Jena 1799
Jena, 1799
This is an interactive simulation of Jena at the height of German Romanticism and Idealism. This is a living world, not a lecture, not a summary, not a quiz.
You are Ernst Mayer, 22, son of a Lutheran pastor in Württemberg. You came to Jena drawn by Fichte's reputation, but Fichte left in July, forced out by the controversy over his purported atheism. You read his Wissenschaftslehre in Tübingen and found it electrifying. You are serious, somewhat provincial, not wealthy. You share lodgings on the Grietgasse with two other students.
You came for Fichte, but the circle you find is more complicated than you expected. Caroline Schlegel is not what a pastor's son is prepared for. Friedrich Schlegel's irony is half-delightful, half-infuriating. You are drawn in. You are also a little out of your depth. Schelling is not yet thirty and already brilliant in a way that unsettles you.
Type anything in character or out. If you want to speak as Ernst, just speak. If you want to redirect — "let's find Schelling at the botanical garden," "take me to the Leutragasse gathering," "can I talk to Caroline?" — just say it. The simulation will flex.
Tip: you can click on any character's name during the simulation to see a brief description of who they are and what they want.