Goethe and Schiller's Xenions by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller
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"Goethe and Schiller''s Xenions by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller" is a collection of satirical epigrams written in the late 18th century. Cast in classical elegiac distichs, the work blends literary polemic with philosophical reflection, targeting critics and cultural trends while defending a higher ideal of art and thought. The likely topic is a sharp, witty defense of reason, taste, and moral seriousness against philistinism, sentimentality, and shallow rationalism, framed
as brief, pointed couplets. The book begins with an account of the Xenions’ origin and their classical form, then presents the poems in themed groups. “Introductory” declares the poets’ purpose; “Soul and World” distills ideas on reason, nature, fate, and immortality; “Critical and Literary” assails dull reviewers and hollow trends; “Satirical and Personal” lampoons named figures like Nicolai and the Stolbergs; “The Philosophers in Hades” stages a brisk underworld colloquy with Descartes, Spinoza, Berkeley, Leibniz, Kant, Hume, Fichte, and others; “Philosophical Problems” weighs empiricism, system-building, teleology, and duty; “Science and Art” contrasts genius and imitation, poetry and natural science, and celebrates bold discovery through the figure of Columbus; and “Wisdom, Morality and Religion” offers compact maxims on virtue, truth versus error, ritual, mysticism, and the unity behind change. Extensive notes clarify names, quarrels, and allusions. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 |
|---|---|
| Author | Schiller, Friedrich, 1759-1805 |
| Translator | Carus, Paul, 1852-1919 |
| LoC No. | 15016901 |
| Title | Goethe and Schiller's Xenions |
| Edition | Second edition |
| Original Publication | Chicago, IL: The Open Court Publishing Co., 1915. |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenien |
| Credits | Markus Brenner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures |
| Subject | German literature -- 18th century -- Translations into English |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76691 |
| Release Date | Aug 17, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 389 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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