Johann Karl August Musäus (29 March 1735 – 28 October 1787) was a German author. He was one of the first collectors of German
folk stories, most celebrated for his ''
Volksmärchen der Deutschen'' (1782–1787), a collection of German
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s retold as satires.
Biography
Born in
Jena
Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
on 29 March 1735, the only son of Joseph Christoph Musäus, a judge. In 1743 his father became a councillor and police magistrate in
Eisenach
Eisenach () is a Town#Germany, town in Thuringia, Germany with 42,000 inhabitants, west of Erfurt, southeast of Kassel and northeast of Frankfurt. It is the main urban centre of western Thuringia, and bordering northeastern Hesse, Hessian re ...
, and the young Musäus moved to live with his godfather and uncle Dr. Johann Weißenborn in
Allstedt
Allstedt () is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated approximatively 10 km southeast of Sangerhausen.
History
Allstedt is mentioned as the tithable place ''Altstedi'' in Friesenfeld in the ...
, who was entrusted with his education and treated Musäus like a son. He continued living with his uncle until he was nineteen years old, even when his uncle became general superintendent of Eisenach in 1744, a move which brought him to the same city as his parents again.
Musäus entered the
University of Jena
The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany.
The university was established in 1558 and is cou ...
in 1754 to study
theology
Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
(probably the choice of his godfather rather than his own), and was admitted into German
Society
A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...
around this time, a sign of more than ordinary merit. He received a
Master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
after the usual three and a half years of study, to add to the degree he had received ''
honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
'' ten years earlier on 13 July 1747, and returned to Eisenach to wait for an appointment in the Church, which he was now licensed for. Despite preaching well, he was not especially devoted to religion, and received no appointment; when after several years he was offered a vacancy as pastor in the nearby countryside, the locals objected on the grounds that "he had once been seen dancing". This finished his hopes of a career in the church, and at the age of twenty-five he became an author of
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
.
From 1760 to 1762, Musäus published in three volumes his first work, ''Grandison der Zweite'' (''Grandison the Second''), afterwards (in 1781–1782) rewritten and issued with a new title, ''Der deutsche Grandison'' (''The German Grandison''). The object of this book was to satirize
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 Histo ...
's hero
Sir Charles Grandison, who had many sentimental admirers in the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
.
In 1763 Musäus was made tutor of the court pages in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
, and in 1769 he became professor of Ancient Languages and History at the
Wilhelm-Ernst-Gymnasium in Weimar.
He became a
Freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
in July 1776 at the "Amalia" lodge in Weimar, and became a member of the
Bavarian Illuminati in August 1783, taking the names "
Priscillian
Priscillian (in Latin: ''Priscillianus''; Gallaecia, – Augusta Treverorum, Gallia Belgica, ) was a wealthy nobleman of Roman Hispania who promoted a strict form of Christian asceticism. He became bishop of Ávila in 380. Certain practices of his ...
us" and "
Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
", and becoming presbyter that year. Musäus was an amateur actor, and introduced his nephew
August von Kotzebue to the theatre, as well as acting alongside
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...
in the latter's early verse comedy ''Die Mitschuldigen'' (1777). Due to his sociable nature, he was held in high regard in Weimar.
His second book, ''Physiognomische Reisen'', did not appear until 1778/79. It was directed against
Lavater
Johann Kaspar (or Caspar) Lavater (; 15 November 1741 – 2 January 1801) was a Swiss poet, writer, philosopher, physiognomist and theologian.
Early life
Lavater was born in Zürich, and was educated at the '' Gymnasium'' there, where J. J. B ...
, and attracted much favorable attention. From 1782 to 1787, he published his best work, ''
Volksmärchen der Deutschen'', a collection of German
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s. Even in this series of tales, the substance of which Musäus collected among the people, he could not refrain from satire. The stories, therefore, lack the simplicity of genuine folk-lore. In 1785, was issued ''Freund Heins Erscheinungen in Holbeins Manier'' by
Johann Rudolph Schellenberg
Johann Rudolph Schellenberg (4 January 1740, Basel – 8 June 1806, Töss, a district in the city of Winterthur) was a Swiss artist, writer and entomologist best known for his illustrations of insects.
During his career he performed illustr ...
, with explanations in prose and verse by Musäus. He was prevented from completing a collection of stories entitled ''Straussfedern'' (though one volume was published in 1787) by his death on 28 October 1787, aged 52,
in Weimar, where he is buried in the
Jacobsfriedhof.
Legacy
Musäus's ''Nachgelassene Schriften'' (1791) were published posthumously, edited by his relative,
August von Kotzebue.
The ''Straussfedern'' continued to be published by the bookseller
Christoph Friedrich Nicolai, with contributions by
Ludwig Tieck
Johann Ludwig Tieck (; ; 31 May 177328 April 1853) was a German poet, fiction writer, translator, and critic. He was one of the founding fathers of the Romanticism, Romantic movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Early life
Tieck w ...
(1795–1798).
Musäus's ''
Volksmärchen'' were an early part of the revived interest in fairy tales (which had declined since their late-17th century peak) caused by the rise of
romanticism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
and
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...
. This trend continued in the nineteenth century and included others, such as
Benedikte Naubert and the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...
.
They had an important influence on
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
Andersen's fai ...
.
The ''Volksmärchen'' have been frequently reprinted (
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
, 1903, etc.) and translated. Five of the tales were translated into English by
Thomas Beddoes
Thomas Beddoes (13 April 176024 December 1808) was an English physician and scientific writer. He was born in Shifnal, Shropshire and died in Bristol fifteen years after opening his medical practice there. He was a reforming practitioner and te ...
as ''Popular Tales of the Germans'' (1791), and three were included in ''German Romance'' (1827) translated by
Thomas Carlyle
Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...
. They were also translated into French a number of times, including as ''Contes populaires des Allemands'' (1803) by J. Lefèvre, a translation of two of the stories by
Isabelle de Montolieu (1803), and another complete translation with an introduction by
Charles Paul de Kock (1826) among others.
The last of the "" () in the ''Volksmärchen'' was said by Henry A. Pochmann and others to have inspired the
Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman is an archetype of mythical figure that has appeared in folklore around Europe since the Middle Ages. The figures are traditionally depicted as riders on horseback who are missing their heads. These myths have since inspired ...
of
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...
's "
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820).
Another of the ''Volksmärchen'', "Der geraubte Schleier" ("The Stolen Veil"), a tale about a
Swan maiden
The "swan maiden" () is a tale classified as Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, ATU 400, "The Swan Maiden" or "The Man on a Quest for His Lost Wife," in which a man makes a pact with, or marries, a supernatural female being who later departs. The ...
, was used by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
to provide the plot outline of ''
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...
'' (1876), though the extent of Tchaikovsky's use of Musäus's story is challenged by some such as Russian ballet patriarch Fyodor Lopukhov, who argue the ballet is essentially Russian.
One of the ''Volksmärchen'' translated into French ("
Stumme Liebe" translated as "L'Amour Muet") was contained in
Jean-Baptiste Benoît Eyriès's ''
Fantasmagoriana'' (1812) along with seven other German ghost-stories. This collection was read by
Lord Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
,
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...
,
Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...
,
Claire Clairmont and
John William Polidori in
the summer of 1816, and inspired them to try to write their own ghost-stories. Lord Byron wrote
a fragment of a novel that is considered the first modern vampire story, Polidori wrote ''
The Vampyre
"The Vampyre" is a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori, taken from the story told by Lord Byron as part of a contest among Polidori, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Percy Shelley. The same contest produced the n ...
'' based on this, and Mary Shelley went on to write ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
''.
Five of the eight stories in ''Fantasmagoriana'' were translated into English by
Sarah Elizabeth Utterson as ''
Tales of the Dead'' (1813), including an abridged form of "Stumme Liebe" as "The Spectre-Barber".
His collected folk tales continue to be adapted, such as the story of
Libussa and
Premysl in the 2009 film ''
The Pagan Queen
''The Pagan Queen'' is a 2009 fantasy drama film directed by German director Constantin Werner. The film combines realism with fantasy elements and is based on the legend of Libuše, the Czech tribal queen of 8th century Bohemia who envisioned ...
''.
An
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
discovered on 6 April 1989 was named
10749 Musäus, after him.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Musaus, Johann Karl August
1735 births
1787 deaths
Writers from Jena
People from Saxe-Weimar
German male non-fiction writers
Collectors of fairy tales
German folklorists
German satirists
German male short story writers
German short story writers
University of Jena alumni
18th-century German male writers
18th-century German writers