Daemmrich, Horst S./Ingrid G. Daemmrich
Spirals and Circles

A Key to Thematic Patterns in Classicism and Realism.

This study reexamines classicism and realism from a thematic perspective and shows literary affinities and cross-cultural currents in a context that extends beyond the traditional definition of periods. By tracing primary themes related to human individuation, the study establishes that the representation of human relations and personal conduct displayed in attitudes toward the other, the stance toward the physical world and society, and perceptions of history are linked to configurations of approach and withdrawal, proximity and distance. The primary themes show recurring spatial alignments in the conception of social interaction that give rise to two distinct structures: the centrifugal pattern of classicism and the centripetal pattern of realism. This volume indicates a persistent dialectic between the two basic dispositions toward life. Classical thought postulates the freedom of the will and the possibility of individual perfectibility. The realistic view transfers the principle of mechanical causation governing phenomena in the physical world to the realm of human endeavor and social interaction. These thought structures persist in the Western cultural tradition as a dialogue that contributes to a process of clarification of thematic patterns. From the introduction: This study "examines the interrelationship of themes and motifs with other stylistic features in English, French, and German classicism and realism. In addition to analyzing themes and motifs in individual works, we examine their role in the conception of figures, the portrayal of events, and their general structural significance both intra- and intertextually. Our study shows the scope of these themes and patterns in the works of individual authors and in literary currents. Specific thematic analyses of canonized texts in conjunction with comparisons of lesser known works by once popular novelists and dramatists disclose recurrent motifs and unique patterns in thematic exposition and resolution that give coherence to distinctive literary currents. [...] We trace each pattern by analyzing representative works in each period. The classical themes of personality development and individuation, narrative voice and figure conception, crossroads, coming-of-age, wilderness - garden - civilized landscape, exemplary conduct, renunciation, and reform circle prove to be equally central to French classical drama, English neoclassicism, and works in Germany during the age of Goethe". Zwei Bände, zus. XIX,804 Seiten, gebunden (Studies on Themes and Motifs in Literature; vol. 7/8/Peter Lang Verlag 1994) Mängelexemplar/near mint