Mistaken notion that the Iphigenia is a specimen of the Greek

tragedy. Necessary calmness of evolution in the Greek drama

confounded with calmness of life. - Deepest and darkest passions

called into play by the Greek dramatists. Profound difference

between Goethe and Euripides. —'Iphigenia' not a Greek but a

German play. Not a drama, but a dramatic poem. Parallel

between the Iphigenia of Goethe and the Iphigenia of Euripides.

- Analysis of the Iphigenia

CHAPTER III.

PROGRESS.

9

Goethe active in his official duties. - Raised to the rank of Geheim-

rath. — Journey with Karl August to Frankfurt and Strasburg.

Interview with Frederika.

Interview with Lili. Journey to

Switzerland. - Return to Weimar. Changes his mode of life.

Passionate study of science. Tendency to believe in the unity

nature. Slow advance to a more serious and decisive plan of ex-

istence. Increased devotion to the Frau von Stein. Occasional

discords with Karl August. Feels authorship to be the true

mission of his life

27

CHAPTER IV.

PREPARATIONS FOR ITALY.

Increased

Birth of a crown-prince. — Goethe's poem of 'Ilmenau.'

official burdens. Journey in the Harz with Fritz von Stein. -

Prepares the Planet Dance.-- Pronounces an oration on the re-

opening of the Ilmenau mines. Discovers an intermaxilary bone

in man. Biographical significance of the discovery. Studies

in natural history. Numerous charities. Changes in Weimar

society. Separation of opinion between Goethe and Jacobi. -

Goethe disgusted with the hypocritical nature of Lavater. — Strong

impulse to visit Italy. His secret departure

CHAPTER V.

ITALY.

39

Goethe in Italy under an assumed name. - The Italiänische Reise.'

- His delight in the present, and not in the past. His residence

at Venice and Rome. -Passion for art. Tries to discover the

secret of vegetable forms. Weimar grumbling. Goethe's visit

to Naples.—Sir William and Lady Hamilton. - Vesuvius, Pæs-

tum, Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capua. Palermo. — Visits

the parents of Cagliostro. — Return to Rome: - Literary labors.

- Effect of his residence in Italy. - Result of his study of art.

Falls in love with a young Milanese. Returns to Weimar 52

CHAPTER VI.

EGMONT.

Egmont' a universal favorite, but not a masterpiece. A novel in

dialogue, not a drama. - The character of Egmont a type of

humanity. — Materials and construction of the play. - Analysis

of Egmont.'- Criticisms on

66

CHAPTER VII.

RETURN HOME.

Melancholy return from Italy to Weimar. His previous letter to

Karl August. Relieved from the more onerous duties of office.

Rapid progress of crystallization. Coolness towards the Frau

von Stein. First interview with Schiller. Wide gulf between

the two. Difference in their fortunes

CHAPTER VIII.

CHRISTIANE VULPIUS.

Christiane's petition to Goethe. - Her position, education and

character. Her connection with Goethe. Composition of the

'Roman Elegies.'- How far a poet is justified in disregarding the

conventional proprieties of his age. Goethe's love for Christiane.

- Disapprobation of Weimar society. Rupture with the Frau

von Stein.
Goethe's letters to Frau von Stein. Her subsequent

letter concerning him

86

CHAPTER IX.

TASSO.

• Tasso a series of faultless lines, but no drama. - Purely psycho-

logical. Analysis of 'Tasso '

101

CHAPTER X.

THE POET AS A MAN OF SCIENCE.

Studies Kant.

Studies in art and science. His treatise on the

Metamorphoses of Plants.' Its cold reception. - Recognition of

his labors, by St. Hilaire. General recognition of his discovery.

High character of his botanical and anatomical studies..

Unfortunate studies in Optics. - Misunderstanding of Newton's

theory. Publication of the Beiträge zur Optik.' Opposition

to it. Goethe's obstinacy and irritability. — His Theory of Col-

ors.' Anecdote in illustration of the blueness of darkness. ·

Goethe's explanation of the phenomena of refraction. — Source of

his mistake in his rejection of every mathematical explanation.

Efforts to supply the place of experiment and mathematics by ob-

servation and reason. Native direction of his mind towards the

a *

concrete phenomena, not towards abstractions.- Nowhere at-

temps a refutation of Newton. His success in the organic

sciences.― Not a metaphysician, but a thinker on the à priori

method. Review of his discovery of the intermaxilary bone.

-Employment of the comparative method. The doctrine of

morphology. The vertebral theory, and theory of plants. Meta-

morphosis. — Subsequent limitation of the theory of metamorphosis

by the cell-theory. — Goethe's creation of a type. Comparison

of Goethe's discovery with Wolff's. - Goethe's hypothesis of elab-

orated sap opposed to Wolff's hypothesis of deficient sap. Law

of vegetation and law of reproduction clearly seen by Goethe.

-Objection to the morphological theory. — The notion of meta-

morphosis replaced by the notion of substitution. Goethe's

efforts to create the science of philosophic anatomy. — The positive

method. Principle of development grasped and applied by

Goethe. The Polyp. - Law of division of labor in the animal

organism clearly expressed in Goethe's formula. - Goethe's in-

troduction to Comparative Anatomy.' Typical structure.

Examination of Goethe's claim to the discovery of the vertebral

theory of the skull. Goethe the originator of the idea, but

Oken the discoverer. Oken's premature disclosure of Goethe's

idea

115

CHAPTER XI.

THE CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE.

Return

Goethe's second visit to Italy. The Venetian epigrams.

to Weimar. - Friday evenings. 'Der Gross Kophta.' — Invasion

of France for the Restoration of Louis XVI. Goethe accompanies

the army.- Utter want of interest in politics. - Opposed to the

principles of the Revolution, but without sympathy for the Royal-

ists. His diary of the Campaign in France'

CHAPTER XII.

HOME ONCE AGAIN.

Goethe's return to Weimar.

study, the library and the

The Bürger-general.'

Fuchs

165

BOOK THE SIXTH.

FRIENDSHIP WITH SCHILLER.

1794 To 1805.

CHAPTER I.

THE DIOSCURI.

Friendship of Goethe and Schiller. Their profound dissimilarity.

- Personal appearance of both. Goethe the representative of

-

Realism, and Schiller the representative of Idealism. - Points

of resemblance between Goethe and Schiller. Their mutual

earnestness in art. Similarity in the phases of their develop-

ment. Goethe restored to poetry by Schiller. - Goethe's admi-

ration for his rivals. His praise of Schiller. - Shakespeare's

silence about his rivals. Indifference of Weimar to the progress

of the Revolution.- Contemporary state of German literature.

'Die Horen' started by Schiller. Rapid growth of the friend-

ship between Goethe and Schiller. Beneficial influence of

Schiller on Goethe. Goethe's scientific ardor and poetical

plans. Failure of the Horen '. Publication of the Xenien '.

Sensation produced

'

189

CHAPTER II.

WILHELM MEISTER.

German philosophical

Wilhelm Meister'

English, French and German on the camel.

criticism. Goethe's primary intention in

- Alterations in the plan. -Schiller's objection. — Its twofold

purposes, dramatic and educational. Characters in the novel.

Artistic atheism. Supposed immorality of Wilhelm Meister'.

- Its deep and healthy moral meaning. The Confessions of a

Fair Saint'. Wilhelm's criticism on Hamlet'. - Extract from

Schiller's criticism on Wilhelm Meister'
205

CHAPTER III.

THE ROMANTIC SCHOOL.

Influences of Goethe and Schiller on each other. - Evil effects of
philosophy on German literature. Character of the Romantic
School in Germany. — Schlegel, Fichte, Schelling, Schleiermacher,