Briefe einer Freundschaft

English Literature as Reflected in German Literature of the Eighteenth Century

“…Shakespeare, a genius, seldom wrote masterpieces and was no bel esprit/ 52 A genius -and Shakespeare, says Gerstenberg, not only has genius, but is a genius -is not determined by the writing of 'masterpieces/ but is a form of creative being that previously could only be associated with the Creator himself. Gerstenberg writes that 'Shakespeare's genius' possessed all knowledge and all talent 'without any practice, as if by a kind of inspiration/ 53 The idea of divine inspiration rings loud and clear here, yet Gerstenberg distances himself from the religious connection.…”