Johann Elias Schlegel (January 17, 1719 – August 13, 1749) was a German

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

and dramatic

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

Life

Schlegel was born in

Meissen Meissen (in German orthography: ''Meißen'', ) is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrecht ...

. He was educated at

Schulpforta Pforta, or Schulpforta, is a school located in Pforta monastery, a former Cistercians, Cistercian monastery (1137–1540), near Naumburg on the Saale River in the Germany, German state of Saxony-Anhalt. The site has been a school since the 16th ...

and 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 ...

, where he studied

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 ...

. In 1743 he became private secretary to his relative, von Spener, the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

ambassador at the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

court. In 1748 he was made professor extraordinary at the academy of Sorø, where he died on August 13, 1749.

Works

Schlegel was a contributor to the ''

Bremer Beiträge ''Bremer Beiträge'' was the designation for the weekly magazine ''Neue Beyträge zum Vergnügen des Verstandes und Witzes'' ("New contributions to the pleasure of the mind and wit"). It was published from 1744 to 1759 during the Age of Enlightenm ...

'' and for some time, while he was living in Denmark, edited a weekly periodical, ''Der Fremde''. With his dramas as well as with his critical writings he did much to prepare the way for Lessing, by whom his genius was warmly appreciated. He wrote two lively and well-constructed comedies, ''Der Triumph der guten Frauen'' and ''Die stumme Schönheit'', the former in prose, the latter in

alexandrine Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French '' Rom ...

s. ''Hermann'' and ''Canut'' (both in alexandrines) are generally considered his best tragedies. His works were edited (in 5 vols., 1761–1770) by his brother, J. H. Schlegel (1724–1780), who had a considerable reputation as a writer on Danish history. Another brother,

Johann Adolf Schlegel Johann Adolf Schlegel (17 September 1721 – 16 September 1793) was a German poet and clergyman. Biography Schlegel was born in Meißen, Saxony, and was the brother of Johann Elias Schlegel. After finishing his studies in Leipzig, he be ...

, an eminent preacher, and author of some volumes of verse, was the father of August Wilhelm and

Friedrich von Schlegel Karl Wilhelm Friedrich (after 1814: von) Schlegel (; ; 10 March 1772 – 12 January 1829) was a German poet, literary critic, philosopher, philologist, and Indologist. With his older brother, August Wilhelm Schlegel, he was one of the main figures ...

Bibliography

J. E. Schlegel's ''Asthetische und dramaturgische Schriften'' have been edited by J. von Antoniewicz (1887), and a selection of his plays by F. Muncker in ''Bremer Beiträge'', vol. ii. (Kürschner's ''Deutsche Nalionalliteratur'', vol. xliv., 1899). See, besides the biography by his brother in the edition of his works, E. Wolff, ''Johann Elias Schlegel'' (1889); and J. Rentsch, ''Johann Elias Schlegel als Trauerspieldichter'' (1890). *

Elizabeth Mary Wilkinson (Elizabeth) Mary Wilkinson FBA (1909–2001) was an English scholar of German literature and culture. She was said to be a role model for working class women with her Yorkshire accent, bold presence and scholarly knowledge. Life Wilkinson was bo ...

, ''Johann Elias Schlegel: A German Pioneer in Aesthetics'' (Oxford, 1945) * ''Country Pastors by J.C. Kruger and Good Women Triumphant by J.E. Schlegel: Two Comedies of the Early Enlightenment''. Translated by John W. Van Cleve. Mellen: 2019

References

;Attribution

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schlegel, Johann Elias 1719 births 1749 deaths German poets People from Meissen People from the Electorate of Saxony Leipzig University alumni German male poets