Emphasizing the Dream and the Cave Allegory in the Work of Novalis Henry of Ofterdingen

The subject of this article is the novel Henry of Ofterdingen of the romantic poet Novalis and the
allegorical aspects of the dream and the cave, according to the interpretation of the philosopher and
cultural critic Walter Benjamin. In Novalis’ work, we come across the figure of a traveler and his
journey away from daily concerns/ preoccupations. The hero bears the name of a legendary and
historical figure of the German Middle Ages, the great poet and Minnesinger Henry of Ofterdingen,
indicating the author's wish to combine past, legendary or actual facts with current and future ones.
The strength in dreaming lies in the revelation of the hero’s future personal course. It is a course from
a vaguely canny young man to a poet: “Henry was a poet by nature. Many events seemed to conspire
to aid his development, and as yet nothing had disturbed the elasticity of his soul”.