Goethe and Patriarchy

Faust and the Fates of Desire

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Goethe and Patriarchy by James Simpson, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Simpson ISBN: 9781351199216
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: James Simpson
ISBN: 9781351199216
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

"This book traces the history of a complex sexual fantasy which features recurrently in Goethe's writings from his days as a student in Leipzig to the final years as Europe's most celebrated living poet. Simpson shows how the young man's fantasy of innocent sexuality became an increasingly troubled one during the poet's first decade in Weimar. Goethe began to recognize in it a submerged element: the incestuous roots of desire. Triggered by this discovery, Goethe's imagination becomes increasingly analytic and diagnostic, and startlingly prefigures the work of Freud. Yet, paradoxically, Goethe's insight leads him to a triumphant reassertion of an innocent sexuality purged of those elements he identifies as 'diseased'. Central to ""Goethe and Patriarchy"" is a new account of the genesis of the first part of ""Faust"", which is shown to contain a record of Goethe's changing attitudes to human sexuality. In particular, Simpson is the first critic to demonstrate that the Gretchen episode is a deliberate ""Kontrafaktur"" of the patriarchal idyll of the ""Song of Songs"". The book explores numerous other Goethe texts and casts entirely new light on his creative imagination."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"This book traces the history of a complex sexual fantasy which features recurrently in Goethe's writings from his days as a student in Leipzig to the final years as Europe's most celebrated living poet. Simpson shows how the young man's fantasy of innocent sexuality became an increasingly troubled one during the poet's first decade in Weimar. Goethe began to recognize in it a submerged element: the incestuous roots of desire. Triggered by this discovery, Goethe's imagination becomes increasingly analytic and diagnostic, and startlingly prefigures the work of Freud. Yet, paradoxically, Goethe's insight leads him to a triumphant reassertion of an innocent sexuality purged of those elements he identifies as 'diseased'. Central to ""Goethe and Patriarchy"" is a new account of the genesis of the first part of ""Faust"", which is shown to contain a record of Goethe's changing attitudes to human sexuality. In particular, Simpson is the first critic to demonstrate that the Gretchen episode is a deliberate ""Kontrafaktur"" of the patriarchal idyll of the ""Song of Songs"". The book explores numerous other Goethe texts and casts entirely new light on his creative imagination."

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Chinese Entrepreneurship by James Simpson
Cover of the book Life-Span Maintenance of Knowledge by James Simpson
Cover of the book New Qing Imperial History by James Simpson
Cover of the book Henrietta Maria by James Simpson
Cover of the book Work, Learning and Transnational Migration by James Simpson
Cover of the book Memory and Pluralism in the Baltic States by James Simpson
Cover of the book Silver and Society in Late Antiquity by James Simpson
Cover of the book The Prehistoric Settlement of Britain by James Simpson
Cover of the book The Multilateral Trading System and Human Rights by James Simpson
Cover of the book Weeding and Maintenance of Reference Collections by James Simpson
Cover of the book Lifting the Curse of Menstruation by James Simpson
Cover of the book Constructivist Psychotherapy by James Simpson
Cover of the book Beckett and Musicality by James Simpson
Cover of the book Global Environmental Governance, Civil Society and Wildlife by James Simpson
Cover of the book Body, Femininity and Nationalism by James Simpson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy