SOURCE: "Fallen Man and Hartmann's Gregorius," in The Germanic Review, Vol. L, No. 2, March, 1975, pp. 85-98.

In the following excerpt, Tobin explores Gregorius with regard to the Augustinian view of original sin that formed the "mainstream of religious thought" during Hartmann's life.

Among the numerous attempts to interpret Hartmann's Gregorius, it has generally been recognized that seeing the story against a background of the religious thought of the age, whether this be the refined speculation of the theologians or the simpler, pastorally directed sermons, enriches and gives added precision to our understanding of the hero's fate. Sometimes this relationship of theology to literature has been conceived in a rather wooden fashion, as though Hartmann were using refined theological concepts and illustrating them in the structure of the story. This approach has rightfully drawn the wrath of others who object to putting Gregorius into a theological strait jacket. Still...