Sturm und Drang

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music which occurred from the late 1760s to the early 1780s, emphasizing individual subjectivity and the free expression of emotions.
  2. Turmoil; a period of emotional intensity and anxiety.

Pronunciation

/ˈʃtɜːm ʊnt ˈdræŋ/ /ˈʃtʊəm-/ /ˈʃtɝm ʊnt ˈdræŋ/ /ˈʃtʊɚm ʊnt ˈdrɑŋ/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Sturm und Drang.wav Sturm_und_Drang.wav

Word forms

Sturm und Drang sturm and drang

Etymology

Borrowed from German Sturm und Drang with the same figurative meaning, from Sturm (“storm”) + und (“and”) + Drang (“pressure, stress; urge, impulse, longing”). The phrase is the title of the play Sturm und Drang (1776) by German dramatist Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger (1752–1831). The fact that the phrase is often italicized suggests it has not been fully assimilated into English.

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