Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Gay and Lesbian Literature
- The Cambridge History of Gay and Lesbian Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Reading Ancient and Classical Cultures
- Part II Renaissance and Early Modern
- Part III Enlightenment Cultures
- 13 Homobonding and the Nation
- 14 Bildungand Sexuality in the Age of Goethe
- 15 The Gothic Novel and the Negotiation of Homophobia
- 16 Same-Sex Friendships and the Rise of Modern Sexualities
- 17 African American Writing until 1930
- Part IV Queer Modernisms
- Part V Geographies of Same-Sex Desire in the Modern World
- Part VI Genres of the Present
- Index
14 - Bildungand Sexuality in the Age of Goethe
from Part III - Enlightenment Cultures
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 December 2014
By
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Gay and Lesbian Literature
- The Cambridge History of Gay and Lesbian Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Reading Ancient and Classical Cultures
- Part II Renaissance and Early Modern
- Part III Enlightenment Cultures
- 13 Homobonding and the Nation
- 14 Bildungand Sexuality in the Age of Goethe
- 15 The Gothic Novel and the Negotiation of Homophobia
- 16 Same-Sex Friendships and the Rise of Modern Sexualities
- 17 African American Writing until 1930
- Part IV Queer Modernisms
- Part V Geographies of Same-Sex Desire in the Modern World
- Part VI Genres of the Present
- Index
Summary
The accusation that eighteenth-century Berlin was home to sexual affection between men presumably gained traction because of the rumors surrounding Friedrich II, known in English as Frederick the Great. While the Age of Goethe did not have a vocabulary of "homosexuality", "bisexuality", or "heterosexuality", it did possess an emerging rhetoric of "sexuality". The concept of the Bildungstrieb relies on the notion of Bildung, which is famously difficult to translate. The Age of Goethe's focus on Bildung produced a new genre, identified by Karl Morgenstern as the Bildungsroman in his 1819 lecture "Uber das Wesen des Bildungsromans" ("On the Essence of the Bildungsroman"), which was published in 1820. The bildungsroman is classically the story of the development or acculturation of typically a young man who discovers who he is and how he fits into society. A distinctive aspect of the Age of Goethe's discussion of sexuality is its fervent and sensual depiction of intense physical and emotional friendships between men.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Gay and Lesbian Literature , pp. 254 - 271Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014
- 1
- Cited by