The maxim and the proverb in our Renaissance literature

The art of small literary genres (proverbs, maxims, aphorisms, maxims, reflections) encompasses the multifaceted figurative sententious phraseology of folklore; the rhythmically condensed figurative formulas of Ecclesiastes, Tacitus, Juvenal; the psychological insights of writers from the “school” of La Rochefoucauld. Coming as an enlightenment and catharsis of the spirit, these works harmoniously unite reflection and feeling, poetry and eternal truth. The organic fusion of vivid impression and reflection connects the sententious to the great questions of life. Pascal’s “Thoughts”, Goethe’s “Maxims in Prose” or the aphorisms of Fr. Kafka reveal an inner penetration between art, on the one hand, and science and philosophy, on the other. Sententious thought proceeds from the fullness of views and accurately captures the nature of things. Depending on the nature of these works, Jul. Petersen places them in the outermost sphere of literature, since they go beyond the limits of purely poetic experience and reach the realm of thought, a moral or theological lesson. Petersen's treatment follows Goethe's classical statements and allows for rich observations on the problematics of literary genres and types. Maxims are seen as a "monologue depiction of a state" and are placed between the epic and the lyric, but remain closer to the lyric.