The thinker needs exactly the same light as that of the painter. It must be bright, not falling directly on the face, not reflecting in a blinding manner, and, whenever possible, illuminating from above downwards. A fragment, like a work of micro-engineering, must be completely isolated from the surrounding world and must be self-contained, like a hedgehog.

The philosophical fragment (Fragment) is a major contribution of the early romantics of the German sphere, especially Friedrich Schlegel and Novalis, to the typology of philosophical literature. It usually consists of smaller or larger paragraphs with observations on art, nature, poetry, the novel, spirit, genius, philosophy, historical and aesthetic criticism, ethics, logic, philology, and communication.

They are characterized by dense, albeit elliptical, phrasing, reject the beaten path, discover connections between seemingly unrelated areas of life and art, abruptly elevate or ground their evaluations of people and things, and often employ a subtle, occasionally not so subtle, irony. For Schlegel, the fragment is a part of a whole that exists somewhere, behind the horizon, and may be revealed, perhaps, at the end of an infinite road.

This edition includes the three collections of fragments by Friedrich Schlegel, the Fragments of Criticism, the Fragments from the magazine Athinaion, and the Ideas.

Translation, Introductory note: Spyros Dontas