Johannes Jacob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

Alfred D. White (Cardiff University)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

That Germany suddenly – amid the varying literary and social influences of the late seventeenth century, when refined baroque hommes de lettres aped classical styles from ancient Rome and modern France, whereas the common people were only slowly recovering from the devastation of the Thirty Years’ War – should produce a pulsating novel of ordinary life during that war, fit to stand alongside the contemporary products of France, Spain and England, must be a quirk of history. Grimmelshausen shot to prominence with that novel of 1669,

Der abentheurliche Simplicissimus Teutsch

[Adventurous Simplicissimus, German].

Simplicissimus

has since recognised as the first literary work in German that still speaks to the modern reader because of its verve, humour, satire, inexhaustible invention,…

1929 words

Citation: White, Alfred D.. "Johannes Jacob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 June 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1892, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1892 Johannes Jacob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.