What ideas did the Sturm und Drang movement emphasize?

The Sturm und Drang ("Storm and Stress") movement of the late 18th century was a German literary period that prioritized nature, intense feeling, and human individualism. It emerged as a reaction against the Enlightenment’s focus on rationalism, asserting instead that the fundamental truths of existence were best understood through faith and sensory experience.12

Key ideas and characteristics included:

• Individualism and Emotion: The movement championed the passionate, often rebellious individual, frequently depicting "titanic" protagonists who struggled against societal constraints.12
• Social and Political Critique: Dramatists used their work to attack contemporary injustices, including the exploitation of middle-class women, the rigid structures of primogeniture, and the use of capital punishment for infanticide.2
• Authenticity: Writers rejected the conventions of French Neoclassicism in favor of more "authentic" forms, drawing inspiration from Shakespeare, folk songs, and the works of Johann Gottfried von Herder.12
• Subjectivity: Works like The Sorrows of Young Werther captured the Weltschmerz (world-weariness) of the generation, shifting from objective storytelling to passionate, subjective monologues.2

Would you like to explore how these themes specifically influenced the works of Goethe or Schiller?