Heine’s relationship to Goethe has long been the subject of critical debate, much of it stormy. This is the first major study which seeks to reconcile the seemingly contradictory aspects of Heine’s psychological, theoretical, and artistic reaction to Goethe - from his vehement condemnation of Goethe’s apolitical stance to his covert desire to accede to Goethe’s greatness. Four levels of reception are delineated: Heine’s programmatic pronouncements on Goethean art; his deep-seated resentment of the senior poet; and his creative resolution of the dilemma, the dismantling and restructuring of Goethe’s poetic models.