The young man and the old man
The young man and the old man. An attempt by a non-student is the title of a dialogue between the age-old Almar and the young enthusiast Selim about the meaning of life, most likely written by Friedrich Schiller based on a model by his friend Georg Friedrich von Scharffenstein and published in 1782. The different views of the two illustrate the author's dual worldview.
content
Almar warns Selim of his restlessness and sees him in danger of plunging into a “swamp” on his “flight”: “A dream will consume you.” He fears that he is “vain desires [n ] "And chasing after an" empty phantom ":" [D] a head is still heated by novels. Your ideas of purpose and activity are wisps. Look! nature lets rose bushes grow everywhere and teaches innocence how to sing happily. ”He advises calmness, frugality and lingering in order to be able to enjoy life in the“ garden ”.
Selim rejects this static stance, which is only suitable for Almar in his "inclined nature": Even if he only chases phantoms, "the way [...] is not lost". “What ambiguous creatures we are! Rest is not the determination of our nature, a secret voice lisps inexorably and calls out for unknown dark scenes. "The Creator has given him a" glowing soul "with which he, in a Faustian way , must hurry through life in search of perfection:" Unstoppable pursuit is the element of the soul. At the word frugality, the steps in the infinite ladder of beings shatter. This thirst, this restlessness, my pain at my weakness unveils my highness. I cry just to be human, I exult at being a god. [...] my career is forever. Through the majesty and number of my wishes, I will steal myself from the crowd of spirits that move towards the deity. "
Classification and interpretation
The young man and the old man appeared in 1782 in the Wirtemberg Repertory of Literature edited by Schiller and is evidently a joint work: Der mit Schstn. The signed text refers to Schiller's academy friend Georg Friedrich von Scharffenstein . “But there is much to suggest that only the draft of [this], from Sch. himself, on the other hand, spirit, style and still the wording of the present text originates. ”In addition, the youth bears the name Selim . So "was Schiller in the friendship alliance with Scharffenstein".
Like other philosophical texts written in the 1780s , e.g. For example, the Philosophical Letters and the Short Stories , this conversation illustrates Schiller's double worldview in the late phase of the Enlightenment, in which he critically questions the “abstract ideals” “as a frontier of Classics”. "We should therefore not look so much for supposed certainties, eternal truths and timeless ideals in his work"
Christian Fürchtegott Gellert created a similar controversy using the Icarus motif in his poem of the same name, Der Jüngling und der Greis (1769.)
expenditure
- Wirtemberg Repertory of Literature , Part 2, 1782.
- Work editions
Individual evidence
- ↑ explanation s. Faustian ( Wiktionary )
- ^ Gerhard Fricke, Herbert Göpfert, Herbert Stubenrauch (eds.): Complete works. Based on the original prints . Five volumes, Hanser Verlag Munich, 1967. Fifth volume of stories / theoretical writings . Appendix p. 1093.
- ↑ Michael Hofmann. In: Heinz Ludwig Arnold (Ed.): Friedrich Schiller . Text + criticism Sonderband. edition text & kritik, Munich 2005, ISBN 978-3-88377-788-7 .
- ↑ Christian Fürchtegott Gellert : The young man and the old man . ( Wikisource )