Seplveda, Villablanca 1 Javiera Seplveda, Mara Elena Villablanca Professor Francisca Folch Literary Theory LET 1743 9 May

2013 Prcis on On Nave and Sentimental Poetry by Friedrich von Schiller Abstract: In On Nave and Sentimental Poetry, Schiller highlights the role of Nature in mens life, particularly as applied to poets and artists in general, considering it both the origin and end of creativity. Furthermore, he establishes a differentiation between two kinds of poets, the nave and the sentimental, according to how they behave or relate with nature, giving more of a psychological point of view regarding their interactions, in terms of previous authors. In order to achieve this, he takes and works with the concept of alienation, a considerably popular topic among romantic writers, for its relation with the feeling of isolation and that of being an outsider, both from nature and from society. For Schiller, an artist is either in line with Nature or longs to return to it, which then goes on to be characterized in their writing as a way of reconciling with what was lost. Analysis: Schiller claims that the pleasure felt at contemplating nature does not come from its appeal to the senses, but rather from its quality as nature alone, which allows it to be in tune with a persons very soul, causing pleasure and allowing access to a sense of sublimity. In order to achieve this approach, the object must be recognized as we are in need of two elements, the first being that the object must be recognized as nature with its interest being nave, meaning that the contemplation of it occurs not because of any kind of profit, but rather because the act produces pleasure in the person. The loss of happiness and connection to nature, which turns a nave poet into a sentimental poet, affects the sensible man, since nature disappears from mens life, it begins

Seplveda, Villablanca 2 to appear on his ideas and poetic compositions. It is from this then, that poets come to be categorized between those who are nature, which are called nave, and those who, having come to be apart from it and are now seeking some return to it, are called sentimental. According to the author the genius is nave, not conforming to any pre-established rules and writing from his own nature, enabling him to express nature because he has not been apart from it, that is to say, everything that a Nave poet does is following a natural instinct, without listening to external prescriptions, because the only law he recognizes is that of his own feelings. This nave state can only be maintained while there is no corruption of external sources and one is still able to be one with nature instead of alienating oneself from it. However, in the moment that the closeness to nature has been lost the poet can no longer be a nave poet, regardless of their attempts or intentions, they will have become Sentimental. This phase of naivety as granted by nature, that comes before culture, civilization, and the corruption that they encompass, leaves such a strong and powerful memory in the poet that later he cannot help but to long to be back to be one with it. The desire to reach that initial perfection is thus reflected on the sentimental poets, who write a sort of response to this state, expressing their longing for nature and attempting to break their alienation from it, with this response being what has come to be known as art, which would explain why only the sentimental poet can create it. This creation of a response towards nature, according to Schiller, implies a process in which the sentimental poet could manage to overcome the innate genius of a nave poet. The author also claims that, since the Nave man will invariably go through society, as the final and inevitable aim of humankind, the sentimental poet should be the preferred state between the two, more or less as a representation of the ultimate purpose of the ideal

Seplveda, Villablanca 3 nature, in contrast to the limitations of a nave poet. The fact that the latter is nature allows him to act in balance with his senses and reason, depicting men as a whole and showing their true essence; whereas the sentimental, on the other hand, can reconstruct the dichotomy that arises between reality and the ideal of nature in order to restore that broken link that develops at the moment of entering society. Subsequently, for Schiller, the sentimental poet is at disadvantage with the nave, because his work can only evoke the longing for nature and not nature itself, however, he can eventually overcome the nave because he is not bound by the same limited nature as them. The poetry that is based on the ideal of nature invites to be isolated from reality and sees beyond of what is objective and material. Conclusion: According to Schiller, if a man persists in his relation with nature, he will have a harmonious connection between his senses and reason, but when he enters into society and civilization, this connection is broken and he will desperately desire to regain that link. However, the poetic genius is not completely lost; even though the human being has abandoned the golden age, his moral instinct encourages his poetic feeling, thus taking it towards another direction. The harmony previously mentioned can now be accomplished in a renewed way known as art, which in comparison to the natural imitation of genius seems to hold more importance. For the author, there is a merit in crafting something so carefully that it can be called art, with its ability to depict nature in such a way that those outside of it will be able to understand it and feel a connection that they would have lost otherwise, even if it is for the briefest of moments; for a sentimental poet understands that detachment, and suffers from it like the reader, allowing him to create a bridge towards nature, not just for himself but for humanity as a whole.