International Journal of Advance Scientific Research
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ARTICLE
THE NEW STYLE OF REPRESENTATION OF IMAGES IN GOETHE'S WORKS
IN THE PERIOD OF “STORM AND OPPRESSION” IN GERMANY AND THEIR
IMPORTANCE IN GERMAN LITERATURE
Sodirjon Bakievich Yakubov
Associate Professor, Faculty of “Foreign Philology”, National University of Uzbekistan named after
Miro Ulugbek Uzbekistan
(Received 3 November 2020; Accepted 11 November 2021; First published
O
nline 27 November
2021)
Keywords:
Gerder, Lents, Klinger, Schubart, Burger, Fossa, Storm and Oppression, German
literature, Gets, Prometheus and Faust, New Songs, Beautiful Night, protagonist.
1.
Introduction
The years 1770-1780 marked the beginning of a new era in the development of German literature. During
this period, Europeans will enjoy the work of young writers Goethe and Schiller, as well as the leading
works of writers such as Gerder, Lents, Klinger, Schubart, Burger, Fossa. During this period, German
literature rose so high in its art, sociality, and history that in no other country had literature developed
in such a short period of time been able to expose all the flaws of the feudal system and criticize the
tyranny of the rulers.
During this period there was a movement “Storm and Oppression” (“Boron va tazyiq” - Sturm und
Drang), consisting of leading writers and great artists, that is, great talents - sturmers. The members of
the movement will continue to advance the ideas of the Enlightenment in the first place. They seek to
raise social issues, criticize shortcomings, change the human mind for the better, and encourage them
to engage in spiritual struggle in order to apply Lessing’s teachings as fully as possible in practice. But
at the same time, in contrast to Lessing's views, the creators of the “Storm and Oppression” movement
portrayed the protagonist in their works - for example, Werther, Gets, Karl Moor, Fiesco, that is, first
of all, with a unique character, emotional, a conscious, intelligent, enlightened person who seeks his
place in life, seeks to express the image of a typical human being who is educated, spiritualized, and the
reasons why they rebel.
2.
THE MAIN FINDINGS AND RESULTS
The work of Johann Wolfgang Goethe in the 1770s was the first step of a young writer who was a little
curious, emotional, but clean, healthy, full of energy. He was one of the most active members of the
Abstract
The present paper discusses the new style of representation of images in Goethe’s works in
the period of “storm and oppression” in Germany and their importance in German literature.
The paper is also fulfilled with the descriptions of some author’s works.
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“Storm and Oppression” movement. As a young man, Goethe wrote lyrical poems, the drama Gets von
Berlixingen, and the novel “The Sufferings of Young Werther”. In these works, he describes the inner
experiences and struggles of his modern heroes in a sense of rebellion in a very beautiful way, with
great skill.
After witnessing the aftermath of several historical clashes, the young Goethe “retreats” from the
rebellious ideas, realizes that the struggle against the feudal regime, which has armed forces and has
officially received the status of a government, is futile. Because the writer was against meaningless
battles, futile bloodshed. However, the product of his creativity - the heroes of his works - the Gets,
Prometheus and Faust, rise up against injustice with their progressive ideas.
Goethe suffers when he sees the injustices taking place in society, and when he sees these events from
the point of view of a young poet, the young man's blood rushes and he tries to put his pain on paper.
However, under the pressure of his father, he tries to “suppress” himself, not to harm the honor of the
family, the future of his relatives, trying to behave like the intellectuals of that time.
Goethe was born in Frankfurt on the Maine River. Goethe was very well educated from childhood,
studying several languages, mathematics, history, geography, and even music and fine arts in depth. But
Goethe loved literature more than his youth, he loved to read everything from fairy tales and legends
about the writers of antiquity - Homer and Ovid and the 16th century German folk heroes - Til
Eilenshpiegel, the Beautiful Meluzin and Schildburger - to the works of modern European writers. And
it is under the influence of these literatures that his aesthetic views are formed. In 1765, Goethe entered
the Faculty of Law at the University of Leipzig.
In 1767, Goethe published a collection of poems in the Annetta series, “New Songs” (Neue Lieder). The
book is about the young poet's love for A. Schenkopf, and the series consists of poems that have a new
form, a unique style and a breath of new times. Goethe’s poems were about the sincere feelings, sincere
love, and aspirations of a truly existing young man, in contrast to the lavish, fictional words of love in
ancient classical poetry. The author strives to write about the same experiences he feels in the love
chapter. For example, the poem “Beautiful Night” (Die schöne Nacht) skillfully depicts the experiences
of a happy young man, who has just walked with a girl, intoxicated by the beautiful feelings of the
meeting. As the young man breathed in the fresh air of the garden, he was amazed that the joy in his
heart had increased. As he enjoys nature, he feels the urge to meet the girl again so that such sweet
feelings can be repeated over and over again.
In 1770, Goethe transferred to the University of Strasbourg to continue his studies. In the process of
studying here, he completely decides to become a writer. If he does not write that he has a talent as a
poet, if he does not write, if he does not create meaningful works from words, if he does not enjoy this
process, then there seems to be no point in living like this. Especially his meeting with Gerder further
strengthens his resolve. Gerder-Goethe, a well-known writer with a unique style of writing, a fresh
outlook, a deep study of literary theory, felt the writing skill of not imitating it in other literatures like
most poets, relying on the knowledge he has learned so far, and proposing a simple, meaningful writing
to express that idea, with a goal in mind, as literature feels. And this offer will help Goethe get out of
all his hesitations easily.
“With the help of Gerder, Goethe later writes, I learned about all the new trends and directions in our
literature”. The young Goethe becomes more deeply acquainted with Shakespeare with the help of
teacher Gerder’s analysis, learning to analyze the poems in a simple style. Shakespeare understands
what folk methods he skillfully used to express ideas when writing a work. Then Goethe, like Lessing
and Gerder, realized that a new era of direction had come in German literature, that is, in a democratic
direction, the need to create works of art devoted to the issues of society.
Young Goethe is no longer left to fend for himself in art, that is, in the theater, as well as in literature, to
create an image of the person, to express his inner experiences, to portray the hero's weak flaws, but his
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struggle and self-sacrifice for the homeland. He now abandons the old ways of expression, the literature
of praise only, the events of family affairs, the literature based on laziness towards rulers, the demands
of censorship, that is, “writing outside the forbidden subjects”. In Goethe's works, spiritually strong
people like the Sturmers now begin to emerge, heroes who are determined to fight the shortcomings of
society.
Goethe, as a steward, opposed the old traditions of classical literature, and the aim was not to stir up
discord between the government and the people, to sharpen the contradictions. His main goal was that
the people and the representatives of the emerging bourgeois class should be deeply aware of the
shortcomings of the old system and not repeat such mistakes.
Young Goethe is no longer left to fend for himself in art, that is, in the theater, as well as in literature, to
create an image of the person, to express his inner experiences, to portray the hero's weak flaws, but his
struggle and self-sacrifice for the homeland. He now abandons the old ways of expression, the literature
of praise only, the events of family affairs, the literature based on laziness towards rulers, the demands
of censorship, that is, “writing outside the forbidden subjects”. In Goethe's works, spiritually strong
people like the Sturmers now begin to emerge, heroes who are determined to fight the shortcomings of
society.
Goethe, as a steward, opposed the old traditions of classical literature, and the aim was not to stir up
discord between the government and the people, to sharpen the contradictions. Its main purpose: the
people and the representatives of the emerging bourgeois class wished that they were deeply aware of
the shortcomings of the old system and would not repeat such mistakes.
Goethe on Shakespeare’s dramaturgy: “English drama and theater are closer in spirit and essence to the
theater of antiquity. He writes that he tries to solve social problems by showing the people the "mistakes
of the great gods" and "by clicking on the delicate strings of the hearts and making them excited."
The greatness of Goethe is that he created his work as a modern realist-writer, with an in-depth study of
world classical literature. His in-depth study of world history, the study of German culture by comparing
it with the culture of the peoples of the world, sharpened his talent by analyzing the essence. Realizing
that the events of his time were the result of these ancient events, he, as a writer, learned to evaluate
objectively in his works. Therefore, the protagonists in his works are not surrounded by personal
interests, but express their views on social issues with their own views, defending their position.
As he studies history and draws conclusions, the writer realizes that each era will have its own heroes, so
he strives to nurture tomorrow’s heroes who will change history from the “now”.
In his works, the attitude of the rich to the struggle is skillfully expressed. That is, attitudes toward
objective events are tied to subjective feelings. In order to further enhance the scope of the poems, the
author also uses images of ancient heroes and folk legends. This helps the reader to understand the
essence of the images - the “familiar” images.
In almost all of his poems, man and his inner experiences come first, no matter what class a human being
is, no matter what class he is, rich or poor, they all have feelings, their own thoughts, dreams and desires,
the right to love, to be loved, to be happy, the author believes. It should be noted that at that time such
poems were considered the first preludes and amazed many writers with the simplicity of these poems,
but the richness of deep thought. Most importantly, although these poems were formally about love for
man and nature, in fact they contained deep thoughts about the author.
In Goethe's poems, the nobles are amazed not only by his personal reflections, that is, about the life of
an urban intellectual, but also about ordinary peasants. In his poem “Kristel” he writes that there is no
power greater than true love, because of love a person can overcome any obstacles, overcome
difficulties. In his poem “The King of Ful” (Der Konig in Thule), he glorified the love that took place
in human life and wrote about its value.
But Goethe wrote perfect poems not only about love and natural landscapes, but also about the duty of a
citizen, his attitude to society. His poems about the traveler are about the aspirations, struggles of a
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strong man who is restless, unyielding, not afraid of hardships, his reflections on every event that takes
place in society, and his rebellion against injustice.
In the spring and summer of 1772, Goethe practiced law in the Vets. In the Vets, Goethe falls in love
with Charlotte Buff. It was at this time that the writer wrote his “Sufferings of Young Werther” (Die
Leiden des jungen Werthers, 1774). writes”a novel. The novel is written very simply, without any
exaggerations. However, through the young, brave and courageous Werther, the author expresses his
love for Friderike Brion, his inner experiences, his worldview, his attitude to the changes taking place
in society. When the young Werther realizes that his lover cannot reach his love, a change takes place
in his heart, he realizes that his sufferings are caused more by injustices in society, class inequalities,
and a hatred of vices. The simple events in the novel gradually turn to social issues. The work in its
original form - that is, the expression of ideas through letters - also became a new lyrical style for
German literature at that time. When the reader reads about Werther, he imagines the image of a man
who is knowledgeable, rich in his inner world, pure in heart, and able to enjoy elegant beauty. But young
Werther grows up, learning to look deeper into world affairs. The transformation of the protagonist's
mind in a work of art, his transformation from an ordinary person to a mature person, was also a novelty
for eighteenth-century German literature. Although Goethe’s protagonist is loved with pure love, he
does not succumb to romantic passions, emotions, go insane, act foolishly, but acts wisely, relying on
the power of will. With the help of this novel, both the author and the protagonist of the work are able
to overcome themselves and interpret such an action as courage.
In this novel by Goethe, the influence of Russo's original work, that is, works based on the traditions of
sentimentalism, is felt. But Werther is not a “fictional” textured image, but a work about Goethe’s
romantic love of his youth. Even because the novel is so vital, it is close to the hearts of young readers
to find answers to the vital questions that interest them.
Werther's suicide is not a sign of weakness, but a rebellion against the feudal “morality and decency” that
his heart, div, and mind could not digest, but only in the interests of the upper class. If Werther
continued to live like this, he also took such a step because he felt he would become a self-interested
man.
Goethe is engaged in a great deal of science and creativity in Italy. He wrote the works of “Torkvato
Tasso”, which was the basis of a new stage for “Faust”, the drama “Eugmont” in “Ifigenia Taurida”.
These works differ from Goethe’s earlier works in their perfection and depth of aesthetic outlook.
Goethe significantly reduces his subjective attitude to historical events and gives an objective
assessment of everything. The reason is that he seeks to compare the development of society to the
objective well-being of man (subjective) personal interests, to study the factors of conflict.
“Iphigenie auf Tauris” (Iphigenie auf Tauris, 1787) is a white poem written in the style of Iphigenie auf
Tauris (Iphigenie auf Tauris, 1787). -style is a perfect work about people's thoughts.
Even in the tragic drama Egmont (Egmont, 1788), Goethe's worldview began to change. In fact, since
the writing of the poem began much earlier, the breath of Sturmer-era literature is noticeable, but the
writer completed the work in his adulthood, thus creating contradictions in socio-historical events and
adding to the popular movement. In order to enhance the art, the life of Flanders, the national traditions
are beautifully depicted. The work is written in the style of prose.
In The Years of “Wilhelm Meister's Education” (Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, 1796), the protagonist,
Wilhelm Meisters, was the son of a wealthy burger and lived a full life, but was very bored with family
life. His interest in theatrical art increased after he fell in love with actress Marianna. He even wants to
go with the theater troupe. However, after Marianna’s betrayal, he sets out on a journey across Germany
alone. He is determined to create in the theater, to establish a national theater in a new direction.
However, the creators understand that life is very difficult, it is not easy to make changes.
3.
Conclusion
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The fact that the author described the fate of a living person so realistically at that time was a great
novelty in German literature. At a time when romanticism was flourishing in German literature,
Goethe was almost exclusively a writer who created on the basis of realism. In a letter to Goethe
Eckermann dated April 14, 1824: “Modern literature doesn’t fit my worldview. Writers are busy
writing down their subjective opinions, and when it comes to making objective assessments, I am
left alone again”. Although Goethe's work is more like that of the Enlightenment writers, the results
of his creative work in Weimar, and especially the creation of the unique Faust, make a sharp turn
in contrast to the work of the Enlightenment.
4.
References
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[3] Gubskaya T.V. History of German Literature. Middle Ages - Enlightenment. Orsk, OGTI
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[4] Anikst A. A. (1986) Creative way of Goethe. – Moscow: Art Literature.
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