267c. Fichte to Wilhelm Schlegel in Bamberg: Berlin, 6 September 1800 [*]
Berlin, 6 September 1800
. . . My wife and I were greatly saddened to hear of the sad incident that occurred in your family. [1] Please do be so kind as to assure your wife of such on our behalf.
My own wife has endured a serious illness, from which, however, she has recovered. [2] I am very much looking forward to seeing you here soon. [3]
Yours,
Fichte
Notes
[*] Source: Fichte Briefwechsel (1930) 2:260–61, here 261.
Similar to Schleiermacher in the latter’s letter to Wilhelm on 29 August 1800 (letter 267a), Fichte spends considerable space in the letter speaking about the ill-fated journal that the Jena circle, albeit not entirely in concert, was trying to establish to replace the forum they had lost after having broken with the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung and the final issue of Athenaeum had appeared. Indeed, at this time letters were being sent in a concentrated flurry between those involved in these plans. See Rudolf Haym’s summary in the supplementary appendix on the Romantics’ Jahrbücher project. Back.
[1] The reference, of course, is to Auguste’s death in Bocklet on 12 July 1800. Back.
[2] Fichte had written to Friedrich Schlegel in Jena on 16 August 1800 (Fichte Briefwechsel (1930) 253), sending regards from “my wife (who has been lying sick for several days now — though we are hoping there will be no ill consequences)” (Wiener Damenkalender zum Nutzen u. Vergnügen auf das Jahr 1801; Inhaltsverzeichnis deutscher Almanache, Theodor Springmann Stiftung):
[3] Concerning Wilhelm’s plans to journey to Berlin, see, e.g., Friedrich Schlegel’s letter to Ludwig Tieck on 22 August 1800, cited in Friedrich’s letter to Wilhelm on 6 August 1800 (letter 265j), note 6.
In his letter to Schleiermacher on 8 September 1800 (letter 267d), Wilhelm specifies that he intends to leave Bamberg toward the end of September and travel to Gotha, Göttingen, Braunschweig, and Hannover, but would be back in Jena during the first half of October; he did not make it back to Jena until August 1801. Back.
Translation © 2014 Doug Stott