Georg Philipp Harsdörffer
Georg Philipp Harsdörffer was a 17th-century German poet and scholar known for his contributions to the German language and literature. He studied law at universities in Strassburg and Altdorf before traveling across Europe, including England, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 1633, he returned to Germany to practice law and married Susanna Fuerer in 1634. Harsdörffer was a member of the Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, a literary society aimed at promoting and standardizing the German language by creating new terms to replace foreign influences. He also founded the Pegnitzschafer literary society in Nuremberg, where he was known as "Strephon." His extensive body of work, consisting of fifty volumes in both German and Latin, showcases a distinctive, elaborate style characteristic of the Baroque period. One of his notable works, "Frauenzimmer Gesprächspiele," illustrates the intellectual interactions within salon culture. Harsdörffer's influence continued until his death in 1658, and his poetry remains recognized in German literary history.
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Subject Terms
Georg Philipp Harsdörffer
Poet
- Born: November 1, 1607
- Birthplace: Nuremberg, Germany
- Died: September 22, 1658
- Place of death: Nuremberg, Germany
Biography
Seventeenth century poet Georg Philipp Harsdörffer studied law at two German universities, in Strassburg and Altdorf, before setting off for travel in England, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. He returned in 1633 to practice with Johann Jakob Tetzel. In June of 1634, Harsdörffer married Susanna Fuerer. Despite his busy work schedule, Harsdörffer found time to write and translate the works of his contemporaries from other countries.
Known for his skill in various languages, he was a member of the Fruchtbringende Gesellschaft, or Fruitbearing Society, a German literary society established to standardize the German langauge and promote the language’s scholarly and literary use. Harsdörffer and his peers invented many corresponding terms for foreign words in order to limit the influence of other languages on the German tongue. Harsdörffer himself founded another literary society, the Pegnitzschafer, in 1644 in Nuremberg with Johann Klaj, fellow German poet as well as theologian; members of this group knew Harsdörffer as “Strephon.”
Harsdörffer’s fifty volumes of writings were composed in both German and Latin, and his poems, noted for their form, are included in the 1826 Bibliothek deutscher Dichter by Wilhelm Müller. Harsdörffer wrote in an elaborate, flowery, and even musical style which gained popularity during the middle of the Baroque period in German literary history as Baroque poets struggled to compete with Romance models. One of his works, Frauenzimmer Gesprächspiele portrays learned conversation in a salon setting, demonstrating instances of how learned men of different estates would come to together to develop the vernacular. Harsdörffer died in 1658.