Christoph Martin Wieland (; 5 September 1733 – 20 January 1813) was a German poet and writer. He is best-remembered for having written the first ''

Bildungsroman In literary criticism, a ''Bildungsroman'' (, plural ''Bildungsromane'', ) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is import ...

'' (''Geschichte des Agathon''), as well as the epic ''

Oberon Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairi ...

'', which formed the basis for

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...

's opera of the same name. His thought was representative of the

cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community. Its adherents are known as cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. Cosmopolitanism is both prescriptive and aspirational, believing humans can and should be " world citizen ...

of the German Enlightenment, exemplified in his remark: "Only a true cosmopolitan can be a good citizen."

Biography

Christoph Martin Wieland was born in

Oberholzheim Oberholzheim is a village in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, with a population of 857. Administratively, it is part of the municipality of Achstetten and has a population of 858. Geography Oberholzheim is located 1 km east of Ac ...

(now part of

Achstetten Achstetten () is the northernmost municipality in the district of Biberach, in the region of Upper Swabia in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The villages of Oberholzheim, Bronnen and Stetten were incorporated into the municipality of Achstetten ...

), half of which then belonged to the

Free Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

Biberach an der Riss Biberach may refer to: *Biberach an der Riß, a town in Upper Swabia, Germany *Biberach (district), which has Biberach an der Riß as its capital *Biberach, Baden, a municipality in the ''Ortenaukreis'', Germany *Biberach is a part of Roggenburg, B ...

and the other half to Gutenzell Abbey in the south-east of the modern-day state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. His father, who was

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

in Oberholzheim and subsequently in Biberach, took great pains with his son's education. From the town school of Biberach he passed on at the age of twelve to the Kloster Berge '' gymnasium'', near

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

. He was a precocious child, and when he left school in 1749 was widely read in the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

classics and the leading contemporary French writers; amongst German poets his favourites were Brockes and

Klopstock Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (; 2 July 1724 – 14 March 1803) was a German poet. His best known work is the epic poem ''Der Messias'' ("The Messiah"). One of his major contributions to German literature was to open it up to exploration outside ...

. During the summer of 1750, he fell in love with a cousin, Sophie Gutermann, and this love affair inspired him to plan his first ambitious work, ''Die Natur der Dinge'' (The Nature of Things, 1752), a didactic poem in six books. In 1750 he went to the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...

as a student of

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, but his time was mainly taken up with literary studies. The poems he wrote at the university—''Hermann'', an epic (published by F. Muncker, 1886), ''Zwölf moralische Briefe in Versen'' (Twelve Moral Letters in Verse, 1752), ''Anti-Ovid'' (1752)—are pietistic in tone and dominated by the influence of Klopstock. Wieland's poetry attracted the attention of the Swiss literary reformer, J. J. Bodmer, who invited Wieland to visit him in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

in the summer of 1752. After a few months however, he felt little sympathy with Wieland as, two years earlier, he had felt himself with Klopstock, and the friends parted; but Wieland remained in Switzerland until 1760, spending the last year, at

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

where he obtained a position as private tutor. Here he became intimate with

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...

's friend

Julie de Bondeli Susanna Julie von Bondeli (born 24 December 1731; Wielands geburtshaus

Wieland's tastes had changed; the writings of his early Swiss years—''Der geprüfte Abraham'' (The Trial of Abraham's Faith, 1753), ''Sympathien'' (1756), ''Empfindungen eines Christen'' (1757)—were still in the manner of his earlier writings, but with the tragedies, ''Lady Johanna Gray'' (1758), and ''Clementina von Porretta'' (1760)—the latter based on

Samuel Richardson Samuel Richardson (baptised 19 August 1689 – 4 July 1761) was an English writer and printer known for three epistolary novels: ''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'' (1740), '' Clarissa: Or the History of a Young Lady'' (1748) and ''The History of ...

's ''Sir Charles Grandison''—the epic fragment ''Cyrus'' (first five cantos, 1759), and the "moral story in dialogues", ''Araspes und Panthea'' (1760), Wieland, as

Gotthold Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the develop ...

said, "forsook the ethereal spheres to wander again among the sons of men." In ''Cyrus'', he had been inspired by the deeds of

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

to write a poem exhibiting the ideal of a hero. ''Araspes und Panthea'' is based on an episode from the ''Cyropaedia'' of

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; grc, Ξενοφῶν ; – probably 355 or 354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian, born in Athens. At the age of 30, Xenophon was elected commander of one of the biggest Greek mercenary armies o ...

Wieland's conversion was completed at Biberach, having returned in 1760 as director of the chancery. The monotony of his life here was relieved by the friendship of a Count Stadion, whose library in the castle of Warthausen, not far from Biberach, was well stocked with French and English literature. Wieland met again his early love Sophie Gutermann, who had become the wife of Hofrat La Roche, then manager of Count Stadion's estates. In ''Don Sylvia von Rosalva'' (1764), a romance in imitation of ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'', he held up to ridicule his earlier faith and in the ''Comische Erzählungen'' (1765) he gave his extravagant imagination only too free a rein. Schlachtmetzig-Biberach

More important is the novel ''Geschichte des Agathon'' (1766–1767), in which, under the guise of a Greek fiction, Wieland described his own spiritual and intellectual growth. This work, which Lessing recommended as "a novel of classic taste," marks an epoch in the development of the modern

psychological novel In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration exami ...

. Of equal importance was Wieland's translation of twenty-two of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays into prose (8 vols., 1762–1766); it was the first attempt to present the English poet to the German people in something approaching entirety. With the poems ''Musarion oder die Philosophie der Grazien'' (1768), ''Idris'' (1768), ''Combabus'' (1770), ''Der neue Amadis'' (1771), Wieland opened the series of light and graceful romances in verse which appealed so irresistibly to his contemporaries and acted as an antidote to the sentimental excesses of the subsequent

Sturm und Drang ''Sturm und Drang'' (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto- Romantic movement in German literature and music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity and, in particul ...

movement. ''Musarion'' advocates a rational unity of the sensual and spiritual; ''Amadis'' celebrates the triumph of intellectual over physical beauty. Wieland married Anna Dorothea von Hillenbrand (July 8, 1746 – November 9, 1801) on October 21, 1765. They had 14 children. Wieland's daughter Sophia Catharina Susanna Wieland (October 19, 1768 – September 1, 1837) married philosopher

Karl Leonhard Reinhold Karl Leonhard Reinhold (26 October 1757 – 10 April 1823) was an Austrian philosopher who helped to popularise the work of Immanuel Kant in the late 18th century. His "elementary philosophy" (''Elementarphilosophie'') also influenced German ideal ...

(1757–1823) on May 18, 1785. Between 1769 and 1772, Wieland was a professor of philosophy at the

University of Erfurt The University of Erfurt (german: Universität Erfurt) is a public university located in Erfurt, the capital city of the German state of Thuringia. It was founded in 1379, and closed in 1816. It was re-established in 1994, three years after Germ ...

. In his ''Verklagter Amor'' ("Cupid Accused") he defended amatory poetry; and in the ''Dialogen des Diogenes von Sinope'' (1770) he gave a general vindication of his philosophical views. In 1772 he published ''Der goldene Spiegel oder die Könige van Scheschian'', a pedagogic work in the form of oriental stories; this attracted the attention of Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, and resulted in his appointment as tutor to her two sons, the Duke Karl August and his brother Prince Constantin, at

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

. With the exception of some years spent at Ossmannstedt, where in later life he bought an estate, Weimar remained Wieland's home until his death. Turning his attention to dramatic poetry, he wrote opera

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major li ...

s such as ''Wahl des Hercules'' ("Choice of Hercules") and '' Alceste'' by

Anton Schweitzer Anton Schweitzer (6 June 1735 in Coburg – 23 November 1787 in Gotha) was a German composer of operas, who was affiliated with Abel Seyler's theatrical company. He was a child prodigy who obtained the patronage of the duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen ...

. In 1773, he founded '' Der teutsche Merkur'', which under his editorship (1773–1789) became the most influential literary review in Germany. His views, as exhibited therein, however, showed so much of the narrow conventional spirit of French criticism, that he was attacked by

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

in the satire ''Götter, Helden und Wieland'' ("Gods, Heroes and Wieland"). This Wieland answered with great good nature, recommending it to all who were fond of wit and sarcasm. Goethe and

Johann Gottfried Herder Johann Gottfried von Herder ( , ; 25 August 174418 December 1803) was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the Enlightenment, '' Sturm und Drang'', and Weimar Classicism. Biography Born in Mohr ...

were soon drawn to Weimar, where the Duchess Anna Amalia formed a circle of talent and genius, later also joined by

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendsh ...

. Politically, Wieland was a moderate liberal who advocated a constitutional monarchy, a free press, and a middle path between extremes of left and right. At least three of his works, ''Geschichte des Agathon'', ''Der goldene Spiegel oder die Könige van Scheschian'', and ''Beiträge zur geheimen Geschichte des menschlichen Verstandes und Herzens'', found themselves on the official

Bavarian Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

reading list. He was also a librettist for the Seyler theatrical company of

Abel Seyler Abel Seyler (23 August 1730, Liestal – 25 April 1800, Rellingen) was a Swiss-born theatre director and former merchant banker, who was regarded as one of the great theatre principals of 18th century Europe. He played a pivotal role in the devel ...

. Of his later writings the most important are the admirable satire on German provinciality — the most attractive of all his prose writings — '' Die Abderiten, eine sehr wahrscheinliche Geschichte'' (A very probable history of the Abderites, 1774), (translated into French by

Antoine Gilbert Griffet de Labaume Antoine Gilbert Griffet de Labaume (21 November 1756, Moulins – 18 March 1805) was an 18th-century French writer, playwright and translator. He died in Paris aged 48. Biography A writer gifted of the most extensive knowledge and with a talen ...

) and the charming poetic romances, ''Das Wintermärchen'' (1776), ''Das Sommermärchen'' (1777), ''Geron der Adelige'' (1777), ''Pervonte oder die Wünsche'' (1778), a series culminating with Wieland's poetic masterpiece, the romantic epic of ''

'' (1780). In 1780 he created the singspiel ''Rosamunde'' with the composer

. In Wieland's later novels, such as the ''Geheime Geschichte des Philosophen Peregrinus Proteus'' (1791) and '' Aristipp und einige seiner Zeitgenossen'' (1800–1802), a didactic and philosophic tendency obscures the small literary interest they possess. He also translated

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

's ''Satires'' (1786),

Lucian Lucian of Samosata, '; la, Lucianus Samosatensis ( 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with which he frequently ridiculed supersti ...

's ''Works'' (1788–1789),

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

's ''Letters'' (1808 ff.), and from 1796 to 1803 he edited the ''Attisches Museum'' which did valuable service in popularizing Greek studies. Wieland was also strongly influenced by the French fairy-tale vogue of the 18th century, he published a collection of tales entitled ''Dschinnistan'' (1786–1789), which included three original tales, 'Der Stein der Weisen' ('The Philosopher's Stone'), 'Timander und Melissa', and 'Der Druide oder die Salamanderin und die Bildsäule' ('The Druid or the Salamander and the Painted Pillar'). Wieland had a strong influence on the German literature of his time. He died in Weimar.

Editions

Wieland, Christoph Martin – Geschichte der Abderiten, 1887 – BEIC 3327825

* Wieland's ''Sämtliche Werke'' ("complete works") appeared in 1794-1802, 45 vols. Collections of Wieland's letters were edited by his son Ludwig (1815) and by H. Gessner (1815–1816); his ''Letters to Sophie Laroche'' by F. Horn (1820). * Later Editions of Wieland's ''Sämtliche Werke'': 1818-1828, 53 vols.,1839-1840, 36 vols., and 1853–1858, 36 vols. Then 1879-1882 in 40 vols., edited by H. Düntzer. There are numerous editions of selected works, notably by

Heinrich Pröhle Christoph Ferdinand Heinrich Pröhle (June 4, 1822 – May 28, 1895) was a German literary historian, teacher ('' Oberlehrer''), writer and folk tale and fairy tale collector (a successor to the Brothers Grimm). Disambiguation of Heinrich The giv ...

in ''Kürschner's Deutsche Nationalliteratur'' (vols. 51-56, 1883–1887); by F. Muncker (6 vols., 1889); by W. Bolsche (4 vols., 1902). * ''Gesammelte Schriften'', Abt. I: Werke. Abt. II: Übersetzungen, ed. by Deutsche Kommission der Königlich Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften ince 1945 ed. by Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin; since 1969 ed. by Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR by Hans Werner Seiffert Berlin 1909–1975. Completed volumes with accompanying commentary: I/6, I/9, I/12-15, I/18, I/20-23, II/1-3; volumes without accompanying commentary: I/1, I/2, I/3, I/4, I/7, I/10, I/17, II/4, II/9-10; volumes missing: I/5, I/16, I/19, II/5-8. ritical edition* ''Wielands Briefwechsel'', 20 volumes, ed. by Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Institut für deutsche Sprache und Literatur [since vol. 2, 1968 by Hans Werner Seiffert; since vol. 3, 1975 ed. by Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Zentralinstitut für Literaturgeschichte by Hans Werner Seiffert; since vol. 7, 1992 ed. by Akademie der Wissenschaften Berlin by Siegfried Scheibe; since 1993 by Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften by Siegfried Scheibe], Berlin, 1963–2007. * ''Wielands Werke. Historisch-kritische Ausgabe'', edited by Klaus Manger and Jan Philipp Reemtsma. Berlin/New York 2008 f. ritical edition

Notes

References

* Elizabeth Barnes: "Loving with a Vengeance: Wieland, Familicide and the Crisis of Masculinity in the Early Nation". In: Milette Shamir und Jennifer Travis: ''Boys Don’t Cry? Rethinking Narratives of Masculinity and Emotion in the U.S.'' Columbia University Press: New York, 2002, S. 44–63. * * * Giorgia Sogos: Christoph Martin Wieland alla corte della duchessa Anna Amalia. In: Ders. Stefan Zweig, der Kosmopolit. Studiensammlung über seine Werke und andere Beiträge. Eine kritische Analyse. Free Pen Verlag Bonn 2017, ISBN 978-3-945177-43-3.

External links

* * * * *
''Der Teutsche Merkur'', vols. 1773-89 are digitized (April 2003)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wieland, Christoph Martin 1733 births 1813 deaths People from Biberach (district) Achstetten German translators English–German translators Latin–German translators University of Tübingen alumni Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Corresponding members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres University of Erfurt faculty German male non-fiction writers Enlightenment philosophers 18th-century German translators

Biography

Editions

Notes

Further reading

References

External links