was the sometimes agonizing tension between the
Throughout her life Karoline von Giinderrode, li
with the divide between consciousness and the ext
split within consciousness itself (Hille). From Han
following to Gunda Brentano: "Es ist hier [in Han
umsonst such ich sie zu erfiillen, umsonst sie weg
nur durch die Natur, mit der Natur wuchern, ohne
83). Her friend, Lisette Nees, too, perceived "die Sp
thaitige Verm6gen der Reflexion, sich um sich selb
numerous letters to Gunda Brentano in the fall of
evidence of a psychological battle within. On the o
talent as a writer. On the other hand, she suffere
and hypochondria. Sometimes her states of "Nicht
"Nichtempfinden" (WeiBenborn 78) would lead her
experienced the greatest ecstasy when reading
even the blessed dreams of the world of Ossian w
then dissipate like smoke (Weilenborn 82).
Finally, one could argue that Giinderrode's suici
construct a meaningful concept of Self. A key stat
Fragment" suggests this possibility: "ich schien mir
als sonst ich, meine Grainzen konnte ich nicht meh
sie iiberschritten," and, "doch fihlte ich mich in ih
of her confession, Giinderrode seems to have been
her being, that is, to know who she was because, a
had overrun its limits. We recall that one of Fichte
one's true thinking nature (denkende Natur) is acti
one's own limits. Schleiermacher advanced a simila
der Erde," Giinderrode sensed the risk that one t
when she asserted, "Was... immer sich selbst gleich
die Einzelheit zerrissen ist, das ist unsterblich" (I:
she felt "uneinig" with herself, her divided state
cured only by love immortal.
Ideally, Giinderrode could agree with Fichte con
lieben, ich will mich in Teilnahme verlieren, mich
hSchste Gegenstand dieser Teilnahme fuir mich b
mir, womit ich dieselbe fortdauernd ausfiillen ka
alles aufs beste machen... denn es ist Teilnahme an
kiinftigen Besserung" (40). But she would make "e
of a far different kind than the one suggested by
soaked with the blood that gushed from her hear
(letter of July 1806; WeiBenborn 344).
In his Bestimmung des M

individual conscience plays
the voice of conscience det
me through all of life's ex
conscience, I have both th
power to achieve it (BM25
In Giinderrode's writings,
the Geschichte eines Brahm
rator and criticizes her poi
Leben in das jenseitige," th
(and the reading public) th
character, Almor, responds
so verschieden die iuBere
innere Natur" (I: 307).
In some forms of Eastern
of Krishna that the Hindu
a happy life "bis zu seinem
Together with Buddhism
the Brahman tradition. On
of Jainism, performed wa
tradition, suicide is not ne
act, one deserving of rede
through reincarnation.
In her Studienbuch, Giind
death and life: "Und so ist
zum schinen Leben. Ich b
ich sterben der ich selbst
early on in her reading of
Menschheit, "Aller Tod wi
Gesundheit und frische Kr
which comes to bear on th
Liebesfeyer wird der Tod,
wird das Daseins Ende" (1
the suttee custom to whic
poetic verse still registers
death.
In her fragment, "Die Ma
of death as a reaper with
mischer Prozel3, eine Sche
Band zwischen mir und ih
das Zurtickbleiben des And
ein Mensch, der in allem V
Giinderrode suggests that the great divide betwee

and death overcome.
A major conception suggested by her literary writings is that life flows in

death and, together with death, creates new life. Giinderrode was drawn both
Spinoza's pantheistic worldview and Schleiermacher's belief that God embra
the One and the All. According to Schleiermacher, one must strive to "annihila
one's individuality repeatedly in order to live in the "One and All." By doing s
one flows together into the universe like a whirlpool (Novalis). Since, according
to this argument, I now belong to the infinite, there can be no final extinction
my self in death. For true religion, i.e., spirituality promises immortality. Gtind
rode noted all of this in her Studienbuch (II: 286). When taken together, the beli
structures of the "One in All and All to One" of Eastern, Hindu mythology an
the Western concept of "One and All" in Gtinderrode's work suggest that East an
West constitute parallel cultures that are united in a common soul of humanity.
As we have seen, while Gtinderrode's writings are indebted to the thought
Spinoza, Schelling, and Schleiermacher in particular, they were impacted stron
by Hindu mythology. Brahma plays a central role in Giinderrode's literary rep
resentations of "the single binding unity behind the world's apparent diversity
(Lochtefeld, 122). To the extent that the word brahma also means "the Absolut
as impersonal and formless" (Williams, 89), (Schelling's) idealist philosophy
reconcilable with Hindu mythology. Influenced by both, Guinderrode believed
have identified the connecting link between all world religions. In her Geschic
eines Brahminen she wrote, "Die Anschauung der Dinge, die Anschauung ih
Urgrundes, ist die innerste Seele der Religionen, verschieden individualisirt
jedem Individuum; aber durchgehe sie selbst die Religionssysteme alle, in al
wirst du finden ein Unendliches, Unsichtbares, aus dem das Endliche und Sichtba
hervorging, ein G6ttliches, das Mensch wurde, ein Uebergehen aus dem zeitlich
Leben in das ewige" (II: 309-10).
As exhibited by her profound interest in mythology and efforts to create a n
mythology, the romantic spiritualist contemplated the relationship between life
death and the value of an afterlife. While writing her Geschichte eines Brahmin
she assigned a thought to her main hero that helps define the nature of her spiri
life: "Es ist eine unendliche Kraft, ein ewiges Leben, das da Alles ist, was ist, w
war und werden wird, das sich selbst auf geheimnil3volle Weise erzeugt, ewig
ibt bey allem Wandeln und Sterben" (I: 309). A related idea surfaces in her poem
"Adonis Todesfeyer." As "Leben wiederkehrt zum Leben" (1. 46; I: 322), "Wande
ist unsterblich Sterben" (1. 10; I: 321).
"...aus dem Schiffbruch des Lebens"

The relationship between the finite and the infinite resurfaces in the exchange of l
ters, "Briefe zweier Freunde," between Eusebio (Creuzer) and the Ich (Ginderro
Describing the cycle of life, the I (Ginderrode) believes firmly in immortality,
Unsterblichkeit des Lebe

all things, especially in t
that is, to nature where
Sterbende der Erde ein er
sie in aufsteigenden Form
Untergang der Einzelhei
deren Leben sie lebend e
und so durch Leben und
nature of the world and its relation to the All is such that life and death become
inverse sides of the same phenomenon. Life and death do not simply complement
each other; they complete each other.
To be sure, the idea of reconciliation that the Ich posits in her letter to Eusebio46
is preceded by a series of statements and questions that recall the personal turmoil
that Giinderrode experienced in her relationship with Friedrich Creuzer. "Ob es
der Erde gelingen wird sich so unsterblich zu organisieren, weis ich nicht. Es kann
in ihren Urelementen ein Misverhiltnis von Wesen und Form seyn das sie immer
daran hindert; und vielleicht gehdrt die Totalitait unsers Sonnensystems dazu um
dieses Gleichgewicht zu stand zu bringen; vielleicht reicht dieses wiederum nicht
zu, und es ist eine Aufgabe ftir das gesammte Universum" (I: 361). Recounting
that she had stood at the "Scheidepunkt" between life and death, the Ich asks, "Was
straubt sich doch der Mensch: sagte ich in jenen Augenblicken zu mir selbst, vor
dem Sterben?" (I: 358). Maintaining her courage, she adds: "wann Lernen, Thun
und Leiden drunten noch Noth thut, wird ein Gott mir geben was ich bedarf' (I:
358).
A call back to life on earth leads the narrator to reconsider the direction she is
pursuing. "So wechselten die Vorstellungen in mir" (I: 358). "So wogten Hoffnung
und Zweifel aufund nieder in meiner Seele, und Muth und Zagheit" (I: 359). Re-
garding her lover, the narrator adds: "deiner gedacht ich, und immer deiner, und
fast alles andre nur in Bezug auf dich, und wenn anders den Sterblichen verg6nnt
ist noch eines ihrer Giiter aus dem Schigfbruch des irdischen Lebens zu retten, so
haitte ich gewis dein Andenken mit hinab genommen zu den Schatten" (I: 358;
emphasis mine). The writer then projects the desired completion of love into the
infinite: "Ich zagte dass dein Ich und das Meine sollten aufgel6sst werden in die
alten Urstoffe der Welt, dann trrstete ich mich wieder, daB unsere befreundete
Elemente, dem Gesetze der Anziehung gehorchend, sich selbst im unendlichen
Raum aufsuchen und zu einander gesellen wiirden" (I: 358).
Conclusion
For a time, Giinderrode could not answer the question that Fichte posed
very end of the first book of Die Bestimmung des Menschen: "Welche Mach
mich von dir, welche Macht kann mich von mir selbst retten?" (BM 43) Wh
the course of writing Hildgund, however, Giinderrode would answer the qu
Explaining how she managed to escape her cap

Gott, der mich befreit, wohnt in dem eigenen H
dem ist die Rettung nahe" (I: 91).
Biographically, Giinderrode's writings suggest t
first be consummated on the other side of the div
poem, "Die eine Klage," for example, the writer
Schmerz" (1.3; I: 328). Whoever has experienced th
"Der versteht in Lust die Thrinen/ Und der Lieb
sein,/Eins im Andern sich zu finden,/Dass der Z
des Daseins Pein" (Strophe 2). Her literary works
she would not simply be released from the pain o
more importantly, be conjoined "Eins in Zwei," a
experience completion in the other.
Metaphysically-religiously, and with regard to t
after death, Giinderrode pays relatively little att
psychosis and reincarnation. Rather, her work is
returning to the source of all life, where she exp
(also, Weltgeist) of the One and All and there atta
life of all.
For a fuller understanding of her life and work
no matter how demanding and disconcerting her
been, Giinderrode continued to cultivate the idea
virtue. As the I writes in her letter to Eusebio, "
in der Vereinzelung unter einander gleich zu sey
Ausdruck des erreichten Gleichgewichts mit sich
nung der Persanlichkeit mit der Allheit, und die
ein Vergessen der Pers6nlichkeit und Einzelheit
Tugend also wird schon hier auf eine geistige We
Vielheit in der Einheit vorbereitet, denn wo Liebe
Tugend, ist einerlei Streben nach Thaten der Ger
(I: 361; emphasis mine).
With the aid of a pronouncement by G. E. Less
schengeschlechts, but from Gtinderrode's own o
visions creates hope in a life beyond the grave an
history of humankind. "Ja, es muss eine Zeit de
Wesen harmonisch mit sich selbst und mit den A
flieBen, und Eins werden in einem groBen Einklan
in die ewige Harmonie" (I: 310). The fifteenth pa
Fragment" discloses Giinderrode's unshakable belie
which, to her mind and spirit, meant salvation: "
es ist nicht zwei, nicht drei, nicht tausende, es ist
u[nd] Geist geschieden, daB das eine der Zeit, das
es ist Eins, gehirt sich sel

u[nd] unsichtbar, bleibend
In conclusion, the sense o
overpowers the personal t
most valuable contributions to German culture.
1 This article is a greatly expanded version of a paper presented on June 12, 2004 at George
Mason University as part of the conference, "Literature and Philosophy: After Kant." It is
intended as a tribute to the work of Karoline von Giinderrode in commemoration of the
bicentennial of her death in 2006.
2 Wolf 1979.
3Although she is included in the bio-bibliography, the Romantik-Handbuch edited by Helmut
Schanze (Tiibingen: Kraner, 1994) contains only fleeting reference to Giinderrode, who is
seen mostly through the lens of an earlier contribution by Karl Heinz Bohrer (50-51, 70,
531). As complete and exhaustive as it seems to be, the handbook contains no separate
chapter on women writers of the time.
4 McGowan, 6.
5 In her lengthy, highly informative study, Licherperceives the writer as a"politische Dichterin"
(1996, 12). Dormann disagrees. She sees in Giinderrode's work neither Erlebnisdichtung or
the product ofa weibliche Asthetiknor political commentary or a new mythos, but rather what
she understands to be the spirit of early romanticism, namely "'freie Ideenkunst'" (13).
6 Selbig proceeds too quickly when she asserts that simply by having read the work of many
writers, Giinderrode created "ein komplexes Werk eigener Prfigung," "denn Karoline von
Giinderrode gestaltete in Unabhlingigkeit von den Urbildern" (303). Lithi shares Selbig's
opinion (70).
7 Weilenborn, Die Briefe der Karoline von Giinderrode, 77. Hereafter, references to this
edition of Giinderrode's letters appear as Weilenborn followed by the page number.
8 McGowan, 76.
9 In her time, feeling (Gefiihl) was conceived as a "denkende Empfindung der durch den
Verstand gefilterten Seele" (Selbig 302).
10 For feminist readings of Giinderrode's work, see Kord, Kastinger-Riley, Treber, and
Helfer. See Licher (1996) for a critique of the ideological-critical rigorism of some feminist
readings of Giinderrode and the past (37-38 and 42-43).
"A fine example of this is G6lz' study. Following an exhaustive analysis of Novalis' "Das
Lied der Toten," Golz concludes that "A striking feature of Giinderrode's selection as it
relates to the 'double' poem by Novalis is that none of the stanzas she selects are among
those highlighted by Novalis' centering and recentering activities or by their structural role
in his poem (e.g., the frame)" (103). However, when Ginderrode made changes to the text
she did not add to the linguistic register of Novalis' poem. Rather, she used lexical items
from other parts of Novalis' text (103).
12 Scholars have debated the potential problem of Giinderrode's reliance on or adherence
to masculine philosophical discourse. Our attention is directed to the significance of her
selection of portions of some of the most influential male writers of her time, her divergence
from their work, and where her originality lies.
13 Also the anonymous writer of the Altestes System

appreciated the aesthetic quality of philosophy. "Die P
tische Philos." Quoted by Frank (1989), 95.
14 Schriften undFragmente, 123-24. Further reference
works appear hereafter as SF, followed by the page num
15 References to the historical-critical edition of Gi
Morgenthaler are noted by volume and page numbers
orthography is preserved here in accordance with Mor
is inconsistent.
16 The word Geist, which is often translated as "mind," st
which is "spirit." Schelling's philosophy of nature, for
closely, contains the following statement, one that the
"Die Natur soll der sichtbare Geist, der Geist die uns
17 Nonetheless, Kneller has advocated that Novalis' r
absolute in his Fichte studies "marks a decisive break
from German idealism overall" (xvi). However, this poi
romantics and idealists knew each other personally an
18 For an extensive study of the theme of love and d
see Burwick.
19 For an analysis of Giinderrode's indebtedness to, and variation from Novalis, see GOlz.
20 For Selbig, "Karoline von Giinderrode wurde zur Denkerin mystischer Pragung, aber nicht
im christlichen Sinn, sondern im Sinne Schellings, denn sie fiihlte sich als Teil dessen, was
der Philosoph 'Weltseele' nannte" (305).
21 Johann Gottlieb Fichte ' sdimtliche Werke, 2:181. Hereafter: BM, followed by the page
number.
22 Ltithi sees that "das Sich-Mitteilen" is, for her, "ein tiefes Bediirfnis...in ihrer Produktion
ist sie ganz eigenstiindig und authentisch" (76).
23 Kord explores "die Abhtingigkeit des Weibes" in Giinderrode's dramas, which was indica-
tive of the social restrictions that were imposed on women in her time.
24 Quoted in F WJ. Schelling, 88.
25 IPNrefers to Schelling's Ideen zu einer Philosophie der Natur and PK to his Philosophie
der Kunst. They are followed by page numbers in the Schrdder edition of Schellings Werke.
Here: IPN 93.
26 The topic of Gtinderrode and science awaits future investigation.
27 As noted by Herder. All further references are to the Suphan edition by volume and pa
number. Here: 16: 68.
28 "Das Durchqueren der 'Schltinde der Nacht' deutet die Riickkehr zum Ursprung im Scho3
der Natur an, meint aber auch den Blick in dessen (also des Absoluten) Spiegel, die Tiefen
des eigenen Selbst (Seele)" (Lucher 1996, 142).
29 One forceful example of this view is found in Berwald's dissertation. "Throughout her
work, Giinderrode depicts all efforts of the isolated subject to merge with a motherly gaze and
to lose itself in imagined icons of oneness as futile attempts to escape alienation" (iii).
30 Quoted by Kastinger-Riley, 94; Preitz (1964), 175.
31 The metaphor was also employed by idealist philosophers such as Schelling. In his
System des Transzendentalen Idealismus, for example, Schelling argues that philosophy
and all the sciences that proceed from it were born of, and nurtured by poetry, like "ebenso
viel einzelne Strime in den allgemeinen Ocean der Poesie zuriickfliel3en, von welchem sie
ausgegangen waren" (2: 629).

32 Treder's account of the writer is unnecessarily negative: "...wer schreibend, triumend,
sehnend das endliche Leben tiberwindet, eben dieses Lebenum so unertriglicher erfaihrt" (34).
I believe that Ginderrode knew that if the suffering of earthly life could not be overcome in
and through her writing, then her life's work would be made complete upon her death.
33 Ibid., 186.
34 The English version of Mahomed Kasim Ferishta's The History ofHindustan (1768) by
Alexander Dow appeared in German translation in 1772. Christoph Martin Wieland's Merkur
for May 1775 contains two short reports on Dow's History. Herder himself referred to Dow
at least four times. For more specifics on this topic, see Lieselotte Kurth-Voigt, 53f.
35 Their common appreciation of Persian culture is another, no less important matter.
36 Curiously, Friedrich Schlegel was "the first German to learn Sanskrit on European soil"
(Sedlar, 34). For Herder, the Hindus were "der sanftmtithigste Stamm der Menschen... sie
ehren was Leben bringt" (13: 222).
37 Willson points to Sino's reference in Udohla to "die zarte Amrastade," which Giinderrode
probably knew from a translation of Sakuntala as "a beautiful flowering tree whose sweet
smelling blossoms are considered more fragrant than the water lily" (190). In fact, Herder
and Goethe were struck by the beauty of this ancient drama. In addition to his essay, "Ueber
ein morgenliindisches Drama," Herder's work contains extensive "Nachdichtungen aus der
morgenlindischen Literatur" (26: 305-443).
38 As summarized by Behler (1993)163.
39 The word "both denotes the power inherent in, and gives potency to, the sacred word"
(Lochtefeld 122).
40 Giinderrode's Nicator bears no perceivable resemblance to the historical Seleneus Nicator.
As a successor to Alexander the Great, who had withdrawn from northeastern India, Nicator
attempted to recover the emperor's Indian provinces. But he was defeated by Chandragupta
Maurya who seized the throne of the Magadna kingdom.
41 Francis Hutcheson was, perhaps, the first to refer to this organ as the "internal sense," per
Dormann, 113. I will use the same word to refer to the "innerer Sinn."
42 Quoted by Dormann, 128.
43 As noted by Schwartz, 193.
44 Selbig sees that Giinderrode's "Mohammed-Dichtungen" reflect the true "Eigenart ihres
Denkens" (305).
45 Cited by Burwick, 222.
46 According to Brukert, the Greek word, eusebeia, expresses caution, "restraint, not indif-
ference"; in short, the avoidance of extravagance and excessiveness (273 and 274), which
Giinderrode sensed in Creuzer. At the same time, the word connotes piety, which character-
ized the quality of Giinderrode's love- for both Creuzer and Savigny.
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her edition, Karoline von Giinderrode: Der Schatten eines Traumes. Gedichte,
Prosa, Briefe, Zeugnisse von Zeitgenossen. Darmstadt: Luchterhand, 1979.

Günderrode and Early Romantic and Idealist Philosophy - Martinson

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Günderrode and Early Romantic and Idealist Philosophy - Martinson

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German Studies Association

Wandeln ist unsterblich Sterben.

I. Giinderrode and Romanticism

Postmodernism and Its Critics, has seen, "Rom

II. Giinderrode's Studienbuch

with the intention of de

A. The romantic writer

B. Giinderrode was espec

umnachten/ DaB neue Wonne meine Lippe saugt"

C. Gfinderrode followed her mother's example by

und Bewusste, Anschauen

D. Because of her dimini

Schelling conceives as "eine sich selbst organisiren

Giinderrode had a comm

III. The Sea-Motif in Giinderrode's Work

Strom [ergiesen]/ Wir uns auf geheime Weise/ In

strongest and most resol

IV. Giinderrode and M

not accept the idealist's derogatory opinion of Ind

Herder informed his readers that when Vishnu came

too, it seems, will follow

diverse phenomena (108). Appealing, then, to the in

V. Giinderrode's Death in the Light of Her Writings

sie ein Element sind das zu dem groBen Ganzen de

In his Bestimmung des M

Giinderrode suggests that the great divide betwee

A major conception suggested by her literary writings is that life flows in

"...aus dem Schiffbruch des Lebens"

Unsterblichkeit des Lebe

Explaining how she managed to escape her cap

es ist Eins, gehirt sich sel

13 Also the anonymous writer of the Altestes System

ausgegangen waren" (2: 629).

Behler, Ernst. Friihromantik. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1991.

Herder, Johann Gottfried. Siimtliche Werke. Ed. Bernhard Suphan. 2d reprint

lematik im Werk Caroli

Ltihti, Kurt. Feminismus undRomantik. Sprache, Gesellschaft, Symbole, Religion.

Schwartz, Karl. "Giinderrode (Karoline Friederi

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