Term paper from 2011 in the field of German Studies - Modern German Literature, grade: 1.3, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, course: Poem Analysis, language: German.

Abstract: In the following, I will analyze the poem "Half of Life" by Friedrich Hölderlin and attempt to find an appropriate interpretative approach. The poem was written in 1804 and subsequently published in a pocketbook for the year 1805. It quickly gained a wide influence and received positive feedback. The poem represents a transition from Classicism to Romanticism and cannot be entirely assigned to a single genre. Theodor Schwab, who published a collection of Hölderlin's works, categorizes "Half of Life" as belonging to the time of madness. He left behind a diverse lyrical oeuvre characterized by its ecstatic and sublime style.