How did Goethe’s later writing relate to Romanticism?

Following the death of Friedrich Schiller in 1805, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe developed a literary style that incorporated certain Romantic elements, though he maintained a distinct distance from the younger generation of Romanticists.12

While Goethe shared the Romantics' interest in Greek antiquity and their penchant for exoticism—seen in his assimilation of foreign styles like Persian poetry in West-östlicher Divan (1819)—he rejected several core tenets of the movement. Specifically, he did not adopt their nationalist politics, their inclination toward Roman Catholicism, or their idealization of the Middle Ages.12

Despite these differences, some of his later works reflect a shift toward Romantic themes:

• Die Wahlverwandtschaften (1809; Elective Affinities): This novel emphasizes the supranatural and spiritual, as well as the sainthood of its female protagonist.12
• Faust, Part II: This sprawling cosmic allegory features ventures into Classical Greece and concludes with a scene of salvation filled with Catholic saints.12

Ultimately, while Goethe adapted these modes to suit his own expressive needs, he remained a unique figure who continued to evolve, eventually approaching 20th-century Modernism in his later prose.12