Poetry and Philosophical Ascesis : Schlegel, Novalis, Holderlin
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POETRY and PHILOSOPHICAL ASCESIS Schlegel Novalis Holderlin BY ANITA VAN RIET SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AUGUST 2009 UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA DECLARATION I, Anita van Riet, declare that this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University of Tasmania or any other institution, except by way of background information and duly acknowledged in the thesis. To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due acknowledgement is made in the text, nor does the thesis contain any material that infringes copyright. Signe~_- __ ii I Page STATEMENT OF AUTHORITY This thesis may be made available for loan. Copying of any part of the thesis is prohibited for two years following the date this statement was signed, after that time limited copying is permitted in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. _ n,~n Signed : _~----~~~---------- oate: __:J._ 5_l_og_/_oq_,___ ____ iii I Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I sincerely thank my supervisors Professor Jeff Malpas, Professor Wayne Hudson and Dr. Marcelo Stamm for their advice and encouragement. I thank the friendly and helpful staff at the School of philosophy, University of Tasmania and fellow post grads for their friendship and interest. I particularly wish to thank my dear partner Paul Cutler for his ongoing support, the many inspiring and helpful philosophical conversations and his excellent copy editing skills. I also thank my family - Anna and David (my kids), my dear sister Caroline, her partner Judith, my good friend Bob Elliston, and my brothers John and Peter (and their families), all for their infectious enthusiasm and for their continued support. Finally, I thank my dear friend Dr. Eva Schwing, also for her valued supp011 and for translating some key primary sources. iv I Page ABSTRACT This thesis argues that the tum to poetry undertaken by Schlegel, Novalis and HOlderlin during the period of early German Romanticism is largely a tum that seeks to culminate in a particular and comprehensive philosophical ascesis. While contemporary discourse (Frank, Beiser, Henrich, Bowie, Millan-Zaibert et al) has done much to uncover the philosophical underpinnings of early German Romanticism, and has secured the place of thinkers such as Holderlin within the history of German philosophy, the theme of poetry and philosophical ascesis has not been sufficiently explored. This thesis focuses on the determination with which Schlegel, Novalis and Holderlin seek to expand philosophical understanding by integrating traditional philosophical reasoning with comprehensive poetic processes. This thesis argues that this integration exploits a symbiotic relationship between poetry and philosophy that enables a refined response to philosophical issues such as Fichte's theory of subjectivity, the discrepancy and reconciliation between idealism and realism, and the moral education of humankind. The strategy of this thesis is first to elicit the technicalities of the symbiotic relationship between poetry and philosophy, followed by an exploration of Holderlin's calculative approach to Fichte's theory of subjectivity that seeks also to achieve a metaphorical representation of an 'intellectual intuition.' In conjunction, Holderlin's theory of tones, plus the preparation and function of the poet, are explored. The thesis then turns to Schlegel's 'formula' that seeks to articulate the nature of God in relation to the poetic ideal. This is followed by an investigation into the moral education of humankind and finally an in investigation into Novalis' Magical Idealism. This thesis concludes that although there are differences between the kinds of methods and responses on which each thinker draws, all share a preoccupation with the unity of subject and object, and its role as an analogue for the unity that underpins all binary oppositions. The identification of the tum to poetry undertaken by Schlegel, Novalis and Holderlin is seen to be based in an assertion of a symbiotic relationship between poetry and philosophy that itself constitutes an ascesis in which the subjective self integrates with the determination of the very 'thing' that it contemplates. There are two qualifications that apply to the research undertaken here. First, the focus is philosophical rather than poetic in that the concern is with philosophical theory rather than poetic success. Second, while the aim of the thesis is to identify a level of philosophical asceticism at work in the thinking of Schlegel, Novalis and Holderlin, the full elaboration of such asceticism and its implications is not attempted. v!Page CONTENTS Declaration ................................................................................... ii Statement of Authority .................................................................... iii Acknowledgement ......................................................................... iv Abstract. ...................................................................................... v Contents .............................................................................. ........vi INTRODUCTION .......................................................................... 1 The utility of the term ascesis ............................................................. 12 Strategy ...................................................................................... 15 Chapter 1: THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POETRY AND PHILOSOPHY ........................................................................... 20 Demystifying the Romantic call to unify poetry and philosophy .................... 24 Poetry and Philosophy as united and equal.. ......................................... 30 Balancing poetry and philosophy as complimentary 'powers' ...................... 37 'Grounding' and 'Inventing' -philosophy and poetry as processing a totality .. .40 Imagination and reflection - common to both poetry and philosophy .............. 44 The imagination as the 'effective principle' - supporting both philosophical and poetic processes .............................................47 vi I Page The function ofreflection in poetry and philosophy ......................... .48 The relationship between concept and intuition ....................................... 52 'Intellectual Intuition' - complete integration (or disintegration), of subject and object ......................................................................................... 54 Conclusion ................................................................................. 60 Chapter 2: POETRY AND THE STRUCTURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS .................. 62 HOlderlin's critique of Fichte - a catalyst for a theory of poetry ..................... 67 Holderlin's concern with Fichte's Wissenschaftslehre .......................................... 71 Examining the 'internal structure' that supports Fichte's Wissenschaftslehre .. ... 82 The use of, and departure from Fichte's 'internal structure' in Holderlin's poetics ........................................................................................ 87 Accommodating Fichte's 'internal structure' in poetry ............................... 91 A closer look at the 'transcendental instant' as metaphorically representing 'intellectual intuition' ...................................................................... 94 The function of tragedy in its conveyance of an 'intellectual intuition' .......... 95 Conclusion ................................................................................. 101 Chapter3: BECOMING, DISSOLUTION AND REMEMBRANCE - Holderlin's Tonal Theory .............................................................. 104 viii Page Foundational aspects of Holderlin's theory- ........................................ 110 (a) Becoming in Dissolution .................................................... 113 (b) The aorgic/organic relation as a conceptual framework underpinning the tonal theory ........................................................................... 119 (c) The unifying principle ofRemembrance ................................. 124 The intricacies of the tonal undercurrent supporting the goal of unity ......... 130 Conclusion ................................................................................. 138 Chapter4: THE PREPARATION AND FUNCTION OF THE POET: .................... 141 Shaping the 'holy image' -a briefoverview of the poet's vocation ............... 144 The Sanctification of Nature in and through poetry .................................. 149 Heidegger's perspective on the function of the poet.. ............................... 153 The poet's orientation - releasing the 'Poetic Spirit' through the overcoming of subjectivity without losing consciousness ............................................. 155 Conclusion .................................................................................. 165 Chapter 5: SCHLEGEL'S FORMULA - A philosophical ascesis in an equation ....... 169 viii I Page Schlegel 's Formula - conditions and context .......................................... 173 A formula with which to dissolve a discrepancy between idealism and realism.179 Breakdown of Formula: .................................................................. 182 The' poetic ideal' ................................................................ 183 Irony as informing the 'poetic ideal' ................................ 191 The mi0 ddl e component·