International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress) was an intellectual movement in German literature that lasted from 1760 to 1780. Its name originated from the title of a play by Friedrich Maximilian Klinger. The movement was characterized by an exuberant outburst of youthful energy. A group of young men including Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Johann Gottfried Herder, and Friedrich Schiller led the literary movement that exalted freedom and individuality. They challenged the conventions of what seemed to them the narrow minded society of the Enlightenment , rejecting strongly the Enlightenment's rigid class barriers, stiff norms, and denial in the earthly life. The young men rebelled against the radical and unbalanced use of rationality as well as the definition of human identity as bare intellect rather than the totality of body, mind, and spirit. The movement emphasized both the value of individual experience and the spontaneous and sensual expression of that experience. The role of these two elements was considered critical in liberating the individual from the control of the mind. In nature, Sturm und Drang recognized a new and promising reservoir of experiences; nature was seen as the primary source of all life and creativity within as well as outside the human being. Sturm und Drang is characterized by a core repertoire of motifs and themes. Klinger's original play Sturm und Drang (1777) was ... log in or subscribe to read full text