Date of Award
1933
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Modern Languages
Abstract
Critics have not yet come to an agreement as to how much Goethe took from Voss's Luise for his Hermann und Dorothea: and how much credit we are justified in giving to Goethe's originality for his production. When Hermann und Dorothea first appeared, it was scorned by a great many readers as being a rather poor imitation of Luise. Now it is undoubtedly regarded as the better productions of the two. However many critics still consider it to be an imitation of Voss, although perhaps an improvement. Certainly, Goethe was inspired to the use of the hexameter, in the telling of his story, by Voss's work; there is not a doubt of this, as Goethe himself admits the fact without hesitancy. But I feel sure that in making an honest comparison of the two poems one can easily see that the younger poet is entirely original except, as I have said, in the matter of the verse-form. Goethe's poem contains many subtleties of character and really wonderful philosophies of life, that when one studies the two poems for comparative purposes, Luise becomes weak and colorless besides the masterpiece, Hermann und Dorothea.
Pages
72
Recommended Citation
Kroeck, Bettie Louise. (1933). Hermann und Dorothea and Luise : a comparative analysis. University of the Pacific, Thesis. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/935
Rights Statement
No Known Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/
The organization that has made the Item available reasonably believes that the Item is not restricted by copyright or related rights, but a conclusive determination could not be made. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
