'Des Menschen Herz, o Gott! welch Elend kann es stiften!': The Tragedies of Christian Felix Weisse. (1st March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lamport, Francis
• Is Part Of: Publications of the English Goethe Society. Volume 82:Number 1(2013)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 15
• Publication Date: 2013-03-01
• Subjects: German literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; German literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism -- Periodicals; Criticism and interpretation -- Periodicals; 830.9006
• DOI: 10.1179/0959368312Z.00000000013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3683

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Christian Felix Weisse (1726-1804), in addition to many other works, composed ten tragedies between the 1750s and 1770s, which show a remarkable development and can be seen to mirror, perhaps even go beyond, the general development of German tragedy in the period. He begins with alexandrine tragedies in strict Gottschedian style (<italic>Eduard der Dritte</italic>, <italic>Richard der Dritte</italic>), though the latter may well show some, albeit negative, Shakespearean influence. After further tragedies in alexandrines, he changes to blank verse (<italic>Die Befreiung von Theben</italic>, <italic>Atreus und Thyest</italic>), then to prose for two 'domestic' tragedies, <italic>Romeo und Julie</italic> (in this case explicitly a Shakespearean adaptation) and <italic>Die Flucht</italic>, concluding his output with another prose tragedy on a subject of considerable topical interest (<italic>Der Fanatismus, oder Jean Calas</italic>) which has been claimed as a forerunner of twentieth-century 'documentary drama'. The last two in particular deserve further critical attention.</p> </abstract>