Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Johann Wolfgang Goethe, the great German polymath. 'I had the great advantage of being born at a time that was ripe for earth-shaking events which continued throughout my long life, so that I witnessed the Seven Years War...the French Revolution, and the whole Napoleonic era down to the defeat of the hero and what followed after him. As a result I have attained completely different insights and conclusions than will ever be possible for people who are born now...' Goethe's friend Johann Peter Eckermann recorded these remarks made by the great writer at the end of his life in a series of published recollections. Goethe's life was indeed remarkable. At the age of twenty-five he was author of the first German international best-seller The Sorrows of Young Werther. A year later, he was invited by the Grand Duke to join him at the Imperial Court as Privy Councillor where he oversaw commissions on war, roads and tax. He rode to war with the Prussian Army against the French and embarked on a remarkable creative friendship with Schiller which saw the establishment of a new form of German theatre. What made Goethe the dominant cultural icon of his time and after? What links were there between his interest in politics and the arts? Why did he support Napoleon despite the French invasion of Weimar? How did his relationships with women define his work? And how was he able to transform the status of the German language? With Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge; Sarah Colvin, Professor of German at the University of Edinburgh; W. Daniel Wilson, Professor of German at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thanks for learning the in our time podcast for more details about in our time and for our terms of use |
| 0:05.4 | Please go to bbc.co.uk forward slash radio for I hope you enjoy the program |
| 0:11.4 | Hello, I'll start with a quotation |
| 0:14.2 | From Gerta he said I had the great advantage of being born at a time that was ripe for earth-shaking events |
| 0:21.3 | Which continued throughout my life so that I witnessed the seven years war the French Revolution and the whole |
| 0:28.0 | Napoleonic era down to the defeat of the hero and what followed after him as a result |
| 0:32.6 | I've attained completely different insights and conclusions than will ever be possible for people who are born now |
| 0:38.7 | Gerta's friend Johan Peter Eckermann recorded those remarks made by the great writer at the end of his life in a series of published recollections |
| 0:45.6 | Gerta's life was indeed remarkable at the age of 25 |
| 0:48.9 | He was author of the first German international bestseller the Soros of Young Vetter a year later |
| 0:53.9 | He was invited by the Grand Duke to join him at the Imperial Court as privy counsellor where he oversaw commissions on war |
| 0:59.9 | Roads and tax he rode to war with the Prussian army against the French and embarked on a remarkable creative friendship with Schiller |
| 1:06.3 | Which saw the establishment of a new form of German theatre what made Gerta the dominant cultural icon of his time and after |
| 1:13.7 | What links were there between his interest in politics and the arts? |
| 1:16.8 | Why did he support Napoleon despite the French invasion of Weimar and how is he able to transform the status of the German language? |
| 1:23.9 | With me to discuss Gerta's life and work are Tim Blanning professor of modern European history at Cambridge University |
| 1:30.5 | Sarah Colvin professor of German at Edinburgh University and Dan Wilson professor of German at Royal Holloway University of London |
| 1:39.2 | Tim Blanning what do we know of Gerta's family background and early as he did a remarkably long life born in 1749 |
| 1:45.9 | Died in 1832, but what about his early years in his family? |
| 1:49.9 | Well Gerta was lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was born as you say in 1749 in the free Imperial City of Frankfurt, I'm mine |
| 1:59.2 | quite a large city by German standards |
| 2:01.3 | in the second division I suppose after |
... |
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