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Wieland als Gesellschaftskritiker: eine Forschungsaufgabe

1969; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 5; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3138/sem.v5.1.45

1911-026X

Richard Samuel,

German Literature and Culture Studies

M. Wieland, a controversial figure throughout his life and longneglected after his death, received scant attention from modern critics until publication of Fritz Martini's essay C. M. Wieland und das 18. Jahrhundert in 1948. Although Martini stressed Wieland's importance as a social critic, little has since been done on this topic. It is the purpose of this article to demonstrate, by reference to the short novel in platonicdialogue form Sokrates Mainomenos oder die Dialoge des Diogenes von Sinope (1770) and to other little-known works, Wieland's unexpectedly radical social views and to suggest that these views should be investigated further. A thorough examination of the Teutsche Merkur and of Wieland's numerous essays is a first condition, but his creative work is permeated with social criticism as well. Because of the vastness of Wieland's production, this task can only be carried out by team work.