Historical and Philosophical Prerequisites

When discussing German Romantic poetry and poetic theory, it is important to keep in mind the turbulence of the era during which these innovations in poetic theory and practice took place. While many thinkers throughout Europe initially greeted the storming of the Bastille and the proclamation of the Rights of Man in the summer of 1789 as the culmination of an age of Enlightenment, it quickly became apparent that the French Revolution did not signal the establishment of humane, enlightened, and autonomous reason as the guiding force in politics. On the contrary: France, and soon the rest of Europe, was plunged into over two decades of war and a succession of governments, culminating in Napoleon's effort to extend French hegemony across the continent. Within the perspective of German territory, the so-called Wars of Liberation of 1813–15 ended in the final defeat of Napoleon, the stabilization of the European peace at the Congress of Vienna, and the establishment of the German Confederation. At the same time, the Austrian chancellor Metternich's (1773–1859) policies led to a restorative phase of anti-liberalism and conservatism that in turn inspired further social unrest across Europe, culminating in the Revolution of 1830 in Paris. Meanwhile, the effects of the Industrial Revolution were becoming evident; technological and industrial progress not only sped up the pace of life, but also intensified social stratification and alienation.