Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister

Abstract

This chapter details Goethe’s influence on the development of early German Romantic philosophy. It explores some of the reasons why Goethe became a leading literary influence on early German Romantic philosophy. The unique literary style of the early German Romantics is presented; in particular, their fusion of literary and philosophical approaches to central philosophical issues is explored. The modern spirit that unified Goethe and Schlegel is presented as the motivation for Schlegel’s turn to Goethe’s work. Finally, Schlegel’s analysis of Wilhelm Meister is presented as a Romantic ideal of art.