Early References to Storm and Stress in 
German Literature 
By Edwin H. Zeydel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of German, 
University of Cincinnati 
I 
Present-day writers on Storm and Stress, the revolution- 
ary movement that dominated German literature during the 
decade from 1770 to 1780, generally take the current designa- 
tion of the period, “Sturm und Drang/' for granted. If they 
go into an explanation of its provenience at all, they usually 
content themselves with the remark that the term, originally 
applied to a play of Maximilian Klinger, was later extended 
to refer to the entire movement, which was so typically rep- 
resented by Klinger's drama. The following examination of 
some of the more recent works touching upon Storm and 
Stress will serve to disclose this attitude. 
Hermann Hettner in his Geschichte der deutschen Liter atur 
im 18. Jahrhundert, 3. Buch. 1. Abteilung, Die Sturm- und 
Drangperiode, 1 speaks of the period merely as 
. . . jene leidenschaftliche Erregung der Geister, welche wir als 
Sturm- und Drangperiode zu bezeichnen gewohnt sind (pp. 1-2) . 
Later, in discussing Klinger, he only says in passing : 
Es ist sehr bedeutsam, dass gerade der Titel eines Klinger’schen 
Dramas, Sturm und Drang, der Epoche den Namen gegeben hat (p. 260). 
More information he does not offer. 
In his excellent Introduction to Klinger in volume 79 of 
Kurschner's Deutsche N ational-Literatur , August Sauer goes 
somewhat farther. He says: 
Es ist kein Zufall, dass das tollste Stuck Klingers das beriihmteste 
wurde und der ganzen Periode den Namen gab. Urspriinglich der 
“Wirrwarr” genannt, setzte Kaufmann die beiden Schlagworter “Sturm 
und Drang” vor, die Lavater zuerst in dieser formelhaften Verbindung 
gebrauchte (p. x) . 
1 8. Auflage. Braunschweig, 1899. 
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