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Sturm und drang

//ˈʃtɜːm ʊnt ˈdræŋ// noun

Definitions

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. uncountable
"The best of the Stürmer und Dränger grew out of their Sturm und Drang, and it was necessary to indicate in what ways [Johann Gottfried] Herder and [Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe changed as they grew older. It should be stressed, however, that the very principles which forced them to burst the husk of the Sturm und Drang are in themselves a vital element within the Sturm und Drang."
2
a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally) wordnet
3
Turmoil; a period of emotional intensity and anxiety. figuratively, uncountable
"After six months of sturm and drang she had to let him go."

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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