ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the so-called typical Romantic artist, and has characterized him as overly sensitive and suffering from his surroundings. Romantic authors were increasingly interested in the unconscious and its influence on the human mind and soul, there is some justification for applying psychoanalysis and Freud's theory to Romantic art. The famous Viennese analyzed Hoffmann's Nathanael as he is presented in The Sandman in 'The Uncanny'. The chapter argues that Berglinger, a representative of the 'typical' Romantic artist, is determined by an unsolved oedipal conflict, which in turn can even allow us to question the quality of his artistic production. Nature as God's immediate creation corresponds with art, which is regarded as a human artifact. Wackenroder's proclaimed paradise on earth can best be found in music, which he deems superior to all other forms of art. For future research, it would be fascinating to follow this idea and examine other artistic characters in literature, not only from the Romantic period.
