Continued Existence, Reincarnation, and the Power of Sympathy in Classical Weimar

In Wieland's novel Agathodaemon, Apollonius ponders fundamental questions that have fascinated a host of poets and philosophers Throughout history. Intensely aware of this tradition, the writers of German Classicism eagerly participated in searching for answers, and one possibility for continued life, the transmigration of the soul, caught their abiding interest. Wieland was the first among them to treat these ideas in greater detail, presenting an extraordinary variety of perspectives on preexistence, reincarnation, and the concomitant concept of 'sympathia,' the compelling inherent affinity that characterizes certain human relationships. Goethe included these notions in his poetry, novels, and dramatic works many times, and, firmly convinced of the permanence of man's soul, or his entelechy, he often expressed his hope for continued life in correspondence and conversations. In 1781-82 Schlosser and Herder presented their contrasting views on reincarnation in five connected dialogues that were attentively received in Weimar. And in his early works and letters the young Schiller also participated in the ongoing discourse concerning these topics. The present study traces the development of these concepts in ancient literature, Judaism, and early Christianity; it outlines their discussion during the Enlightenment and indicates the importance of Orientalism for Western views on reincarnation. The final and major part of the book treats the reception of these ideas in the writings of the Weimar classicists.