Das Erhabene
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
Friedrich Schiller wrote two essays on the question of the sublime (das Erhabene), entitled "Vom Erhabenen"[1] and "Über das Erhabene"[2].
Das Erhabene is the German term for the philosophical notion of the sublime. It translates literally as that which is raised or lifted.
According to Schiller, sublime pathos in the context of art demonstrates human freedom and triumph in the struggle against suffering. As such, pathos no longer refers to suffering itself, but rather an effect produced by overcoming suffering. Generally, Schiller links the experience of suffering to "grand ideas" - such as the idea of freedom; in this sense, pathos reminds one of Milton's Satan, when he cries out: "Hail, horrors, I greet thee!". Schiller's description of pathos continues to influence the use of the word today, in which such triumphant overcoming of suffering and other negative situations is seen as representing pathos.
See also