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GOETHE'S ʻMÄRCHENʼ: AN EXPLORATION OF (IM)MATERIALITY
Author(s) -
Caisley Jennifer
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
german life and letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.1
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1468-0483
pISSN - 0016-8777
DOI - 10.1111/glal.12231
Subject(s) - materiality (auditing) , parallels , mirroring , art , aesthetics , philosophy , literature , representation (politics) , fragmentation (computing) , art history , sociology , mechanical engineering , communication , politics , political science , law , computer science , engineering , operating system
Goethe's ʻMärchenʼ, which concludes his Unterhaltungen deutscher Ausgewanderten , has long been interpreted by critics as revolving around light. This article argues that this focus on light has rather led to neglect of the role played by the (gem)stones which interact with this light to represent a core component of the plot. It reads the interplay between geological entities and light as mirroring the interplay between materiality and immateriality to offer a fresh interpretation of key points in the tale. Drawing on Goetheʼs scientific work in the fields of colour theory and geology, this article situates the ʻMärchenʼ within his wider oeuvre and fleshes out parallels (and points of difference) in the representation of (im)materiality across Goetheʼs writings. Focusing on questions of wholeness and fragmentation, the article closes with a call for a greater sense of fluidity in the approach to Goetheʼs literary and scientific writings, choosing to see them as placed on a continuum rather than as belonging to distinctly separate genres.