Goethe, with his fine critical perception,
saw clearly enough both the power of style in itself, and the lack of
style in the literature of his own country; and perhaps if we regard
him solely as a German, not as a European, his great work was that he
laboured all his life to impart style into German literature, and
firmly to establish it there. Hence the immense importance to him of
the world of classical art, and of the productions of Greek or Latin
genius, where style so eminently manifests its power. Had he found
in the German genius and literature an element of style existing by
nature and ready to his hand, half his work, one may say, would have
been saved him, and he might have done much more in poetry. But as
it was, he had to try and create out of his own powers, a style for
German poetry, as well as to provide contents for this style to
carry; and thus his labour as a poet was doubled.
It is to be observed that power of style, in the sense in which I am
here speaking of style, is something quite different from the power
of idiomatic, simple, nervous, racy expression, such as the
expression of healthy, robust natures so often is, such as Luther's
was in a striking degree. Style, in my sense of the word, is a
peculiar re-casting and heightening, under a certain condition of
spiritual excitement, of what a man has to say, in such a manner as
to add dignity and distinction to it; and dignity and distinction are
not terms which suit many acts or words of Luther.
Pages:
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136