This article introduces Karl Philipp Moritz as an important German scholar and writer in the second half of the 18th century, and his unique contributions to aesthetics, psychology, mythology research, and literary creation, as well as his influence on German Enlightenment philosophers such as Goethe. Moritz's research has become an important theme in modern German literature, and his novel Anton Lesser, as a typical work reflecting the melancholic psychology of the urban class in the Enlightenment era, has a particularly unique interweaving of literary discourse and Enlightenment psychological discourse. This article will focus on the melancholic writing of the novel, explore its connection with 18th century empirical psychology, and reveal its unique significance in the historical context of the Enlightenment era.

Anton Lesser: A Psychological Novel

Explored Moritz's position in Weimar classical aesthetics in Germany and his contribution to psychological novels. Moritz not only proposed the aesthetic theory of "artistic self-discipline", but also created the novel "Anton Lesser" which focuses on the melancholic psychology of characters. The novel takes the protagonist's life history from birth to the age of twenty as a clue, depicting the impoverished life and spiritual suffering of the lower class citizens. Novels have dual characteristics of biography and fiction, reflecting the social and cultural changes in 18th century Europe. The self biographical form of the novel combines religious tradition and Enlightenment rationality, reflecting the traces of the devoutly movement's self cultivation and the scientific spirit of the Enlightenment era. The narrative purpose of novels is to focus on individual inner stories, to examine and study a person's spiritual development path, reflecting the problem perspective of modern anthropology and psychology. Moritz founded the Journal of Empirical Psychology, which provided psychological theoretical support for novels. He compiled novels as authentic materials for psychological research. The protagonist's growth process reflects the formation and development of the typical psychological disorder "depression" during the Enlightenment period. Moritz's observation of human inner texture and analysis of childhood experiences made him a pioneer in Freudian psychoanalysis.

Melancholy in the Age of Enlightenment: Anton Lesser's Mental Illness

Anton Lesser portrays the protagonist's growth process from childhood to adulthood through four parts, constructing an unfinished and unreconcilable character image that contrasts with the idealistic ideas of the Enlightenment era, and is known as the "anti cultivation novel". The novel uses a third person narrator to observe An Tong's important experiences in detail, revealing his psychological state as a typical representative of depression patients in the 18th century. Antong's melancholic tendencies are closely related to the strict silent religious education he received, which belittled human self, advocated mysticism and inner meditation, and had a profound impact on Antong's growth.

Enlightenment Novels: The Intersection of Psychology and Literature

The melancholic writing of Anton Lesser was deeply influenced by the empirical scientific trend of the time and closely related to Moritz's empirical psychology research. The novel is published in four parts, some of which were previously published in the Journal of Empirical Psychology founded by Moritz. The journal includes four columns: psychobiology, psychopathology, psychosemiotics, and psychotherapy, corresponding to physiology, pathology, personality description, and psychotherapy in modern psychology. The magazine is aimed at both professional and non professional readers, roughly parallel to the writing time of Anton Lesser, providing a new perspective for understanding the novel. Novels are a part of Moritz's psychological research, which uses self fiction and self analysis to understand and heal oneself, reflecting the scientific and rational spirit of the Enlightenment era.