The Longing for Myth in Germany: Religion and Aesthetic Culture from Romanticism to Nietzsche [Paperback]

George S. Williamson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226899462 | ISBN-13: 978-0226899466 | Publication Date: July 1, 2004 | Edition: 1

Since the dawn of Romanticism, artists and intellectuals in Germany have maintained an abiding interest in the gods and myths of antiquity while calling for a new mythology suitable to the modern age. In this study, George S. Williamson examines the factors that gave rise to this distinct and profound longing for myth. In doing so, he demonstrates the entanglement of aesthetic and philosophical ambitions in Germany with some of the major religious conflicts of the nineteenth century.

Through readings of key intellectuals ranging from Herder and Schelling to Wagner and Nietzsche, Williamson highlights three crucial factors in the emergence of the German engagement with myth: the tradition of Philhellenist neohumanism, a critique of contemporary aesthetic and public life as dominated by private interests, and a rejection of the Bible by many Protestant scholars as the product of a foreign, "Oriental" culture. According to Williamson, the discourse on myth in Germany remained bound up with problems of Protestant theology and confessional conflict through the nineteenth century and beyond.

A compelling adventure in intellectual history, this study uncovers the foundations of Germany's fascination with myth and its enduring cultural legacy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This comprehensive and sophisticated work could easily serve as a textbook for an ambitious . . . college course on nineteenth-century intellectual history. Comfortable discussing Edward Said, Theodor Adorno, Sanskrit, clssical music, fairy tales, revolutionary politics, Biblical studies, Greek and Nordic deities, Williamson weaves a rich tapestry that details the breadth of intellectual life in Germany."

(David Imhoof German History )

"A finely researched, lucidly composed, and highly engaging work of intellectual history. Both students and seasoned scholars will learn something from every chapter, gaining new insights into material that seemed familiar. . . . Williamson succeeds admirably in his endeavour to resuscitate myth as a central concern for Germany in the nineteenth century, and he connects it convincingly with the religious and aesthetic culture of that era."

(Robert C. Holub MLR )

"From Schelling andf Friedrich Schlegel to Wagner and Nietzsche, Williamson travels a long, difficult road. Along the way, he expertly puts his discussion into intellectual contexts. . . . There is no match for the clarity, competence, insight, and ultimately patience evinced in this important history of the discourse of myth in nineteenth-century Germany."

(Peter Fritzsche Journal of Modern History )

"Williamson has presented the scholarly expert as well as the inquiring lay person with a thoughtful, comprehensive, and inspiring study. . . . The scholarship is thorough and impressive, and the reading is smooth. His book should soon become required reading for anyone interested in the subject of myth, in religious debates in Germany, and in nineteenth-century German culture in general."

(Anke Finger Southern Humanities Review )

"An outstanding contribution to the fields of religious and intellectual history."

(Clifton Ganyard German Studies Review )

"The subtlety and range of Williamson''s study makes it essential reading for cultural historians of modern Germany."

(Matthew Levinger Central European History ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

Since the dawn of Romanticism, artists and intellectuals in Germany have maintained an abiding interest in the gods and myths of antiquity while calling for a new mythology suitable to the modern age. In this study, George S. Williamson examines the factors that gave rise to this distinct and profound longing for myth. In doing so, he demonstrates the entanglement of aesthetic and philosophical ambitions in Germany with some of the major religious conflicts of the nineteenth century.

Through readings of key intellectuals ranging from Herder and Schelling to Wagner and Nietzsche, Williamson highlights three crucial factors in the emergence of the German engagement with myth: the tradition of Philhellenist neohumanism, a critique of contemporary aesthetic and public life as dominated by private interests, and a rejection of the Bible by many Protestant scholars as the product of a foreign, "Oriental" culture. According to Williamson, the discourse on myth in Germany remained bound up with problems of Protestant theology and confessional conflict through the nineteenth century and beyond.

A compelling adventure in intellectual history, this study uncovers the foundations of Germany's fascination with myth and its enduring cultural legacy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226899462
• ISBN-13: 978-0226899466
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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This review is from: The Longing for Myth in Germany: Religion and Aesthetic Culture from Romanticism to Nietzsche (Paperback)

George S. Williamson has written a book of massive scope that fills in all of the gaps (and wounds) left open by hundreds of other, lesser books. That is because the author is a great scholar and has the patience necessary to complete such a task. I wish I had owned it when I was an undergrad trying to understand the context of German history in which myth emerged as a central concern in Romanticism. I did not have this history available in one single book and had to run all over the libraries copying endlessly from scholarly journals and buying expensive rare books in German. This book fills that need while being a delightful and instructive guide.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of German thought, but also to students of philosophy, opera, religion, and literature. Williamson studied under Frank M. Turner, a Rhodes Scholar and author of The Greek Heritage in Victorian Britain (Yale UP, 1981). You can expect that kind of high quality here as well, you'll definitely find it. If you enjoyed Suzanne Marchand's Down From Olympus (Princeton UP, 1996), then The Longing for Myth in Germany will compliment it perfectly. I was delighted to see such a thorough treatment of the controversy stirred over Creuzer's Symbolik, and here, as well, one will find an excellent and quotable discussion of Karl Otfried Mueller (finally). It is such a delight to read scholarly work like this, with an objective approach to topics so bantered around and carelessly treated today.