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The Fairy‐Tale as Radical Perspective: Enlightenment as Barrier and Bridge to Civic Values in Goethe's Märchen
Author(s) -
Morgan Peter
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
orbis litterarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.109
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1600-0730
pISSN - 0105-7510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0730.1985.tb00835.x
Subject(s) - politics , enlightenment , sacrifice , bridge (graph theory) , aesthetics , sociology , cohesion (chemistry) , mediation , history , law , political science , art , social science , epistemology , philosophy , archaeology , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry
The “Märchen” begins with an image of a society which is fragmented, unproductive, dormant and unfulfilled. It ends with the image of a city functioning as the cultural, social and political hub of a united nation. The River dominates the story as a test of the society for which it is a barrier. The first stage of the taie is characterized by the aimless, misdirected and restricted access of the characters to the ‘Other Side.’ However the Gold of the Irrlichter sets into motion a process which leads to the second stage, the rallying together of all the characters in order to save the life of the Youth after his impulsive act of love. The central motif of social cohesion is built around this event. The Youth's life depends on the ability of the other characters to cooperate and work together as a whole for the good of the individual. The third, utopian stage merges the personal story of the individual (the Youth and the Beautiful Lily as archetypal lovers) with the social and political history of the four subterranean Kings, through the mediation and self‐sacrifice of the Green Snake.