本論文は，ミュラーの実人生と『冬の旅』の関わりに重点をおき，作品の根底にあるものを追求するものである。シューベルトによる解釈と表現にも視点を当てる。

　伝記的資料の少ない時代については，作品からミュラーの体験を類推する。詩人が特定の母音や子音の頻繁な使用や，同様の詩句を複数の詩に用いることで，語義だけでは尽くせないニュアンスを表しているという独自の見解に拠り，モチーフと韻律を中心とした作品分析を行う。

　この研究により，ミュラー作品の特徴の多くは少年期に確立していたこと，解放戦争前線兵士時代ならびに2度の失恋の苦悩が作品全体の根底にあること，シューベルトは，絶望と諦念をそのまま受け止めようとする詩人の姿勢に惹かれたこと，詩と韻律と音楽とのポリフォニーのような構築性等，数多くの新たな見解を見出した。

Wilhelm Mueller's Poesy and Life ― with an emphasis on "The Winter Journey"

　The motifs of the cycle of poems "The Winter Journey" ("Die Winterreise") are ambiguous and complex, inasmuch as they reflect Mueller's thoughts and life experiences. However, previous studies have tended to overlook the context of his personal background in analyses of this work. The current literature on Mueller's life gives some insight into the relation between his return from Brussels in the late autumn of 1814 and this poetry, but they do little to illustrate the direct relevance of his personal history due to the lack of data and sources before 1815.This study is intended to address the fundamental thematic substructure for the motifs of "The Winter Journey" on the assumption that the entirety of the Mueller's life experiences up to the origin of the work bear on its motifs.

　Historical documents, current research and biographical data are applied for interpretation of his poetry and his works are used to provide a window into his life and thought prior to 1814. The analysis of each of the poems focuses on motifs and meter based on the researcher's contention that Mueller's use of common verses in several poems and certain assonants in parts of the poems convey subtle nuances of meaning in the verse. The examination of his life and work is followed by a discussion of the influence of his work. The final chapter focuses on Schubert's interpretation of Muellerﾕs work and its relation to his compositions.

　Results show that the inspiration for much of Muellerﾕs work can be found in his youth, the trauma from the Wars of Liberation and the pain of a twice-broken heart. Schubert was fascinated by Muellerﾕs mood of resigned despair and reflected this sentiment in a polyphonic synthesis of lyric, meter and music in his lieder of "The Winter Journey". It transcends Mueller's confessions and experience. The work is a humane expression of the universality of life. For this reason, it has taken its rightful place in posterity, just as it did in Schubert's heart.