“Poetry should describe itself, and always be simultaneously poetry and the poetry of poetry.” ShouldPoetryLiterature Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“The whole history of modern poetry is a continuous commentary on the short text of philosophy: every art should become science, and every science should become art; poetry and philosophy should be united.” ShouldArtPhilosophyWholePoetryUnitedModernPoetPhilosophicalPoetry IsCommentaryModern Poetry Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Since poetry is infinitely valuable, I do not understand why it should be more valuable than this or that which is also infinitelyvaluable. There are artists who perhaps do not think art to be too great, for this is impossible, and yet they are not free enough to be able to rise above their own best accomplishments.” ThinkingShouldArtEnoughAblePoetryArtistImpossiblePoetValuableAccomplishmentPoetry IsRise Above Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Where philosophy ends, poetry must commence. There should not be a common point of view, a natural manner of thinking which standsin contrast to art and liberal education, or mere living; that is, one should not conceive of a realm of crudeness beyond the boundaries of education. Every conscious link of an organism should not perceive its limits without a feeling for its unity in relation to the whole. For example, philosophy should not only be contrasted to non-philosophy, but also to poetry.” ThinkingShouldArtEndsPhilosophyWholeFeelingsPoetryNaturalViewsCommonExamplePoetLimitsConsciousRelationPhilosophicalUnityMerePoint Of ViewBoundariesPerceiveRealmsLinksContrastOrganismsLiberal Education Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“It is a thoughtless and immodest presumption to learn anything about art from philosophy. Some do begin as if they hoped to learnsomething new here, since philosophy cannot and should not do anything further than develop the given art experiences and the existing art concepts into a science, improve the views of art, and promote them with the help of a thoroughly scholarly art history, and produce that logical mood about these subjects too which unites absolute liberalism with absolute rigor.” IfsShouldArtPhilosophyHelpingGivenViewsSubjectsProduceConceptsAbsolutesPhilosophicalMoodLiberalismLogicalSomething NewPresumptionArt HistoryRigorScholarly Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“I have expressed some ideas that point to the center; I have saluted the dawn in my way, from my point of view. He who knows the way should do the same, in his way, and from his point of view.” KnowsWayShouldIdeasViewsPoint Of ViewMy WayDawn Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“One of the two is almost always a prevailing tendency of every author: either not to say some things which certainly should be said, or to say many things which did not need to be said. The first is the original sin of synthetic natures, the latter of analytical natures.” NeedsShouldFirstsSaidTwoSinOriginalsTendenciesLatterPrevailingOriginal SinSynthetic Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“The life of the artist should be distinguished from that of all other people, even in external habits. They are Brahmins, a higher caste, not ennobled by birth, however, but through deliberate self-initiation.” PeopleShouldSelfArtistBirthHabitDeliberateDistinguishedInitiationBrahmins Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“One should have wit, but not wish to have it; otherwise there will be witticism, the Alexandrian style of wit.” ShouldWishStyleShould HaveWit Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“A genuinely free and educated man should be able to tune himself, as one tunes a musical instrument, absolutely arbitrarily, at his convenience at any time and to any degree, philosophically or philologically, critically or poetically, historically or rhetorically, in ancient or modern form.” MenShouldAbleFormEducationModernDegreesInstrumentsMusicalAncientEducatedTunesConvenienceMusical InstrumentsEducated Man Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“We should never invoke the spirit of antiquity as our authority. Spirits are peculiar things; they cannot be grasped with the hands and be held up before others. Spirits reveal themselves only to spirits. The most direct and concise method would be, in this case as well, to prove the possession of the only redeeming faith by good works.” ShouldWellsHandsWould BeSpiritCasesProveAuthorityDirectMethodPossessionPeculiarGood WorkAntiquityInvokeRedeemingConcise Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“True love should be, according to its origin, entirely arbitrary and entirely accidental at the same time; it should seem both necessary and free; in keeping with its nature, however, it should be both destiny and virtue and appear as a mystery and a miracle.” ShouldSeemsDestinyVirtueMysteryMiracleArbitrary Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“As the ancient commander addressed his soldiers before battle, so should the moralist speak to men in the struggle of the era.” MenShouldLiteratureSpeakStruggleBattleSoldierAncientErasCommandersMoralist Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“A critic is a reader who ruminates. Thus, he should have more than one stomach.” ShouldReaderCriticismShould HaveCriticsStomach Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“From what the moderns want, we must learn what poetry should become; from what the ancients did, what poetry must be.” WantShould Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Versatility of education can be found in our best poetry, but the depth of mankind should be found in the philosopher.” ShouldFoundLiteratureEducationMankindDepthPhilosopherVersatilityBest Poetry Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“A definition of poetry can only determine what poetry should be and not what poetry actually was and is; otherwise the most concise formula would be: Poetry is that which at some time and some place was thus named.” ShouldWould BeLiteratureDefinitionsDeterminePoetry IsFormulasConcise Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Genius is, to be sure, not a matter of arbitrariness, but rather of freedom, just as wit, love, and faith, which once shall become arts and disciplines. We should demand genius from everybody, without, however, expecting it.” LoveShouldArtMatterGeniusDisciplineDemandWitExpectingFaith And LovePrudishness Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
