Humboldt and the Written Word : On the Media Conditions for Bildung

• This article treats Wilhelm von Humboldt and the concept of Bildung [self-formation]. It starts out in a general discussion of literacy, media history and German culture towards the end of the eighteenth century. Humboldt's time is characterized by what has been called a "media revolution". Literacy and extensive reading became increasingly common and the medium of writing gained a cultural dominance it did not have before. It is argued that the concept of Bildung in Humboldt can be understood in close relation to conditions shaped by these changes. The discussion focuses on the most important and famous work of Humboldt's youth, The Limits of State Action (1792). This text does not deal with the medium of writing on a manifest level, but with the relationship between the individual and the state. On closer examination, however, it is possible to interpret the text as a clear expression of the increasing cultural dominance of writing.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Idé- och lärdomshistoria

History of Sciences and Ideas

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)