Novalis: Philosophical Writings

104 Pages·1997·31.203 MB·English

by  Novalis, Margaret M. Stoljar

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NOVALIS
Philosophical
Writings
TranslatedandEditedby
MargaretMahony Stoljar
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS
Publishedby
StateUniversityofNewYorkPress,Albany
© I997 StateUniversityofNewYork
Philosophycannotbalce bread—-butitcan bringus
Allrightsreserved Cod,freedom,and immortality.
Printedinthe UnitedStatesoiAmerica I show that I have understood a writeronly when I
can act in his spirit, when, withoutconstrictinghis
Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorreproduced individuality, I can translate him and change him
inanymannerwhatsoeverwithoutwrittenpermission. indiverse ways.
Nopartofthisbookmaybestoredinaretrievalsystem
Novalis
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electronic,electrostatic,magnetictape,mechanical,
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permission inwritingofthepublisher.
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ProductionbyCathleenCollins
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LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Novalis, l77Z~l80l.
[Selections English. I997]
PhilosophicalwritingsINovalis;translatedandeditedby I
MargaretMahonyStoliar.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-7914-3271-8(alk. paper]. - ISBN0-7914-3272-6(pb = alk.
Paper}
l. Philosophy. l. Stoljar, MargaretMahony. II.'['itle
B3U7I.A3'5N68 I996
I93—dc2fi 96-16782
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Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
MiscellaneousObservations
LogologicalFragmentsI
LogologicalFragmentsll
Monologue
FaithandLoveorTheKingandQueen
TeplitzFragments
()nGoethe
GeneralDraft
Clnistendom orEurope
LastFragments
Notes
SelectBibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
The texts transiated were selected from the German critical edition of
Novalis Schriften, edited by Richard Samuel with Hans-loaehim Mahl
and Gerhard Schulz,vols. 2-3. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer, 1965-1968.
The commentaries in this edition are invaluable. Other editions provid-
ing additional analysis ofthe texts are Novalis Werke, edited by Gerhard
Schulz, Munich: C. H. Beck, I969;and Novalis, Werlre, Tagebiiclierund
Briefe Friedrich von Harrlenbergs, vol. 3, edited by Hans-joachim Mahi
and Richard Samuel, with Commentary by Hans ltirgen Balmes,
MunichNienna:Carl Hanser, I987. I havereliedextensivelyonallthese
editions.
IwishtothankEmeritus ProfessorGerhard SchulzoftheUniversity
of Melbourne, for his lcind encouragement and his help in clarifying
many passages. I am grateful for the constructive suggestions made by
Professor lohn Neubauer ofthe University ofAmsterdam and Professor
Steven Paul ScherofDartmouth College.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Kohlhammer Verlag,
Stuttgart, for permission to translate a selection from the copyrighted
worksfirstpublished in NovalisSchriften.
ix
Abbreviations
MO MiseellaneousObservations
LFI LogologicalFragmentsI
LFII LogologicalFragmentsll
FL FaithandLoveorTheKingandQueen
TF TeplitzFragments
OG OnGoethe
GD GeneralDraft
CE ChristendomorEurope
LaF LastFragments
Introduction
The writer we know as “Novalis” was bom in I772 as Friedrich von
Hardenberg. The manuscripts translated in this volume were compiled
betweenlate I797andlate I799,mostremainingunpublished.Thestrik-
ingrangeofinterestsdisplayed inhisnotes, philosophical fragments,and
shortessaysreveals Novalistobeoneofthemostcomprehensivethinkers
ofhisgeneration. Hesharedinthebeliefofhiscontemporariesinthepsy-
chological and social value ofphilosophy, poetry, and the other arts, but
since he had also been educated in mathematics and the physical sci-
ences,thedimensionsofhiswritingarefar-reaching.
His intellectual profile resembles that of an eighteenth-century
polymath such as Diderotord'Alembert,whowroteexpertlyon a myriad
ofscientific and cultural subjects. Indeed, Novalis’s own unfinished pro-
jectforanencyclopedicwork,hisGeneralDraft,demonstrateshisafifinity
with the philosophes whom headmired,even whilerejectingtheirmate-
rialism. In spite ofthe boldness, rigor, and extensive scope ofNovalis's
intellectual pursuits, hisphilosophicalworkhasbeenlargelyobscuredfor
those who have thoughtofhim asa prototypical Romantic dreamer.The
popularityofhis HymnstotheNight, asetofdithyrambic poems in verse
and prose, and ofhis novel Heinrich von Ofterdingen, the source ofthe
Romantic archetype ofthe blue flower, symbol oflove and longing, does
not prepare the readerfor material such as is found in his philosophical
manuscripts.
_ In his original, unprejudiced, and undogmatic questioning ofany
issue that interests him, Novalis displays to a remarkable degree the kind
of innovative thought that will characterize the Romantic movement
I
Introduction 3
Z Introduction
throughout Europe. Being a practicing scientist and creative writer as 'I'he nest three years saw Hardenberg engaged in intensive philo-
wellaspossessingacomprehensiveapproach totheoretical inquirythatin §[‘]pl'IlCi:ll study, principally devoted to Kant and especially Fichtc, whose
his time was what was meant by "philosophical," Novalis engages with a writings, above all his Theory of Scientific Knowledge (I794), were
widerspectrum ofquestionsthan domostofhiscontemporaries. Butitis received with enthusiasm bytheyounggeneration. Hisinterestinmathe-
hisreadinesstosubjectanyphilosophical concepttoradical interrogation maticsand science,especiallygeologyand mining, wasstimulated by his
that marks his published and unpublished work as ofenduring interest. father's appointment as director ofthe Saxon saltworks, and Hardenberg
Forcontemporary readersaccustomed to the critiqueofthe categories of decidedtoembarkonacourseofstudyatthecelebratedminingacademy
in Freiberg. Meanwhile he had been profoundly moved bythe deathsof
reason that has followed in the wake ofNietzsche, Novalis’s writings can
his young fiancee Sophie von Kijhn and his brother Erasmus. These
seem uncannily pertinent. They address issues that in recent years have
cxpCl’lCI1C€S,and theshadowoftuberculosisthatlayovercountlessyoung
continued to expand the parameters ofour thinking on truth and objec-
people ofhis own age, prompted Hardenbergtoa kind ofmystical medi-
tivity, language and mind, symbol and representation, reason and the
tation on death and the possibility ofresurrection, themes that became
imagination. Informandstyletoo,Novalis’smanuscriptsdemonstratethe
the subject of the poetic cycle Hymns to the Night. Late in 1797 he
associative fluidity ofthought characteristic ofNietzsche. They proceed
devoted himself intensively to study of the Dutch philosopher Hems-
by intuitive and imaginative reasoning, rather than sustained systematic
tcrhuis, whose concept ofa moral sense and emphasis on the cognitive
argument, inamannerthathasbecomefamiliarinthewritingofDerrida
validity ofpoetic language and offeeling impressed him profoundly. He
and others in our time. His adoption ofthe Romantic fragment, a self-
recorded his studies of Kant, Fichtc, and Hemsterhuis in a number of
conscious and self-contained short prose form created in particular by
philosophical notebooks, the first in a series that was to be continued
Friedrich Schlegel toallow maximum flexibility in workingoutnewand
throughouthislife.
developing ideas, is ideally suited to his own quicksilver movement
In the short years that remained before his death in March I801,
between subjects. In looking at the most important ofhis themes, it will
Hardenbergsteepedhimselfinallaspectsofcontemporarythought,often
be appropriate as well to point to the affinities between his approaches
exchanging ideaswith the Schlegel circle,amongwhomwasthe philoso-
andhisphilosophical styleandsomeofthose currenttoday. pherSchelling. Hecontinuedtowrite poetryand prosefiction, aswell as
Friedrich von Hardenberg was born in central Germany at Ober- toexplorephilosophical,aesthetic, mathematical, andscientifictopics in
wiederstedt, in theregion ofHalle.Astheeldestsonofafamilybelonging his notebooks. After completing his studies in Freiberg, Hardenberg
to the minor aristocracy, Friedrich wastutored at home. He grew up in a becameengagedtobemarriedforasecondtimeandappliedsuccessfully
household presided over by a devoted mother and a deeply religious fora positionasdistrictadministrator inThuringia. However,late in I800
fatherwith close ties tothe Moravian Brethren ofHerjnhutin Saxony. A his health began to fail rapidly and itbecame apparent that tuberculosis
strongsenseoffamilyastheprimarycommunityand modelforallothers, woulddefeathishopeofmarriageandplansforfurtherphilosophicaland
aswell asthepietistemphasisonpersonal faithandmysticalcommunica- literaryworks.
tion with God, wereaspects ofHardenberg’s earlyyearsthatproved tobe In the winter of 1797-1798, during his first months in Freiberg,
enduring elements ofhis thought. While a law student at ]ena, Leipzig, Hardenberg prepared a collection of fragments, Miscellaneous Obser-
and Wittenbcrgbetween I790and I794, Hardenbergmade theacquain- vations, as his first philosophical publication. It initially appeared under
tance of Schiller, Friedrich Schlegel, and Fichtc, and began to write the title Pollen, and was signed with the pseudonym "Novalis," which
means "one who opens up new land.”The name had traditional associa-
poetry. Schiller, a historian and philosopher aswell as a poetand drama-
tist, was, with Goethe, one ofthe two preeminent literary figures ofthe tions with the Hardenberg family, butwas particularly apt in view ofthe
author’s description of his own work as “literary scedings.” This was
age. Schlegel, himselfstill a student, wastobealeader in thefield ofaes-
Nox-alis's interpretation ofthe concept ofSyrnphilosophie, or collabora-
thcticsand cultural theory in the late 1790s, at the centerofa group that
lion in philosophy, bywhich the Schlegel circle characterized their joint
came to beknownasthe Romantic school.
4 Introduction Introduction 5
work as a kind ofphilosophical conversation. The Romantic fragment, Drawinga distinction thatclarifies his concept ofsubjective truth,
sometimes brief and aphoristic, sometimes extended to several para- Novalis writes thatwe can be convinced only ofmagical or miraculous
graphs, was conceived by itspractitioners asspeciallysuited tocollabora- truth, never ofnatural truth (LFI 78). With this distinction he circum-
tive work, but the fonn also allowed Novalis to move in free association vents a correspondence theory of truth that would demand validity in
acrossanyaspectofintellectuallife.The ideaofcultivatingandfertilizing terms ofobjective reality, and puts in its place a self-generating, poetic
newlandwasevoked inthe imageryofthepublishedtitle,Pollen,andthe truth.Thistruth istheonlytruththatisaccessibletorne,forifIlookelse-
epigraph to it: “Friends, thesoil ispoor,we mustsowabundantseeds!So where then the only difference between truth and delusion lies in their
that even modest harvests will flourish.” These metaphors make explicit life functions (MO B). The ideaofmagical truth will prove tobecentral
Novalis's conceptofphilosophical discourse notassomethingclosedand to Novalis's aesthetic principle of magical idealism. His rejection ofa
finite but as a dynamic movement of thought. During the first half of notion ofextrinsic truth thatcan be uncovered bythe exercise ofreason
1798 Novalis continued to work on his philosophical notebooks; two is atone with the stanee ofcontemporarypragmatists. Philosophers like
selections from these unpublished manuscriptsare translatedhereunder Richard Rorty have argued againstthe assumptions ofan objective the-
theheadingLcgologicalFragments. oryoftruthsuch asthatheld in the Enlightenment,asthewayofdiscov-
Beliefin spirituality, the conviction ofhuman otherness as against ering “the intrinsic nature ofthings." Novalis, in contrast, proposes a
the animal and inanimate worlds, is the grounding axiom of Novalis's self-referential model for philosophy which seeks not to explain the
thought. The hierarchy ofspiritual value is extended bythe positingofa world but ratherto explain itself; its growth isorganic, asaseed emerges
higherrealm ofpure spirit, removed in kind from the human asmuch as from a huskand sprouts toforma newplant(LFI 17).The imagerecalls
the latter is from nonhuman earthly forms. His reading in the historyof hisdescription ofhisownfragmentsas“seedings.”
philosophy made Novalis familiar with Platonic ideas, and like others of In another sense too, Novalis’s ideas come close to those ofRorty
hisgeneration such as Hegel and the poetHolder]in, he is able torecon- and others who move out from a subjective notion oftruth to a cohesive
cile these with Christian conceptions ofspirituality. The realm ofspirit, senseofparticipation in a human community. WlratRortycallssolidarity
the repository oftruth, is conceived as the end ofall philosophical and or ethnocentricity embodies a kind of social optimism that is close to
creative thought, butNovalissees the way ofitsattainmentin something Novalis’spost-Enlightenmentbeliefinprogress? iftruth isnotsomething
other than a search for heterogeneous new discoveries. lt is accessible to be discovered extemal to myself, butlies rather in actingaccording to
only through perfect self-understanding, which forhim is the beginning my convictions (MO 38), it is as much an ethical as an epistemological
ofall knowledgeandallphilosophy. concept. In this sense, it represents the core of that element of late-
It is apparent that in these interlocking concepts ofpure spirit and cighteenth-century German thought which Novalis shared with his
self-knowledge, Novalis is positinga kind oftruth very different from the philosophicalpartnersand towhich heretumsagainandagain:thesocial
belief in objective reason that underlies the assumptions of Enlighten- responsibilityofthe intellectual.Thephilosopherandtheartistaregifted
ment rationalism. Notwithstanding the continuities that link many with the abilitytorecognize magical truth, and arethereforecalled on to
aspects ofeighteenth-century philosophical thinking to that ofNovalis’s guide others toward fliis recognition: “Weare on a mission. Ourvocation
time,suchadeparturegoesfartojustifythetraditionalperiodicdifferenti- the education ofthe earth" (MO 32). The political and social aspira-
ation between the Enlightenment and Romanticism. The mystical nousderived from thebeliefin progresswill beexaminedmorecloselyin
dimension of his religious upbringing disposed Novalis toward nonra- cpnnection with Novalis'swritingonthepoeticstate, inFaithandLoveor
tional ways ofunderstanding, a direction thatwas reinforcedbyhis read- the KingandQueenand ChristendomorEurope.
ing of Hernstcrhuis. In arguments that privilege introspection and _ Recognition ofsocial responsibility precludes the escapism or nar-
intuition, Novalis insistson the subjective nature oftruth: "but is not the clssism that have sometimes been held to inform Novalis’s ideas. Indeed,
universe within ourselves? 'lhe depths ofour spirit are unknown to us- ll‘!-Spreciselytheactofdistancingfrom theselfthathecharacterizesasthe
themysteriouswayleads inwards" (MO IT’). lllghcst task ofeducation: “. . . to take command ofone's transcendental
Introduction 7
6 Introduction
self—to beatonce the I ofits I” (MO 28). As partofhis intensivestudyof "lllllltllfiglcalnfa5l1l°".flmethodhewilllaterdeplore(TF 34).Itisrathera
Fichteduring 1796, Novalis had setoutto redefine the relation between kind oftypology ofthe organic growth that he describes elsewhere in the
the intuitive and cognitive functions of the self, between feeling and metaphor of the seed and the plant. Late-eighteenth-century notions of
humanprogresscommonlyadoptedatriadicpattem,seeinginitevolution
reflection,contentand form.Throughan interactiveprocessthatNovalis
from a primitiveorchaoticphasethrough a stage ofsearchingandexpel-i-
calls ordo inversus, as the self reaches consciousness of itselfthese two
nicntation toward ultimate resolution. Novalis employs this pattern as he
functions come together, subject and objectbecomingone. This insight
traces three phases ofphilosophy passingthrough aprocessofgrowth and
underlies Novalis'stheoryofrepresentation and hisvision ofthepractice
change {LFI I3). None is identified with a specific historical period
ofphilosophyasart.
although the third and lastmay be assumed to be Novalis’s own time or,
As a creative dynamic, the concept of potentiation or reflection,
more properly, the age that was about to dawn. He and his fellow
exemplified in the phrase “the I ofits I," is at the heart ofRomantic aes-
Romanticswereconsciousofthesymbolismofthe newcentury,angwgj-3-
thetics. It is defined by Friedrich Schlegel in temis such as poetry of
nessthatinforms much oftheirwritingon history,politics,andculture.
poctiyand philosophyofphilosophy, signifyinga continuousprogression
‘he n‘l;.l~t):3lISsli)1l'1€foverviewculminatesinapresagingofthephilosophyof
ofevergreater intensityandpower. ButforNovalisthereflectionformula
ge, en.rational argumentand intuition will come together in
hasmorethanpurelyintellectualforce; theordoinversusisinfusedwitha
flu all-embracingkind ofphilosophythat isalsoart. Itisthe artistwho will
characteristic sense of mystical understanding. He embraces the com-
achieveanecessarysynthesisbothwithinhimselfand,throughcontem ]a_
mon goals ofthe Schlegel circle but endows them with a larger dimen-
lion ofhimself, in his vision ofthe transcendental: “The complete rejlire-
sion: “The world must be made Romantic. . . . To make Romantic is
seiitationoftruespirituallife,raisedtoconsciousnessthroughthisaction,is
nothingbuta qualitative raisingtoa higherpower” (LFI 66). Raisingthe
philosophy katexoclien.” The universe ofthe spiritual or ofmagical truth
self to the power of itself is perhaps the most consequential ofall the
giphartbbecotlpneikeesrnelorgermofanall-encompassingorgan.
Romantic reflection formulas, since itdescribes a progressive mental act
whereby, in perfect self-knowledge, one's gaze is simultaneously extri- c‘ndS_,, ,n1at§rti%'::]'5'%)° 3 ml?-‘ifif-Penetration ofthespirit which never
catedfromtheboundsofindividuality. Notforgetfulabsorptionintheself
shows Novalis iiiovin edpellmli thas eulhmate plus? ofPhilosophy
but the converse, critical contemplation, is the goal: “As we behold our- dimensionsofintellefiufill 11$! Iy in T1 rection ofbringing together all
selves—we give ourselves life" (MO l0Z). Through thefeelingofthe self Hon.Thisvision is "id 3 bl iflfltfzla WfoLe thatisgrounded in representa-
reflectingon itself,transcendentormagical truth mayberevealed. bcmmcs 0b_ect Signbe y ei calm; t eordoinversus,wherebysubject
Thecoinage “logological"shows a newapplication ofthe reflection
izcd. and liilosh h becomes nonse Tlile symbol becomes the gimbal-
fonnula. The notebooks that complement Miscellaneous Observations
fouiid inls-i)n ia fl)the ecpmes e key R‘) these tmnsfomlahons is
The lair ,ht€ P:1l]ITl3l'}/titleo representation. .
areconcernedforthemostpartwithdifferentaspectsofphilosophyinthe
past, present, and future. Novalis defines his own practice as “logologi- miginand naturegonen cen lpywasa timeofmuchspeculationonthe
cal," meaningtheactivityoflogic raised tothepowerofitselforreflecting
ciitiatcd human s eeiiligfrlagelhoussfalli Herder,aridmanyothersdiffer-
on itsown nature,where“logic” is used in anontechnical sensetoequate
ihccomcptofaiélgfinct., he 8t‘lll)Cl.lIIationsofanimalsby reference to
"philosophical discourse." "Logology," therefore, is the process of self- in Comparisonwith aniI.nal tlet wash c ipved tobeweakin human beings
conscious reflection on the practice ofphilosophy, the word itselfimply- fimcfionofmam“ qomcthiq “$5t Ere oreheldthatlanguagemustbea
ingaprogressivemovementorgrowthtowardanew, higherstage. Novalis
lion and analogy when W 3Gd clrt it instinct,andarrived atby1|-niia-
hnwcvcr it is an-“fin to fr;[:1-ela fpitovahs hastosay aboutlanguage,
restates the grounding principles ofhis thought: that philosophy is possi-
theories ,wide1y a.CCeBted toda l~t;t'€‘Tt§IPOStll0I‘I that is much closer to
ble at all derives from the ability ofthe intelligence to act on itself(LFI
Z2). Philosophybegins with theactoftranscendingtheself(LFl 79).
lxigolo ical F {P flay‘ Isce afleous Obsewahons and the
gua ragmen s as we as the Monologue, a short essay on lan-
In a retrospective glance at the evolution of philosophy, Novalis
ge, includemanypassagesthatshowthatNovalisbelieved languageto
does not undertake a review ofhistorical Figures in “lexicograpliical” or