Impressionism (literature)

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The term Impressionism is used in German literary studies as a literary-historical classification term, but without a consistent scientific consensus, as it is often perceived as too "imprecise". The advocates of the term assume that the movement of Impressionism , the subjective reproduction of moment impressions, in addition to painting and music from around 1890 to 1910, also included literature .

Impressionism term

Impressionism comes from the Latin word impressio , which means "impression". It is a term for a literature widespread between 1890 and 1920 that concentrated on the linguistic design of momentary sensations. In literature, impressionism can be seen as a transition from naturalism , which describes the reality of things, to symbolism , which seeks to deal with the dream.

In painting, this impressionist art of impressionism or mood tries to capture the mood that the passing moment evokes by means of finely nuanced color schemes. The interplay of light and shadow is more important than the real structure of things, which literally dissolves into color and light reflections. “Similarly, literary impressionism can be described as the art of personal instantaneous perception: from the experience that things as they 'really are' cannot be artistically reproduced, the impressionist takes up subjective impressions of parts of the world and shapes them - mostly in lyrical poems [ ...] "

As in Impressionism in painting, colors and light (for example the glitter and sparkle of objects) are of great importance in the representation.

The expression "impressionism" makes it clear that one only wants to capture impressions, impressions. The description of reality takes a back seat to the description of the perception of this reality.

An example of the new way of seeing reality is the novel Die Aufzüge des Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke , which was completed in 1908 ; The diary-like notes of the novel hero Malte Laurids Brigge do not tell any coherent stories; instead, the environment and memories are conveyed as pointillist sequences of atmospheric impressions.

The seconds style , which emerged in naturalism, returns in impressionism; the style ideal of attention to detail is adopted. The impressionists usually use short literary forms, sketches, novellas, one-act plays and poetry for their snapshots.

Impressionist poets strive to reproduce personal impressions as precisely as possible. In addition, they capture emotional moods (the "soul tone") and the fleeting moment as well as the reproduction of sensory impressions.

The socio-critical and political element of naturalism, on the other hand, is abandoned in favor of a retreat to subjectivity and individualism. Recurring themes of impressionism are life in illusory worlds, an escape from reality and the subjective reality of psychological processes.

The subjectivity of the ego plays an essential role. A theory of the “I” that was important for Impressionism was formulated by the physicist and epistemological theorist Ernst Mach, who first taught in Prague and then in Vienna , in his work The Analysis of Sensations and the Relationship of the Physical to the Psychic . In it Mach describes the ego, the constancy of which depends on the properties of which it is composed.

In 1904, in the essay Das Unrettbaren Ich , the Viennese writer Hermann Bahr remarked that Mach's writing was simply a matter of the “philosophy of impressionism”. According to Mach, what is felt as the unity of personality is only an apparent unity, an illusion caused by the continuity of slow change. Because the thing, the body , the matter is nothing but the connection of the elements , the colors , tones , etc., i.e. an alternating combination of characteristics, the unchangeable "I" is only a complex , a construction of different elements subject to change such as B. memories, moods, feelings.

Representative of impressionism in literature

See also

literature

  • Jost Hermand , Richard Hamann: Epochs of German Culture from 1870 to the Present: Volume 3: Impressionism. Frankfurt 1977.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ralph Michael Werner: Impressionism as a literary-historical term. Investigation using the example of Arthur Schnitzler . Frankfurt / M. / Bern 1981. 377 p. European university publications: Series 1, German language and literature. Vol. 402
  2. ↑ abipur.de
  3. ↑ Otto F. Best: Impressionism, Symbolism . P. 10.
  4. ^ Rainer Maria Rilke: The notes of Malte Laurids Brigge . Süddeutsche Zeitung Library, Munich 2004.
  5. ^ For the first time: Neues Wiener Tagblatt , 37 (1903) # 99, 1-4, here 4th (April 10th 1903), book edition: Dialog vom Tragischen . S. Fischer, Berlin 1904, p. 114.
  6. ↑ Victor Žmegac (ed.): History of German literature from the 18th century to the present . 4th edition. Volume II / 2. Beltz Athenäum Verlag, Weinheim 1995, p. 271.