The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 02: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes
General
The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 02: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes
German literature -- 19th century -- Translations into English; German literature -- 20th century -- Translations into English
I shall, in the first place, protect myself by saying that it is by no
means my intention to adduce the following terminology as exhaustive or
final; my attempt is, rather not so much to add a new contrast to those
already familiar, as to point out that it is included in them. These
contrasts are:
Antique Modern
Naive Sentimental
Pagan Christian
Heroic Romantic
Real Idealistic
Necessity Freedom
_Sollen_ (Duty; shall; must; should). _Wollen_ (Desire; inclination;
would).
The greatest torments, as well as the most frequent, that beset man
spring from the discordances in us all between duty and desire, between
duty and performance (_Vollbringen_); and it is these discordances
that so often embarrass man during his earthly course. The slightest
confusion, arising from a trivial error which may be cleared up
unexpectedly and without injury, gives rise to ridiculous situations.
The greatest confusion, on the contrary, insoluble or unsolved, offers
us the tragic elements.
Predominant in the ancient dramas is the discordance between duty and
desire; in the modern, that between desire and performance. Let us, for
the present, consider this decisive difference among the other
contrasts, and see what can be done with it in both cases. Now this, now
that side predominates, as I have remarked; but since duty and desire
cannot be radically separated in man, both motives must be found
simultaneously, even though the one should be predominant and the other
subordinate. Duty is imposed upon man; "must" is a hard taskmaster;
desire (_das Wollen_) man imposes upon himself; man's own will is his
heaven. A persistent "should" is irksome; inability to perform is
terrible; a persistent "would" is gratifying; and the possession of a
firm will may yield solace even in case of incapacity to perform.
We may look at games of cards as a sort of poetic creation; they, too,
consist of these two elements. The form of the game, combined with
chance, takes the place of the "should" as the ancients recognized it
under the name of fate; the "would," combined with the ability of the
player, opposes it. Looked at in this way, I should call the game of
whist ancient. The form of this game restricts chance, nay, the will
itself; provided with partners and opponents, I must, with the cards
dealt out to me, guide a long series of chances which there is no way of
controlling. In the case of ombre and other like games, the contrary
takes place. Here a great many doors are left open to will and daring; I
can revoke the cards that fall to my share, can make them count in
various ways, can discard half or all of them, can appeal from the
decree of chance, nay, by an inverted course can reap the greatest
advantage from the worst hand; and thus this class of games exactly
resembles the modern method in thought and in poetic art.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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