Introduction

In 1772 a group of Göttingen University students with literary aspirations and a shared admiration for the ancient Germanic tribes came together – first under an oak tree, then in a room richly decorated with oak branches. They toasted the death of Christoph Martin Wieland (1733–1813), who was one of the most influential German authors at that time. They tore his books to pieces, danced on the pages, and then burned the shreds together with a portrait of the much-hated Wieland.

What had Wieland done? The group accused him of admiring ancient Greek and Roman literature. They saw him as the symbol of the degeneration of the German soul: he was too rationalist, too focused on literary style, and too frivolous – he even wrote texts that were intended to be comical. He was not deep, not serious enough. The group insisted that German authors should let themselves be inspired by the Germanic past and treat more worthy subjects such as fatherland, feeling, virtue, and great heroic deeds, which could then form the basis for genuine Germanic bard songs.