Croce admired Goethe because the latter understood human nature but nonetheless kept his mind above and beyond political sympathies and the quarrels of nations. In this volume originally published in English in 1923, Croce distils his critical ideas about Goethe with the aim of helping readers to better understand the German poet's work.
Croce admired Goethe partly because the latter possessed a knowledge of human nature in all its aspects but nonetheless kept his mind above and beyond political sympathies and the quarrels of nations. In this volume originally published in English in 1923, Croce distils his critical ideas about Goethe with the aim of helping readers to better understand the German poet's work.
1. Moral and Intellectual Life 2. Poetical and Artistic Life 3. Werther 4. Wagner the Pedant 5. The First Part of 'Faust I' 6. The Second Part of 'Faust I'. The Tragedy of Gretchen 7. The Systematic form of 'Faust I' and the Double form of 'Wilhelm Meister' 8. Fragments and Hymns 9. Historical and Ethical Dramas 10. Helena 11. 'Hermann und Dorothea' 12. Lyrics 13. The 'Wahlverwandtschaften' 14. The 'Wanderjahre' 15. 'Faust II' 16. Conclusion