Goethe's Cyclical Narratives

The novelty of this study lies in its techniques for understanding the deliberate narrative contradictions and elusive parody in Goethe's work. Interpretation of the entire Unterhaltungen , including the Marchen, establishes Goethe's principles of cyclical composition. By pursuing the elaboration of these principles in the Wanderjahre --the undependable narrator, multiple perspectives, and parody of popular eighteenth-century figures--the author interprets the cultural and social significance of