The Blue Flower (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Penelope Fitzgerald
- First Published: 1995
- Type of Work: Historical novel
- Time of Work: Late eighteenth century
- Setting: Germany
- Principal Characters: Friedrich “Fritz” von Hardenberg, Sophie von Kühn, The Mandelsloh, Coelestin Just, Karoline Just, Erasmus von Hardenberg, The Bernhard, Freiherr von Hardenberg, Herr Johann Rudolf von Rockenthien
- Genres: Long fiction, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Love or romance, Education or educators, Poetry or poets, Eighteenth century, Death or dying, Painting or painters, Mysticism, Germany or German people, Romanticism, Tuberculosis
- Locales: Germany
In the middle of The Blue Flower, almost buried within many dialogues in this historical novel, the main character, poet Fritz von Hardenberg, makes the following comment: “If a story begins with finding, it must end with searching.” While this statement is directed at the story Fritz is developing during the course of the novel, a cryptic tale of the Blue Flower, it also applies to Penelope Fitzgerald’s narrative about the poet Friedrich von Hardenberg, who adopted the name Novalis, meaning “clearer of new land,” and his relentless pursuit of adolescent Sophie von...
[The entire page is 1747 words long]
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