Die Gefahren einer „ästhetischen“ Erziehung: Zu Karl Gutzkows Roman Wally, die Zweiflerin

This paper explores Karl Gutzkow’s novel Wally, die Zweiflerin (1835) as a critical reflection through literary means on the dangers of an ‘aesthetic’ education shaped by outdated literary ideals. Often dismissed as a scandalous and aesthetically weak work, the novel is re-evaluated here as a complex, experimental text that critiques the legacy of classical-romantic literature. Through a detailed analysis of Wally’s transformation – from a natural, independent woman into a tragic figure shaped by literary illusions – the study reveals how Gutzkow aims to expose the destructive power of idealistic literary models. Hence the novel’s fragmented structure