Gustav Freytag
Gustav Freytag (1816-1895) was a prominent German writer and philologist known for his significant contributions to literature and historical discourse. He was educated under notable figures such as Hoffmann von Fallersleben and Karl Lachmann, which influenced his literary approach. Freytag is best recognized for his ambitious six-volume series, "Die Ahnen" (The Ancestors), which explores the evolution of German national consciousness from the fourth century through the 1848 revolution. This work emerged from his earlier scholarly writings, particularly "Pictures of German Life," focusing on the contributions of various social classes to German culture and history.
In addition to his novels, Freytag served as the editor of the Leipzig periodical "Die Grenzboten" from 1848 to 1860, during which he produced his famous play "The Journalists," a satire of the newspaper industry. His novel "Debit and Credit" is celebrated for its portrayal of commercial life and its optimistic perspective on the working class. Freytag's writing often bridges realism and Romanticism, showcasing a distinctive elegance and clarity. His works were compiled in a collected edition in 1888, highlighting his lasting impact on German literature.
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Subject Terms
Gustav Freytag
German novelist and playwright
- Born: July 13, 1816
- Birthplace: Kreuzburg, Silesia, Prussia (Kluczbork, Poland)
- Died: April 30, 1895
- Place of death: Wiesbaden, Germany
Biography
Gustav Freytag (FREE-tahk) was trained as a philologist under Hoffmann von Fallersleben and Karl Lachmann. As a writer he represents the supreme application of German historical idealism to the novel in his most ambitious undertaking, Die Ahnen (the ancestors), an epical series in six volumes that carries the reader from the migrations of the fourth century through the development of folk and national consciousness to the revolution of 1848. This work evolved out of his scholarly volumes Pictures of German Life, a historical study of the German spirit that stresses the hereditary contributions of the lower and middle classes to national history and culture.
Freytag was editor of the Leipzig periodical Die Grenzboten from 1848 to 1860, out of which experience came The Journalists, his most famous play, an exaggerated satire of the newspaper office. His finest novel is considered to be Debit and Credit, a tightly knit account of commercial life that reveals his strong faith in the working class.
The greater part of Freytag’s work has been described as connecting realism with Romanticism, just as his method of writing involved channeling scholarship toward popular appreciation. His elegant style and clearness of expression were distinctive.
Some of Freytag’s other works include the critical volume The Technique of the Drama and The Lost Manuscript, a novel of university life. His works were often reissued and were first collected in 1888.
Bibliography
Carter, T. “Freytag’s Soll und Haben: A Liberal National Manifesto as a Best-Seller.” German Life and Letters 21 (1968).
Kaiser, Nancy A. Social Integration and Narrative Structure: Patterns of Realism in Auerbach, Freytag, Fontane, and Raabe. New York: Lang, 1986.
Price, Lawrence Marsden. The Attitude of Gustav Freytag and Julian Schmidt Toward English Literature (1848-1862). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1915.
Sammons, Jeffrey. “The Evaluation of Freytag’s Soll und Haben.” German Life and Letters 22 (1969).
Thomas, Lionel. Bourgeois Attitudes: Gustav Freytag’s Novels of Life in Nineteenth-Century Germany. Proceedings of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, Literary and Historical Section 15, part 3. Leeds, England: W. S. Maney, 1973.