Sigrid Damm's 'Christiane et Goethe' and European Literary Fictions
In 'Christiane et Goethe, une recherche' (Actes Sud, translated by Nicole Casanova), Sigrid Damm explores the life of Christiane Vulpius (1765-1816), who was Goethe's spouse, drawing from archives in Weimar. Their paths first crossed in 1788, culminating in marriage in 1806. The narrative highlights her humble beginnings in contrast to Goethe's renown and his position as finance minister. Damm presents previously unpublished insights into their relationship, with Goethe affectionately referring to her as 'Erotikon' and subsequently as 'my wife.' The Vulpius name faced mockery, and later authors like Thomas Mann criticized Christiane. Goethe's travels to Italy inspired his 'Roman Elegies,' while Christiane's letters reveal her thoughts on her body and sexuality. She passed away in 1816. Additional works mentioned include Patrick Ourednick's 'Europeana,' Nicolaj Frobenius's 'Je est ailleurs,' and Javier Marías's 'Seven Reasons Not to Write Novels.'
Key facts
- Sigrid Damm's 'Christiane et Goethe, une recherche' is a scientific monograph on Christiane Vulpius.
- Christiane Vulpius (1765-1816) was Goethe's wife; they met in 1788 and married in 1806.
- Goethe was ennobled by Prince Charles-Augustus of Weimar and became finance minister.
- Thomas Mann, Romain Rolland, and Robert Musil disparaged Christiane Vulpius.
- Patrick Ourednick's 'Europeana' covers 20th-century history in a digressive style.
- Nicolaj Frobenius's 'Je est ailleurs' is about voluntary identity loss and media falsification.
- Javier Marías wrote 'Seven Reasons Not to Write Novels and One to Do So'.
- Marías argues fiction is the possible future of reality.
Entities
Artists
- Sigrid Damm
- Christiane Vulpius
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Thomas Mann
- Romain Rolland
- Robert Musil
- Friedrich Schiller
- Johann Gottfried Herder
- Charlotte von Stein
- Elias Canetti
- Patrick Ourednick
- Gertrude Stein
- Laurence Sterne
- Peter Sloterdijk
- Nicolaj Frobenius
- Arthur Rimbaud
- Marshall McLuhan
- Italo Calvino
- Javier Marías
Institutions
- Actes Sud
- Éditions Allia
- Santillana
Locations
- Weimar
- Germany
- Italy
- Venice
Sources
- artpress —