Self and existence
Subtitle: J.M.R. Lenz's subjective point of view
By: Brigitta O'Regan.
Series: Studies in modern German literature ;; vol. 76
Publisher: P. Lang; Lang AG International Academic Publishers, Peter
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 145
Subjects: Lenz, Jakob Michael Reinhold, 1751-1792 -- Philosophy.; Self in literature.
Description: J. M. R. Lenz (1751-1792) was dismissed as nothing more than a passing meteor on the German literary scene by an early critic. Today, his plays are part of the repertoire of German theatre companies. Die Soldaten, an opera by Bernd Alois Zimmermann based on Lenz's plays by the same name, recently opened at the London Coliseum.

The collage-like effect Lenz produces - scenes put together seemingly pell-mell - obscures the fact it is symmetry that serves as the underlying paradigm of his drama. Self and Existence probes the nature of this symmetry and the extent to which it reflects the personal philosophy of J. M. R. Lenz, poet, essayist, and playwright.

Self and Existence also suggests that Lenz's quest for Zuwachs an Existenz (a heightened awareness of being), a quest which anticipates the existential thought of Kierkegaard, was prompted by Kant's division of the individual self into an intelligible and sensible realm.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [125]-145).