Müller, Wilhelm - J. W. Smeed (essay date 1992)
J. W. Smeed (essay date 1992)
SOURCE: "'Strange Old Man': Thoughts on the Closing Lines of Winterreise," in German Life and Letters 45, No. 2, April, 1992, pp. 109-113.
[In the following excerpt on "Der Leiermann"—the final poem in Die Winterreise-Smeed explains the word "wunderlich" as an epithet describing the unreasonably eccentric state of mind and actions of both the hurdy-gurdy man and the Wanderer.]
The poetry of Winterreise has for many years now been treated seriously and with respect as a record of ill-fated love, melancholia, cosmic despair or even in cipient schizophrenia;1 the time is past when the author, Wilhelm Müller, could be brushed aside as a minor talent whose chief merit is to have provided Schubert with song texts. The final poem, 'Der Leiermann', has been singled out for particular attention. The old hurdy-gurdy man stands outside the village in the freezing cold, alone save for...
[The entire page is 2045 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
