Heinrich von Kleist, Das Käthchen von Heilbronn [Cathy of Heilbronn]

William C. Reeve (Queen's University at Kingston Ontario)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.2: German-language Writing and Culture: Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, 800-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1807 - 1808

Places

Germany, Brandenburg (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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When Kleist faced serious financial difficulties and felt depressed by the theatrical situation in northern Germany in the fall of 1807, he decided to create a popular play with a Viennese audience in mind, a resolve that resulted in Das

Käthchen von Heilbronn oder Die Feuerprobe. Ein großes historisches Ritterschauspiel [Cathy of Heilbronn or the Trial by Fire. A Great Historic Knightly Drama]

. Writing to his friend and promoter Heinrich Joseph von Collin, Kleist recognized his play was too long and advised him: “Use it fully to meet the demands of your stage”. Eventually the Theater an der Wien premiered a revised version on 17 March 1810 in the tradition of the knightly baroque spectacle favored by the Viennese public, and it proved to be the last work performed and the only…

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1841 words

Citation: Reeve, William C.. "Das Käthchen von Heilbronn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 July 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13116, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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