ized ▁form . ▁ ▁Independ ently ▁from ▁Marx , ▁the ▁rom antic ▁novel ist ▁Jean ▁Paul ▁also ▁used ▁the ▁concept , ▁in ▁port ray ing ▁the ▁human ▁problems ▁of ▁individ u ation . ▁In ▁Jean ▁Paul ' s ▁a est het ics , ▁the ▁Char akter mas ke ▁is ▁the ▁observable ▁face ▁or ▁appearance - form ▁of ▁a ▁hidden ▁self . ▁It ▁is ▁Jean ▁Paul ' s ▁definition ▁which ▁is ▁c ited ▁in ▁the ▁Deutsch es ▁W ör ter buch ▁compiled ▁by ▁Jacob ▁Gr imm ▁and ▁Wilhelm ▁Gr imm ▁from ▁ 1 8 3 8 ▁on ward . ▁ ▁Other ▁early ▁literary ▁uses ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁term ▁char akter mas ke ▁are ▁found ▁in ▁Joseph ▁von ▁E ich endor ff ' s ▁ 1 8 1 5 ▁novel ▁A hn ung ▁und ▁Gegen wart , ▁a ▁ve iled ▁attack ▁against ▁Napoleon , ▁and ▁some ▁years ▁later , ▁in ▁writ ings ▁by ▁Heinrich ▁He ine . ▁He ine ▁was ▁among ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁use ▁the ▁the atr ical ▁term ▁" Char akter mas ke " ▁to ▁describe ▁a ▁social ▁setting . ▁Perhaps ▁the ▁concept ▁was ▁also ▁inspired ▁by ▁H eg el ' s ▁discussion ▁of ▁mask s ▁in ▁his ▁The ▁Ph en omen ology ▁of ▁Spirit . ▁In ▁his ▁A est het ics , ▁H eg el ▁contrast s ▁the ▁fixed , ▁abstract ▁and ▁universal ▁character ▁mask s ▁of ▁the ▁Comm edia ▁dell ' arte ▁with ▁the ▁rom antic ▁dep iction ▁of ▁" character " ▁as ▁a ▁living , ▁subject ive ▁individual ity ▁emb