Beyond Borders: Pantheistic Confusion and Monotheistic Orthodoxy in Tieck's Der Runenberg

Abstract

This article suggests that the confusing nature of Tieck's Der Runenberg sets the text within the contemporaneous atheism and pantheism debates. The story can be read as a fictionalized exploration of the monotheistic Judeo‐Christian view of reality and of a pantheistic alternative. Confusion functions as a textual example of the literal fusing together (con‐fusio) of a pantheistic spirituality and simultaneously obfuscates the subject matter to avoid accusations of open blasphemy. However, the theme of confusion also calls into question the validity of pursuing this spiritual exploration and whether a pantheistic alternative is truly desirable over monotheistic orthodoxy. Ultimately, the text addresses the positive and negative aspects of both spiritual realms but does not make a clear judgment concerning either.