Zum Verhältnis von Literatur und Politik in Herders "Humanitätsbriefen" und in der "Adrastea" in europäischer Perspektive

What we intend to discuss in this contribution is how Johann Gottfried Herder, who between 1792 and the last year of his life (1803) observed the development of historical events from the dramatic political situation in Europe following the French Revolution, as well as in Italy in relation to the repression of the main supporters of the Neapolitan Republic by Ferdinand IV of Bourbon, recognised himself in the democratic ideals of the follower of Vico’s historical school Francesco Maria Pagano (1748-1799), without ever mentioning him. However, it is evident - as is shown in these pages - that Pagano's "Political Essays" (1783-1785), published in German in 1791, provided Herder with the inspiration to carry the concept of ‘good government’ into the 19th century. We therefore examine some passages from Herder's "Humanitätsbriefe" and "Adrastea", giving significant value to the reasons for renouncing the project of the journal "Aurora" (1799), which would have expressed Herder's rejection of all forms of tyranny and exploitation of peoples in the most explicit way.