A journey through science:  Reading "Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre" (1829) in light of Goethe's scientific theory (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany).
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 230
Subjects: Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, -- 1749-1832.; Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, -- 1749-1832.
Description: The dissertation seeks to investigate the significance Goethe's scientific endeavours had on his literary production. Although perceived by many as conflicting areas of interest, throughout his life the author engaged with both science and literature, dedicating himself to each field with equal curiosity. The importance of his scientific work has, however, been generally overlooked by critics who focus on him primarily as a literary figure and who tend to discount his scientific manuscripts. This study attempts to rectify this scholarly oversight by illustrating the constant presence of science in the author's life and by demonstrating the importance it had on his literary work. Chronicling the development of his scientific worldview helps supports the contention that investigations into the natural world were a constant part of his intellectual life. A detailed analysis of the Colour Theory (1810), his most sophisticated study, epitomizes the complexity of his mature scientific thought. As he grew older, he increasingly drew upon his scientific  modus operandi in the writing of his late literary work, integrating scientific concepts into fictional texts. The text that I use to elucidate the interplay between his scientific and literary modes of thinking is  Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre (1829), Goethe's last lengthy prose work. The Wanderjahre conspicuously lacks a traditional literary structure and therefore cannot be easily interpreted in literary terms. It is also, of course, not a scientific treatise, but if one keeps Goethe's scientific work in mind one can readily read the text as, if not entirely conventional, certainly coherent.
Notes: Adviser:  D. W. J. Vincent.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-10, Section: A, page: 3819.