Nature and Poetic Consciousness from Hölderlin to Rilke
Jennifer Anna Gosetti-Ferencei
Hölderlin's Philosophy of Nature August 31, 2020 DOI: 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474454155.003.0002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Hölderlin's and Rilke's poetics are connected by a shared notion of distinctly poetic consciousness and by their efforts to figure its relation to nature, and that a Hölderlinian current informs Rilke's most accomplished poetic thinking. Proposes that reading Rilke through Hölderlin's response to idealism illuminates possibilities for ecologically-oriented consciousness and Hölderlin's relevance for modernism. |
Abstract
While the poets Hölderlin and Rilke are often evoked together in a common thematic context, they have invited little direct comparison in literary scholarship. Yet as demonstrated in this essay, the poetics and poetry of Hölderlin and Rilke are connected by the common notion of distinctly poetic consciousness and by their efforts to figure the relation of poetic consciousness to nature. It is shown here that, despite significant differences, a Hölderlinian current invigilates Rilke’s most accomplished poetic thinking. A sensitive contextualization of Rilke within the framework of Hölderlin’s response to idealism can help to illuminate the possibilities for ecologically-oriented consciousness in Rilke, while demonstrating the persistent relevance of Hölderlin’s writings for modernism. The implications of this comparative study for ecology and ecocriticism include poetical revision of our relation to the natural world.