Formation or dilettantism. The novels of Karl Philipp Moritz

Abstract

In the history of German literature, the themes of dilettantism and Bildung were born together during the last quarter of the 18th century. The hypothesis of this article is that there is a structural connection between the Bildungsroman and the theme of dilettantism, and it can be demostrated by analyzing two novels by Karl Philipp Moritz (1756-1793): Anton Reiser and Die neue Cecilia. In these works we find the first dilettantes in the history of literature, an idiosyncratic character type in German literature, which is characterised here at the time of its birth. Furthermore, dilettantism is presented as a key concept for understanding the uniqueness of Moritz's work and its historical position in the development of the German novel in Goethe's time.