Eduard Allwills Papiere

Eduard Allwills Papiere, a short work of fiction by F. H. Jacobi. It is in the form of letters and was first published as a fragment in 1775 in the periodical Iris edited by the author's brother J. G. Jacobi, and then, with additions, in Wieland's monthly Der teutsche Merkur in April, July, and December 1776. The author later revised and extended it, and this version was published in 1792 as Allwills Briefsammlung. Writing under the impact of his friendship with Goethe and of Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, Jacobi adopted the epistolary form for this short novel in order to portray different aspects of Empfindsamkeit. Its two sections centre on the two characters most imbued with the introspective subjectivism of the age, Sylli Clerdon née von Wallberg, a widow in her late twenties, and Eduard Allwill. Sylli, wearied by misfortune and loneliness, but capable of selfless love, is beset with melancholy; Allwill, representing the Geniekult of Sturm und Drang, asserts (as his name suggests) the free rights of the personality. The other correspondents are Sylli's brother-in-law Heinrich and his wife Amalia, and her cousins Lenore and Clärchen von Wallberg; they all embrace Sylli with love and understanding. The second section is concerned with Jacobi's criticism of Allwill, notably with regard to morals, a problem of concern to all who, in reaction against rationalism, insist on the autonomy of the heart, reject established moral codes, and rely on purely intuitive moral responses. Because neither approach is infallible, Allwill is advised to seek a balance between the two: ‘Wir preisen denjenigen, bei dem—der Empfindung das Gefühl und dem Gefühl der Gedanke die Waage hält’; in this way rationality is no impediment, but has a purifying effect on the emotions. Within their respective spheres of activity, Heinrich and Amalia illustrate this point; it achieves depth through reference to Montaigne. Finally, in order to realize the full potential of his nature and escape its destructive impulses (akin to Goethe's conception of ‘dämonisch’), Allwill needs constancy in love, nurtured by a woman's innocence and selfless devotion. Jean Paul, in creating the figure of Roquairol in his novel Titan, was influenced by Jacobi's Allwill. The novel has no action, but interspersed comments by the ‘editor’ provide a link between different trains of thought. His preface (Vorbericht) introduces the characters, and in stressing that they are true to life (wahr), stimulates the reader's own critical assessment.