Abstract

I wish to express my gratitude to the following distinguished scholars who have been greatly instrumental in the result of this inquiry. I am most indebted to Professor Peter Gay of Columbia, who has weeded out many errors and ambiguities in the manuscript, and whose vast knowledge, wide interest and profound insights have helped me here, as on previous occasions, to understand the intricacies of the eighteenth century. I should also like to thank Professor Fritz Stern for the keen criticism with which he has read the entire manuscript. A special debt lowe to Dr. Walter Silz who, expert on Schiller as well as on the Romantics, has aided me with great skill, experience and wisdom in the problem of relating both. I further wish to thank Pro fessor Walter Sokel of Stanford and Professor Theodore Ziolkowski of Princeton for their assistance in specific problems. Above all, however, I am profoundly indebted to my wife, without whose infinite care and patience, as well as fine linguistic precision this study could not have been written. T ABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 PART 1. BETWEEN ARCADIA AND KARLSSCHULE 1. Rebels and scholars 5 2. The freedom to wander 16 3. Romantic polarity 27 PAR T II. BET WEE N J E N A AND V E R SAIL L E S 1. Professional history 45 2. The inaugural address 56 3. The historical writings 70 PAR T III.