The early nineteenth century was a time of religious conversion in Germany, marked by a shift away from publicly practiced religion and toward a private, individualized form of spirituality. The conversions of Clemens Brentano, Georg BuÌchner, and Heinrich Heine provide case studies of very different kinds of religious conversion: religious intensification (Brentano), deconversion or loss of faith (BuÌchner), and repeated religious switching that leads to creative syncretism (Heine). This dissertation adds the perspective of literary analysis to the previously available studies of conversion in the fields of sociology, theology, and history by demonstrating how the conversions of Brentano, BuÌchner, and Heine are manifested in the aesthetics of their literary works. It traces the outcomes of their religious transformations that are evident in their evolving identities as authors and in their modes of self-expression, revealing ultimately that transformation, and more specifically conversion, is fundamental to the human poetic experience.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-01202017-194702 |
| Date | 24 January 2017 |
| Creators | Beesley, Lisa Joann |
| Contributors | Dr. Christoph Zeller, Dr. John A. McCarthy, Dr. Barbara Hahn, Dr. David Blackbourn |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-01202017-194702/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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