biography
| name: |
Gellert, Christian Fürchtegott
|
pronunciation:
[gellairt]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1715–69)
|
| biography:
| Writer, born in Hainichen, E Germany. In 1745 he was appointed professor of poetry, eloquence, and moral studies at the University of Leipzig. Influenced by Gottsched, he became a popular exponent of the Enlightenment, combining entertainment with moral instruction. He was highly esteemed by King Friedrich II of Prussia. Following the example of Richardson, he wrote what is generally considered Germany's first bourgeois novel, Das Leben der schwedischen Gräfin von G... (1747–8). Other works include plays, such as Die Betschwester and Die zärtlichen Schwestern, both sentimental comedies from 1745; the stories Fabeln und Erzählungen (1746–8); and the poems Geistliche Oden und Lieder (1757). |
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