Symbolism of Nature in German Realism: The Uncertain Omnipresence Anonymous College

Nature is an important feature of poetic realism, an offshoot of German realism in the late 19th century. Gottfried Keller, the author of the novel Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe (Romeo and Juliet in the Village), is a Swiss writer who belongs to this concept of poetic realism. This style tries to portray the inner truth through romantic exaggeration. In the sense of poetic realism, this novella has an immense set of emblematic natural phenomena. Throughout the course of the narrative, perceptions of nature such as the overgrown field, stones, the river, the weather, and the stars are described in detail; drawing the reader to notice connections and greater symbolisms that are pertinent to Keller’s critique on 19th century society. The natural events are omnipresent and the uncertainty of nature reflects the powerlessness of the characters in regards to their destiny.

The novel Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe alludes to Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet and echoes the climaxes of the plot. Instead of an Italian city, however, a village in Switzerland serves as the backdrop of the tragic love story. The narrative takes place in the fictitious town of Seldwyla and incorporates the farmers Marti and Manz and their respective...