Novalis’ Monologue: Text, Commentary & some Considerations about its Bonds with Romantic “Irony”

Abstract

Friedrich von Hardenbergs (Novalis’) Monologue has often been considered (since 1960 and Strohschneider-Kohrs’ Die romantische Ironie in Theorie und Gestaltung) a noteworthy example of implementation of romantic “irony”. Without denying the legitimacy of such approaches that identify certain ironic elements, here it is stated, nevertheless, that (as recently asserted: Bergengruen 2014), this text does not ultimately express a perspective compatible with that of romantic irony. I suggest that this alleged distancing from irony in Novalis’ Monologue can be considered a case, among others, of a fact that in “late” Novalis’ production is far more a characteristic tendency than an isolated case.