Abstract
German Romanticism made use of drama less frequently and less successfully than the aesthetic movements that preceded it. However, there was a German Romantic theater, and it developed a number of distinctive characteristics. As these features are analyzed in the light of the Romantic program itself, one can see with rather greater clarity some of the possible reasons why the German Romantics not only failed to produce a large number of plays, but also did not find in drama an appropriate vehicle for an important part of their agenda. This paper carries out such an analysis and reflects on the nature of German Romantic drama and the reasons for its comparatively minor development.
Keywords:
German Romanticism; “Universal Drama”; Romantic Irony