a mining engineer concerned with precise scientific analysis and industrial as well as technological development.
"geistige Reisekunst"^) describes a philological and finally poetic method of finding a scheme which articulates a continuous mental process.
Friedrich Schlegel’s idea is similar to the thinking of Novalis with whom he discussed the idea of a "Synkritische
Politik der Inte11igenz”^®\ Schlegel’s own concept of
"Symphilosophie" or " S y m p o e s i e " i n v o l v e d dialogue and the idea of more than a single critic or artist creating the work of art. Furthermore, he demanded that the author should
possess a "Geis t der Universal i tat in order to produce
a true literary work which in itself contains a multiplicity of new w o r k s .
The Romantic form of syncritical understanding and production is expessed again in R e g e r ’s description of his own profes sion :
"Ich bin also nicht, wie die Maler, nur Maler und ich bin nicht, wie die Musiker, nur Musiker und ich bin nicht, wie die Schriftstel1er, nur Schriftstel1er,
miissen sie wissen, ich bin Maler und Musiker und
Sehriftstel1er in einem. Das empfinde ich doch als
das hochste Gluck, sagte er, ein Kiinstler in alien
Kiinsten und doch in einer zu sein." (AM, 107/108)
Consequently, the Romantic critique, like the single work of art, is in a permanent state of transformation as the reflec
tion or assessment alters and finally annihilates the
original text, linking it up to a larger process, which is embodied in Schlegel’s notion of criticism. The object of criticism is contained in the disruptive and synthetising movement of that criticism, which is never complete. Thus,
the critic, finally, is only concerned with the development and advancement of poetic criticism in general. Following
25) Ibid.
26) Novalis, "Werke”, op.cit., "Das Allgemeine Brouillon", Vol. 2, p. 673.
27) Friedrich Schlegel, "Kritische Schriften und Fragmente", op.cit., "A thenaums-Fragment 125", Vol. 2, p. 116: "Viel leicht würde eine ganz neue Epoche der Wi ssenschaf ten und Künste beginnen, wenn die Symphi losophie und Sympoesie so al Igemein und so innig würde, daJ3 es nichts Se lines mehr ware, wenn mehre sich gegenseitig erganzende Naturen gemeinschaftliche Werke bildeten."
this line of interpretation, the multi-talented critical and creative artist Reger continually exercises his single art in all arts ;
"Mdgl icherweise, sagte er, ist der kritische Kiinstler
der, der in alien Künsten seine einzige betreibt und sich dessen bewu&t ist, ganz und gar bewuGt. In diesem BewuGtsein bin ich gliicklich." (AM, 108)
Therefore, poetic criticism strives for the representation or re-creation of the moment of inspiration, the primordial moment of conversion in which art and criticism, creation and contemplation fuse. Criticism can be regarded as the force, at once creative and reflexive, which carries the primary work of art above itself as critical detachment and anticipa
tes the hermeneutic task of the critic, as described by Novali s ;
"Formeln fur Kunstindividuen finden, durch die sie im eigent 1ichsten Sinn erst verstanden werden, macht das
Geschaft des artistischen Kritikers a u s , dessen
Arbeiten die Geschichte der Kunst vorbereiten."^*)
The image of the critical artist Reger also alludes to the elitist position of the inspired, autonomous artist and intellectual as established in the Romantic period. The solitary and isolated artist was a recurring preoccupation of many Romantic novels and poems.
In several paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, the lone protagonist appears demonstrably as a self-portrait of the painter. German Romantic art produced and manifested a picture of the artist who was endowed with rare gifts and was able to communicate hidden meanings and ideas. The type of a creative genius, however, stresses the ambiguities of the a r t i s t ’s position. The Romantic genius experiences both the exhilaration of inner inspiration and of acting as a prophet as well as the depression of coming to terms with everyday experiences.
autonomy as artist and critic, and at the same time, intensi fies the conflict between art and life. He represents a particular type of Romantic protagonist, "einen entschieden inte1lektualisierten Typus"^°\ as portrayed in the novels of Jean Paul. Reger is presented as a genius who is no longer marked by the inner inspiration and unbound creativity typical of the classical notion of genius, but by the "Autonomie der sich vom Leben abhebenden Reflexion".^) Reger has already assumed a position that critically reflects his self-image as an elitist intellectual and dismantles himself as one of the "Pseudo-Genies"^^ with the help of humour and satire.
30) Jochen Schmidt, ’’Die Geschichte des Genie-Gedankens", op.cit.. Vol. 1, p. 438. Also Walter Benjamin himself represents the intellectual and solitary type of the Romantic artist.
31) Ibid. p. 439.
4.2.1. The R o m a n t i c Image of the S o l i t a r y A r t i s t
As artist and critic Reger is also a tragi-comical allegory of the lonely and eternally misunderstood Romantic artist. Being an eccentric and apparently disappointed person who scornfully attacks the museum in which he spends most of his time, for its mediocre collection of paintings, the music critic is not acknowledged in his home country. In contrast
to the judgement of the narrator and the reception abroad, where Reger seemed to have reached considerable fame, the Austrian public is not even aware of his existence:
"Reger ist eine in der ganzen musikwissenschaftlichen
Welt hochgeachtete Person 1ichkeit, sagte ich zu
Irrsigler gestern, nur hier, in seinem Heimatland, will niemand etwas davon wissen, im Gegenteil, hier, wo er zu Hause ist, wird Reger, der doch alle andern in seinem Fach weit hinter sich gelassen hat, diese ganze widerwartige provinzielle Stümperhaftigkeit, gehaBt, nichts weniger als gehaBt wird Reger in seiner Heimat ôsterreich, sagte ich zu Irrsigler ohne Riicksicht darauf, daB Irrsigler gar nicht verstanden hatte, was ich damit meinte, indem ich zu ihm gesagt habe, ein Genie wie Reger wird hier gehaBt und ohne Riicksicht darauf, ob es tatsachlich richtig ist, von
Reger als von einem Genie zu sprechen, ein wissen-
schaf11iches Genie, ja sogar ein menschliches Genie,
dachte ich, ist Reger sicher." (AM, 20/21)
Reger is not only neglected by the Austrian public, but, moreover, he remains an extremely lonely and solitary person, particularly after the death of his wife, who, quite in contrast to him, symbolized healthiness and ongoing life. Further, she was the link with a normal life and freed him
from the isolation of his intellectual existence:
"[...] sie war die Gesunde, ich war der Kranke, so, in dieser Meinung und in diesem Glauben lebten wir immer, sagte er. Kein Mensch ist je so gesund gewe-
sen, wie meine Frau, sie lebte ein Leben in Gesund-
heit, wahrend ich immer eine Existenz in Krankheit, ja eine Existenz in Todeskrankhei t gefiihrt habe,
sagte er." (AM, 27)^^^
The motifs of health and the future refer to the ordinary and commonplace, to conformity to certain norms, including the rational and the healthy, whereas the Romantic is the sick, the strange, the non-conformist and endangered character. Although the latter characteristics also incorporate the undiscovered, the wonderful and the extraordinary, Romanti cism nevertheless implies the danger of a dissolution of normality. The term Romantic develops a mysterious identity with the infinite, the past and the u n k n o w n . R e g e r ’s
thinking is also directed towards the infinite and incom plete, but all his energy as well as his entire being is
focused on his wife, who guaranteed the ongoing activity of his intellectual work, "so, als hatte sie ein ewiges Leben,
habe ich sie betrachtet, nie an ihren Tod gedacht, sagte er,
als lebte sie tatsachlich mit meinem Wissen in die Unendlich-
keit hinein als Unend 1ichkeit, so er." (AM, 29).
Furthermore, Reger, in analogy to the Romantic character
breaks with normality and the conventions of a regular life. He lives exclusively according to principles of aesthetic and intellectual qualities, feeling at home only in the realm of art, "ich bin nicht einen einzigen Augenblick in der Natur zu Hause, aber immer in der Welt der Kunst, am geborgensten in der Welt der Musik." (AM, 47) As artist and critic he creates
his own world and lives a life of intense and serious
reflection of art, that has more or less replaced all other activities and is a free creative capacity opening to infinity. The profound sense of inwardness and individuality is one of the major features of the Romantic spirit, found in the most prominent novels and also, in concentrated form, in the portraits of the Romantics. These depict the lonely
wanderer, the contemplative individual in a visionary
landscape or archetypal forms and relationships which
33) Compare also Goe t h e ’s dictum with reference to Kleist, "Klassisch ist das Gesunde, romantisch das Kranke", in: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, "Werke, Kommentare und Register", Hamburger Ausgabe in 14 Bànden, Erich Trunz ed,, (München 1978), "Maximen und Reflexionen", Vol. 12, p. 487,