Goethe and rhetoric

The monograph on the topic "Goethe and Rhetoric" builds on studies of the transformation of rhetoric in the 18th century. The case of Goethe illustrates how deeply the writers of the 18th century were still influenced by a rhetorical tradition of education. Goethe's rhetorical writings, as well as his literary works, repeatedly address rhetorical challenges, and the authors of the ancient rhetorical tradition (Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, Ps. Longinus) are as significant reference points for Goethe as contemporary rhetoric theorists (Gottsched, Johann August, and Christian Gottlieb Ernesti) when it comes to articulating his literary and aesthetic self-understanding. The classic theoretical texts of Goethe will be examined (such as the speech "On Shakespeare's Day," "On German Architecture," "Simple Imitation of Nature," "Manner," "Style").