25. New and Old Dramatics

Now things are suddenly supposed to be different. For a decade and a half, the preachers of "modernism" have never tired of telling us that we can no longer continue along the paths that Schiller and Goethe took. The classical forms, the monumental on stage, the stylization must stop. Pure, unadulterated nature must be given its due. But that was five years ago. Since then, these "modernists" have discovered that there are nerves. Then they said: Nerves, they are modern. Modern dramas must have an effect on the "nerves". We listened quietly to these modernists. Because they said: we want to discover the new art, we have to let off steam first. We might do stupid things for the time being, but good things will come. Yes, but it didn't come. Now all of a sudden these "moderns" are starting to tell us that Goethe was right after all. That's going too far. We won't allow ourselves to be treated like this. We have remained silent until now. We have gladly listened to people preach naturalism to us. After all, we have also put up with symbolism. But the fact that now the people who sang us the song with the chest tone of their conviction: Goethe's art is over, that these people are now coming to teach us what Goethe wanted, wrote and thought - we won't put up with that. We have always known what Goethean art is. We have also known that there can be something else that is different. And finally, we have even known that Goethe lived at the end of the last century, and that at the end of this century mankind has other needs than Goethe's contemporaries. But when our contemporaries come and want to teach us what real art is in Goethe's sense, and that we should convert to this art, then let us have a serious word.

Some of our younger writers discovered Goethe a few days ago. Several are now even copying Goethe's rules of art and having them printed in modern reviews. They are starting to write something really clever. And teach us what real art is in Goethe's sense. I want to let these gentlemen in on a secret. We don't really care what they tell us. It tells us only the most banal things. But these gentlemen are gifted. They will go even further in their understanding of Goethe. That's why we shouldn't judge them too harshly. Today they tell us things that we can do without, because we have them in our blood; they are trivialities for us. Tomorrow they will glean things from Goethe that are strange and new to us. One of these gifted people recently wrote a magazine article entitled "Back to Goethe". He said that it is good to remember Goethe's artistic maxims after all. He cited individual contemporaries who share his sentiments. He was wrong about some of them. For if today a truly artistic nature goes back to Goethe, it is for the truly easy-to-understand reason that Goethe wrote many a good thing after all. Points of view do not even come into consideration in relation to Goethe.

We have been watching for a long time. But we cannot tolerate someone taking the liberty of saying the same things we have always said.

I am writing all this without naming names. Because names are out of the question. Anyone who has followed the criticism of recent days knows that the champions of "modernism" suddenly want to teach us what Goethean, what classical art is. Perhaps now is precisely the time to tell these "modernists" that they have finally arrived at what we have long known. Up to now we have watched because we thought: now it's coming. But at last we no longer want to clench our fists in our pockets. At last we want to say openly that we believe in every new genius, but not in abstruse idioms. The theorists of "modernity" have already led enough talented people astray. This must not continue.

As little as the botanist influences the plant in its development, so little should the art theorist, who speaks of new directions, influence the creative people, who should follow themselves and not the theories.

I hope that is clearly spoken. I am not speaking as a conservative or reactionary. But I'm saying it because I'm finally getting tired of hearing people talk about things that are supposed to be new and yet are only new because their standard-bearers don't know the old.

If someone discovered the Pythagorean theorem today, they would be laughed at. If someone today discovers art forms and art values that are no less indicative of a certain venerable age, they are referred to as "modern views".

It is necessary to have learned something! And only those who know what its opposite is should speak of "modernity". Incidentally, I love everything contemporary.