French Literature Reviews - 2026

C. Couturier-Heinrich, Aux origines de la poésie allemande
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

Clémence Couturier-Heinrich, AUX ORIGINES DE LA POÉSIE ALLEMANDE. Les théories du rythme des Lumières au Romantisme, CNRS éditions, coll. "De l'Allemagne", ISBN : 2-271-06252-7, 288 p., 28 euros.

Various theories of rhythm emerged in Germany between 1760 and 1825: all of them examine the relationship between Germany and Greek antiquity, thereby extending the querelle des Anciens et des Modernes (the quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns). Klopstock, the founder of modern German poetry, Enlightenment figures such as Sulzer and Lessing, representatives of Weimar classicism (Goethe, Schiller), and of Romanticism (the Schlegel brothers, Schelling, Hegel), among many other authors, were the key protagonists of this debate. Through the lens of poetic and musical rhythm, the author explores some of the central problems of German aesthetics and discusses several of the most significant texts in German literature (Goethe's Hermann and Dorothea) and philosophy (Hegel's Aesthetics).

The period between the mid-eighteenth century and the early decades of the nineteenth century was marked by intense aesthetic debate across the German-speaking lands. Writers and philosophers frequently turned to the legacy of ancient Greece to define their own cultural identity and artistic expression, revisiting the long-standing European debate concerning the relative merits of classical antiquity and modern innovation. Figures ranging from early pioneers like Klopstock to the major architects of Weimar classicism and German Idealism participated in these evolving discussions around poetry, music, and dramatic form.

Readers interested in the intersections of German literature, philosophy, and aesthetic theory during the Enlightenment and Romantic periods may find this volume relevant. Various theories of rhythm emerged in Germany between 1760 and 1825, examining the relationship between Germany and Greek antiquity by extending the quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns through key protagonists such as Klopstock, Sulzer, Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, the Schlegel brothers, Schelling, and Hegel.