Abstract
The paper examines the controversial relationship between utopian socialism and the late Goethe (1805-1832). In the first part, aspects of the social history of the late eighteenth century and first three decades of the nineteenth century are discussed, emphasizing the socialism born immediately from the struggles of the French Revolution. Then the presence of socialist ideas in Goethe is considered on the basis of examples drawn from the author's last novel, Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre oder Die Entsagenden (1829), and Goethean assertions from various sources.
Keywords:
Goethe; Drama; Utopian socialism; Social theory