The Unmarried Mother in German Literature: With Special Reference to the Period 1770 1800 (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Excerpt from The Unmarried Mother in German Literature: With Special Reference to the Period 1770 1800

But this dissertation was undertaken primarily to find, if possible, a more satisfactory explanation than has been given hitherto for Goethe's utilization of the theme of unmarried motherhood with its consequent infanticide in his Faust. It was suggested by Professor Calvin Thomas that a study of the laws and customs contemporary with Goethe might throw light upon this question. The investigation was not limited, therefore, to the field Of belles lettres but included all literature of the period which might have a bearing on the subject. In the first two chapters I have accordingly devoted much space to a discussion of all literature on the subject up to 1800, devoting Chapter III more particularly to the belles lettres of the Storm and Stress period. The original intention of adding a chapter on the development of the prob lem in German life and literature from 1800 to the present time was not carried out because of its unsuspected extent. A study of this period with especial reference to the Changed attitude of the church shall be the subject of a future research.

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