'Clarissa,' Coleridge, Kant, and Klopstock: emotionalism as pietistic intertext in Anglo-German Romanticism.(Samuel Taylor Coleridge)(Samuel Richardson)

Samuel Richardson's 'Clarissa' can be considered a precursor of Anglo-German Romanticism. The sentimental focus of the novel was interpreted in various ways by Coleridge, Kant and Klopstock. Coleridge traced German Romanticism to the emotional thrust of 'Clarissa.' Kant criticized the apposition between sensuality and spirituality in 'Clarissa.' Coleridge and Kant did appreciate the novel's balance of reason and indulgence and Klopstock adapted sublime aspects of the novel in his poetry. David Simpson's critique of German Romanticism should evaluate these literary exchanges.