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Mikhail Busch's Master's Thesis Spirituality and German Romanticism: The Influence of Jakob Böhme on Novalis and Caspar David Friedrich by Mikhail Busch Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Victoria, 2014 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department Germanic and Slavic Studies, School of Germanic Studies © Mikhail Busch 2020 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This Thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. We acknowledge and respect the Lekwungen Peoples on whose traditional territories the University of Victoria stands, and the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSANEC peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day. ii Supervisory Committee Spirituality and German Romanticism: The Influence of Jakob Böhme on Novalis and Caspar David Friedrich by Mikhail Busch Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Victoria, 2014 Supervisory Committee Dr. Elena Pnevmonidou, Germanic Studies Supervisor Dr. Matthew Pollard, Germanic Studies Departmental Member iii Abstract This Master’s thesis shall attempt to reconcile the notion of the spiritual with that of the aesthetic by focusing on the influence of 16th century German mystic Jakob Böhme, with the 19th century cultural movement of German Romanticism. Böhme’s mysticism outlined a spiritual paradigm that fused alchemy with Christianity wherein the properties of nature are inherently led by a spiritual desire towards unity with God. It is through the process of spiritual desire that unity unveils itself. Consequently, Böhme’s mysticism influenced later generations of spiritual thought, including German Romanticism. Within Romanticism, Friedrich von Hardenberg, know by his pen name Novalis, developed a philosophy and aesthetic theory that expanded away from the philosophical ideas of the Enlightenment. This new philosophy focused on the subjective experience and how revelation of the self was to be experienced through creative introspection, as a consequence of encountering and interacting with the other. Novalis‘ philosophy incorpterated religious motifs and spirituality to assert that it was through creative striving that spiritual revelation was to be achieved from within oneself. Caspar David Friedrich was a Romantic landscape painter whose work focused on the notion of humanity in the face of nature. Friedrich often painted landscapes as an allegory for Christian values and religious inquiry that becomes an existential introspection through nature. Through comparative analysis I shall demonstrate how the ideas and works of Novalis and Caspar David Friedrich correlate with the spiritual mysticism of Böhme that represent the greater discourse that is spirituality itself. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee ...................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments............................................................................................................ viii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Jakob Böhme .................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2: Novalis ............................................................................................................ 46 Chapter 3: Caspar David Friedrich ................................................................................... 93 Chapter 4: Not A Conclusion .......................................................................................... 133 List of Cited Works ......................................................................................................... 142 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 146 v List of Figures Figure. 1 Cross in the Mountains (Tetschen Altar), 1808 Oil on canvas, 115 x 110 cm. vi Figure. 2 Monk by the Sea, (1809) Oil on canvas, 110 x 172 cm. vii Figure. 3 Morning in the Riesenbirge, (1810-11) Oil on canvas, 108 x 170cm. viii Acknowledgments I offer my utmost gratitude to those who have been a source of inspiration, the many artists and muses, some of whom are cited and discussed in this thesis. A gesture of thanks goes towards my family first-most, for simply their love, be it emotional as well as financial support, with their words of encouragement to spur me on. An acknowledgement of thanks to my friends for their rallying spirits and much needed levity as they continue to bring me joy from afar. A big thank you to my professors, instructors and teachers who include many, and the supervisory committee for all their encouragement, guidance and words of wisdom in navigating the murky seas of knowledge. This project is in honor of you all: Thank You! ix Dedication I dedicate this work to those who came before, and those who shall arrive thereafter, for we are all on a journey. So, if you are willing, dear reader, let this work take you on a journey, as it has with me. For the muses and spirits are always near, and they know that there is a glorious song, which only you can hear. Perhaps you too, have been waiting for them, as they have been for you. 1 Introduction The German Romanticism Aesthetic or Spirituality? Looking for a savior in these dirty streets Looking for a savior beneath these dirty sheets I've been raising up my hands, drive another nail in Where are those angels when you need them? Why do we crucify ourselves, everyday? - Tori Amos “Crucify” Contemporary culture often prioritizes the aesthetic over the spiritual. In his examination of the shift in spiritual agency, particularly through religion within theatre, Mircea Eliade said the following: “There is an immeasurable gulf between those who participate, in a religious spirit, in the sacred mystery of the liturgy, and those who derive a purely aesthetic pleasure from the beauty of its spectacle and the accompanying music” (Eliade 10). The issue of the spiritual’s relationship to the aesthetic can be recognized in various forms throughout history, particularly in the context of the German Romantic movement. The importance of such a discussion about spirituality and the aesthetic lies in the extent to which the two notions converge. German Romanticism is known as a cultural movement from the late eighteenth to the mid nineteenth century, which explored many topics, ranging from the notion of the aesthetic, the conception of poetry, philosophy of the self and the other, the role of women, to the significance of nature. Central to the Romantic discourse were spirituality and religion, explored by various individual thinkers such as Friedrich Schlegel, Friedrich Schleiermacher, and Friedrich von Hardenberg. The German Romantics conceived of ideas and concepts that deviated from those of the Enlightenment. The aftermath of the Enlightenment had created a societal 2 emphasis on rationality, objectivity, with philosophy and emerging sciences paving the way for inquiries about knowledge and nature. During the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, ideas evolved that countered the preconceived societal attitudes towards objectivity, and prioritized subjectivity instead. This growing emphasis on subjectivity led to new discourses in philosophy with regard to knowledge, nature, aesthetics and religion. German Romanticism asserted the importance of subjectivity through an emphasis on a creative process enacted through introspection, self-discovery, and self-reflection. An individual would attain information and thereby create knowledge about themselves and the world around them, which would manifest as a creative process. Within this process, an individual would constantly interact and engage with other aspects, be it the external world, or other individuals as well. The creative process in question was viewed by the Romantics as a state of constant approximation in an infinite state of perfectibility. In other words, an infinite process to a perfectibility (Behler German Romantic Literary Theory 69). This fundamental concept was known as infinite perfectibility. Consequently, the notion of a creative process expanded towards an inquiry about religious experiences as well, wherein individuals could attain spiritual revelation by means of creative self-introspection. The Romantics, in other words began to investigate the fusion between religion and the aesthetic through the notion of a subjective spiritual experience. A key figure who was vital in influencing the Jena Circle’s early formation of German Romanticism, was a Christian mystic known as Jakob Böhme. Böhme's theosophy combines concepts from alchemy and Christian mysticism that draw on a connection between God and nature. Böhme was one of the first to attempt to reconcile 3 esoteric symbolism with the Lutheran denomination of Christianity (Walsh
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