The Meeting at Telgte: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Meeting at Telgte" is a fictional exploration of a gathering of poets in 1647, set in the small village of Telgte, Germany, during a tumultuous period marked by the Thirty Years' War. The narrative centers around Simon Dach, a moderate and influential professor of poetry, who organizes this assembly of diverse poets from across Europe. Although the meeting never occurred in reality, it serves as a fictional tribute to the postwar German literary group, Group 47, with Dach symbolizing its founder, Hans Werner Richter.
Key characters include Christoffel Gelnhausen, an imperial officer and self-proclaimed thinker resembling the satirist Grimmelshausen, and Heinrich Albert, an organist and friend of Dach. The landlady, Libuschka, known as Courage, offers warmth and hospitality to the poets while reflecting the resilience of women during the war. Other notable figures include the excitable poet Philipp von Zesen, the Lutheran minister Paul Gerhardt, known for his hymns, and Andreas Gryphius, a notable poet whose dramatic readings captivate and, at times, bore the audience. The interplay among these characters creates a rich tapestry that reflects the cultural and literary tensions of the era, inviting readers to delve deeper into their complex relationships and contributions to German literature.
The Meeting at Telgte: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Günter Grass
First published: Das Treffen in Telgte, 1979 (English translation, 1981)
Genre: Novel
Locale: The town of Telgte in Westphalia, Germany
Plot: Historical
Time: May, 1647
Simon Dach (dahkh), a professor of poetry in Königsberg (Germany) and an important poet in his own right. He organizes the meeting of poets in 1647, originally to be held in Osnabrück but forced to be held in the small village of Telgte because Osnabrück is full of soldiers. Dach, a moderate but decisive man, has decided to gather German poets from all over Europe to hold a disputation and conference. In reality, this meeting never took place. The novel commemorates the founding of the postwar German literary group, Group 47. Dach represents the founder of Group 47, Hans Werner Richter.
Christoffel Gelnhausen (gehln-HOW-zehn), who is modeled after German satirist Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, who wrote the famous picaresque novel Simplicissimus (1668). In the novel, Gelnhausen (taking his name from the town where Grimmelshausen was born) is an imperial officer who helps the gathered poets move to Telgte and who considers himself somewhat of a poet and thinker. He is portrayed as a bit of a buffoon and a windbag.
Heinrich Albert (HIN-rihkh), a composer and organist, friend of Simon Dach, and leading figure in the circle of poets in Königsberg. He arrives at Telgte with his friend, Heinrich Schütz, who is considered the best church composer of his time. Albert introduces Schütz to the poets; Schütz comes merely to listen to the poets read and dispute.
Libuschka (lih-BEWSH-kah), also known as Courage, the landlady at the Bridge Tavern, the inn in Telgte where the poets and writers find refuge. A buxom and hearty person, she enjoys the company of the poets and herself is able to quote often from their works. She and Gelnhausen are closely allied. Her nickname of Courage (supposedly she is the original for Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage) comes from her experiences during the Thirty Years' War, which is now coming to an end. She has also been mentioned in Grimmelshausen's book Life Story of the Archtraitress and Rowdy Courasche.
Philipp von Zesen (fon TSEH-zehn), a prominent poet and novelist, one of the few professional writers of his time able to live by his pen. A somewhat testy and nervous person, he takes part in the discussions at the tavern as one who is interested in purifying the German language. He is the most excitable one at the meeting and the noisiest.
Paul Gerhardt (GEHR-hahrt), a Lutheran minister, renowned as a hymnist (many of his hymns are still in use). He joins the meeting as a religious poet and is constantly angered by the bawdiness of some of the poets. He is a good friend of Dach and Albert. When the meeting ends, he goes off with them.
Andreas Gryphius (ahn-DRAY-ahs GRI-fee-uhs), a poet and dramatist, one of the most famous German poets of the seventeenth century. A skeptic and a brilliant scholar, he traveled all over Europe searching for work. Gryphius, who was a Lutheran, also wrote hymns that are still sung today. At the meeting, Gryphius is both moody and witty. He reads from his dramas in a stentorian voice and impresses many with his sincere expression; others are put to sleep by his reading. Gryphius deplores the weakness and frailty of human beings.