Johann Christoph Gottsched was one of the most important figures in eighteenth century German history. He established a standard for German poetics; wrote important plays for the German theatre in its infancy; and was the author of the first standard reference works on German rhetoric and grammar, the latter of which helped to found a literary language. However, his fame, particularly as a dramatist, was eclipsed by the devastating criticism of G.E. Lessing later in the century, and he suffered by comparison to later artists such as Lessing himself, Friedrich Nicolai, and Mendelssohn. This monograph, the first modern study of Gottsched, examines his achievements in a variety of fields.
Reviews
"As a pioneer of a new age, Gottsched the critic, literary theorist, and literary journalist deserves respect. Mitchell's beautifully organized and eminently readable study should convince us to grant that respect. . . . Any 18th-century scholar needs to make use of this book." GERMANIC NOTES AND REVIEWS 'A sober and well-informed survey of the career and achievement of Gottsched, not only as a literary critic and theoretician but also as a linguist and popular philsopher.' YEAR'S WORK IN MODERN LANGUAGE STUDIES
