Hartmann von Aue, Gregorius

Maria Dobozy (University of Utah)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-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 1180 - 1203

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Biography (literary)

Resources

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Gregorius

(c. 1190), Hartmann von Aue’s story of sin and grace, is probably the most discussed medieval German work. Its double incest, a universal taboo, continues to fascinate readers and avoid classification. Although the Oedipus myth was known in the Middle Ages, it has little similarity with this Christian text that examines the social and ethical ramifications of incest within an Augustinian framework. Hartmann probably used versions of the twelfth-century French saint’s legend

La vie du pape Grégoire

to build his creative reinterpretation. A re-evaluation for a modern audience,

Der Erwählte

(1951), has been written by Thomas Mann.

Hartmann’s prologue guides the reader’s assessment of fateful incest with the maxim that no sin is so great that it cannot be forgiven by means

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2023 words

Citation: Dobozy, Maria. "Gregorius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 March 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13998, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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