Caroline Pichler, also spelled Karoline, (7 September 1769 – 9 July 1843) was an Austrian historical novelist.

Life

She was born in Vienna to

Hofrat ''Geheimrat'' was the title of the highest advising officials at the Imperial, royal or princely courts of the Holy Roman Empire, who jointly formed the ''Geheimer Rat'' reporting to the ruler. The term remained in use during subsequent monarchic r ...

Franz Sales von Greiner (1730–1798) and his wife Charlotte,

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Hieronymus (1739–1815). In the 1770s Charlotte would visit

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

and often bring her daughter Caroline with her. As a young girl, Caroline met Haydn and was a pupil of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

, who regularly performed music at the Greiners' residence. She was taught Latin,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, Italian, and English in her youth. At age 12, Pichler published her first poem. In 1796, Caroline married Andreas Pichler, a government official, and the brother of Anton Pichler, the owner of the Viennese publisher and printer A. Pichlers Witwe & Sohn. Through her husband's encouragement and her own desires she led a

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

for many years that was the center of the literary life in the Austrian capital. Her salon was frequented by Beethoven, Schubert (who set some of her poems), Friedrich Schlegel, Louise Brachmann, and

Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the famous Burgtheater in Vien ...

, among many others, from 1802 to 1824. She died in Vienna in 1843, according to some sources by

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. 50 years after her death she was reburied at the Zentralfriedhof. Her early works, ''Olivier'', first published anonymously (1802), ''Idyllen'' (1803) and ''Ruth'' (1805), though displaying considerable talent, were immature. She made her mark in historical romance, and the first of her novels of this class, ''Agathokles'' (1808), written as an answer to Edward Gibbon's disparagement of Christianity in his '' The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', attained great popularity. Among her other novels may be mentioned ''Die Belagerung Wiens'' (1824); ''Die Schweden in Prag'' (1827); ''Die Wiedereroberung Wiens'' (1829) and ''Henriette von England'' (1832). Her last work was ''Zeitbilder'' (1840). Her autobiography in four volumes, ''Denkwürdigkeiten aus meinem Leben'' (''Memorables from my Life'') was published posthumously in 1844. Pichler's ''Complete Works'' consist of 60 volumes. One of her essays was abbreviated and included in an anthology of German Women writers for German language learners.

Selected works

Caroline Pichler's published works as cited by ''An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers''. *''Gleichnisse'', 1800. *''Idyllen'', 1803. *''Lenore'', 2 parts 1804. *''Ruth'', 1805. *''Agathokles'', 1808. *''Die Grafen von Hohenberg'', 2 volumes 1811. *''Biblische Idyllen'', 1812. *''Frauenwürde'', 4 volumes 1818. *''Gedichte'', 1822. *''Die Belagerung Wiens'', 3 volumes 1824. *''Die Schweden in Prag'', 1827. *''Die Wiedereroberung von Ofen'', 2 volumes, 1829. *''Friedrich der Streitbare'', 4 volumes 1831. *''Elisabeth von Guttenstein'', 1835. *''Denkwürdigkeiten aus meinen Leben'', 4 volumes 1844. *''Ferdinand II'', 1816.

References

Bibliography

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External links

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A selection of works by Pichler
from the Sophie database {{DEFAULTSORT:Pichler, Caroline 1769 births 1843 deaths Writers from Vienna 19th-century Austrian women writers Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery 18th-century Austrian people Austrian salon-holders Harold B. Lee Library-related rare books articles

Life

Selected works

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links