Johann Christoph Gottsched (2 February 1700 – 12 December 1766) was a German philosopher, author and critic of the
Enlightenment.
Biography
Early life
He was born at
Juditten (Mendeleyevo) near
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named ...
(Kaliningrad),
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...
, the son of a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
clergyman, and was baptised in
St. Mary's Church. He studied philosophy and history at the
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg (german: Albertus-Universität Königsberg) was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke Albert of Prussi ...
, but immediately on taking the degree of ''Magister'' in 1723, he fled to
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
in order to avoid being drafted into the
Prussian army
The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.
The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...
. In Leipzig, he enjoyed the protection of J. B. Mencke, who, under the name of "Philander von der Linde", was a well-known poet and president of the ''Deutschübende poetische Gesellschaft'' in Leipzig. Of this society, Gottsched was elected "Senior" in 1726, and in the next year reorganised it under the title of the ''Deutsche Gesellschaft''.
Career
As editor of the weeklies ''Die vernünftigen Tadlerinnen'' (1725–26) and ''Der Biedermann'' (1727), Gottsched started on his career of untiring critical activity, continued later in other literary journals. Directing his criticism at first chiefly against the bombast and absurd affectations of the Second Silesian School, he proceeded to lay down strict laws for the composition of poetry.
He insisted on
German literature
German literature () comprises those literature, literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy a ...
being subordinated to the laws of
French classicism
17th-century French literature was written throughout the ''Grand Siècle'' of France, spanning the reigns of Henry IV of France, the Regency of Marie de Medici, Louis XIII of France, the Regency of Anne of Austria (and the civil war called the F ...
. He enunciated rules by which the playwright must be bound (such as the ''
Ständeklausel''), and abolished bombast and buffoonery from the serious stage.
[ He insisted on the observance of the ]dramatic unities
The classical unities, Aristotelian unities, or three unities represent a prescriptive theory of dramatic tragedy that was introduced in Italy in the 16th century and was influential for three centuries. The three unities are:
#''unity of action' ...
.
In his efforts toward the reformation of the German drama, Gottsched was aided by his wife, Luise, a prolific writer and translator, and had the cooperation of the theatrical manager Johann Neuber and his wife, Caroline. They succeeded in bringing about a considerable change in the condition of the German stage by substituting for the prevailing operatic performances translations of French dramas and original plays, and by banishing from it the coarse buffooneries of Hanswurst
Hanswurst or Hans Wurst (German for "Johnny Sausage") was a popular coarse-comic figure of German-speaking impromptu comedy. He is "a half doltish, half cunning, partly stupid, partly knowing, enterprising and cowardly, self indulgent and merry f ...
(Jack Pudding).[
In 1730, Gottsched was appointed an extraordinary professor of poetry, and, in 1734, ordinary professor of ]logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...
and metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
at the University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
.[ He was also a corresponding member of the first ]learned society
A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...
of the Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
, the '' Societas eruditorum incognitorum'' in Olmütz
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on th ...
(Olomouc), and was published in the Society's journal, which was the first scientific journal in the Habsburg monarchy.
Eventually, Gottsched went too far in his criticism. He refused to recognise the work of 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 outsid ...
and Lessing. In 1740, he came into conflict with the Swiss writers Johann Jakob Bodmer
Johann Jakob Bodmer (19 July 16982 January 1783) was a Swiss author, academic, critic and poet.
Life
Born at Greifensee, near Zürich, and first studying theology and then trying a commercial career, he finally found his vocation in letters. In 1 ...
and Johann Jakob Breitinger
Johann Jakob Breitinger (1 March 1701 in Zürich – 14 December 1776) was a Swiss philologist and author.
Life
Breitinger studied theology and philology and first earned recognition from 1730 through a new edition of the Septuaginta. From ...
. Under the influence of Addison and contemporary Italian critics, they demanded that the poetic imagination should not be hampered by artificial rules. As examples, they pointed to English poets, especially Milton
Milton may refer to:
Names
* Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname)
** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet
* Milton (given name)
** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
. Gottsched, although not blind to the beauties of the English writers, clung tenaciously to his principle that poetry must be the product of rules and, in the fierce controversy which for a time raged between Leipzig and Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
, he was ultimately defeated.[
In 1741, he fell out with Caroline Neuber regarding practical stage matters, and even placed himself in opposition to his wife.][ His influence speedily declined, and before his death his name became proverbial for pedantic folly.][ He died in Leipzig on 12 December 1766.]
Works
Gottsched's chief work was his ''Versuch einer kritischen Dichtkunst für die Deutschen'' (1730), the first systematic treatise in German on the art of poetry from the standpoint of Boileau. His ''Ausführliche Redekunst'' (1728) and his ''Grundlegung einer deutschen Sprachkunst'' (1748) were of importance for the development of German style and the purification of the language. He wrote several plays, of which ''Der sterbende Cato'' (1732), an adaptation of Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 June 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was the eldest son of The Reverend Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard S ...
's tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
and a French play on the same theme, was long popular on the stage. His ''Deutsche Schaubühne'' (6 volumes, 1740–1745) contained mainly translations from the French,[ but also some works written by himself, his wife, and others.][ With this, he provided the German stage with a classical repertory. His bibliography of the German drama, ''Nötiger Vorrat zur Geschichte der deutschen dramatischen Dichtkunst'' (1757–1765), intended to contain an account of all previous German plays, though not complete is still valuable.][ He was also the editor of several journals devoted to literary criticism.]
Gottsched wrote the texts of two secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
: '' Laß, Fürstin, laß noch einen Strahl'' (BWV
The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...
198) and '' Willkommen! Ihr herrschenden Götter der Erden'' (BWV Anh. 13, music lost).
Family
His first wife, Luise Kulmus, was also a prominent author. She died in 1762. After a three-year mourning period, in 1765 in Camburg, Saale
The Saale (), also known as the Saxon Saale (german: Sächsische Saale) and Thuringian Saale (german: Thüringische Saale), is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Fränkische Saale, ...
, Gottsched married his 19-year-old second wife, Ernestine Susanne Katharina Neunes (1746–1811).
Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gottsched, Johann Christoph
1700 births
1766 deaths
18th-century German writers
18th-century Lutherans
18th-century Prussian people
Linguists of German
German philosophers
Writers from Königsberg
University of Königsberg alumni
Leipzig University faculty
18th-century German male writers