ABSTRACT
In Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre the Harper gains insight into the nature of life through continual suffering and this knowledge is released in his songs. 'Der Sanger', the Harper's ballad, is influenced by Greek oral culture which draws a parallel between the power of language and the power of love, between erotic seduction and the seduction exercised by poetry. In 'Der Sanger' Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Harper is essentially a musician, yet he also represents a universal form of poetry that becomes music when it reaches the sublime. He is the symbol of artistic creativity in its noble and sublime aspects; an esoteric symbol of the arts. In 'Der Sanger' Goethe's Harper is clearly connected with the oral culture of Ancient Greece. In 'Der Sanger' Goethe associates with the Harper the qualities he attributes to this oral tradition of poetry: a magnetic quasi-hypnotic effect, an emotional response, and the power to move and compel large audiences.
