Eduard Mörike
Encyclopedia
Eduard Friedrich Mörike (8 September 1804 – 4 June 1875) was a German Romantic
poet.
. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike (d. 1817), a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer. He attended the Latin school at Ludwigsburg, and the seminary at Urach (1818) where he made the acquaintance of Wilhelm Hartlaub and Wilhelm Waiblinger. He then studied theology
at the Seminary of Tübingen where he met Ludwig Bauer, David Friedrich Strauss and F. T. Vischer.
He followed an ecclesiastical career, becoming a Lutheran
pastor. In 1834 he was appointed pastor of Cleversulzbach near Weinsberg
, and, after his early retirement for reasons of health, in 1851 became professor of German literature
at the Katharinenstift in Stuttgart
. This office he held until his retirement in 1866; but he continued to live at Stuttgart until his death.
In what political and social views he espoused, he was monarchist and conservative.
Mörike is a member of the so-called Swabia
n school which gathered around Ludwig Uhland
. His poems, Gedichte (1838; 22nd ed., 1905), are mostly lyrics, often humorous, but expressed in simple and natural language. His Lieder (songs) are traditional in form and have been compared to those of Goethe
. His ballad “Schön Rotraut” — opening with the line “Wie heisst König Ringangs Töchterlein?” — became a popular favorite.
His first published work was the short novel Maler Nolten (“The painter Nolten”, 1832; 6th ed., 1901), a Bildungsroman
and fantastic tale dealing with artist life which revealed his imaginative power and enjoyed great popularity. The novella Mozart auf der Reise nach Prag (“Mozart
on the way to Prague
”, 1856) was a humorous examination of the problems of artists in a world uncongenial to art. It is frequently cited as his finest achievement. He also wrote a somewhat fantastic Idylle vom Bodensee, oder Fischer Martin und die Glockendiebe (1846; 2nd ed., 1856), the caprice Das Stuttgarter Hutzelmännlein (1855), and published a collection of hymns, odes, elegies and idylls of the Greeks and Romans, entitled Klassische Blumenlese (1840). He did translations of Anacreon
and Theocritus
.
Mörike's Gesammelte Schriften (“Collected Writings”) were first published in 1878 (4 vols.). Later editions are those edited by R. Krauss (6 vols., 1905), and the Volksausgabe (“Popular edition”), published by Göschen (4 vols., 1905). Selections from his literary remains were published by R. Krauss in Eduard Mörike als Gelegenheitsdichter (1895), and his correspondence with Hermann Kurz
, Moritz von Schwind
, and Theodor Storm
, by J. Bachtold (1885-1891); an edition of Mörike's Ausgewählte Briefe (“Selected letters”), in 2 vols., appeared 1903-1904.
,
Ludwig Hetsch and Fritz Kauffmann. Ignaz Lachner
set to music his opera Die Regenbrüder. Many of his poems became established folksongs.
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
poet.
Biography
Mörike was born in LudwigsburgLudwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike (d. 1817), a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer. He attended the Latin school at Ludwigsburg, and the seminary at Urach (1818) where he made the acquaintance of Wilhelm Hartlaub and Wilhelm Waiblinger. He then studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the Seminary of Tübingen where he met Ludwig Bauer, David Friedrich Strauss and F. T. Vischer.
He followed an ecclesiastical career, becoming a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
pastor. In 1834 he was appointed pastor of Cleversulzbach near Weinsberg
Weinsberg
Weinsberg is a town in the north of the German state Baden-Württemberg. It was founded ca. 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 11,800 inhabitants. It is noted for its wine...
, and, after his early retirement for reasons of health, in 1851 became professor of German literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
at the Katharinenstift in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
. This office he held until his retirement in 1866; but he continued to live at Stuttgart until his death.
In what political and social views he espoused, he was monarchist and conservative.
Works
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
n school which gathered around Ludwig Uhland
Ludwig Uhland
Johann Ludwig Uhland , was a German poet, philologist and literary historian.-Biography:He was born in Tübingen, then Duchy of Württemberg, and studied jurisprudence at the university there, but also took an interest in medieval literature, especially old German and French poetry...
. His poems, Gedichte (1838; 22nd ed., 1905), are mostly lyrics, often humorous, but expressed in simple and natural language. His Lieder (songs) are traditional in form and have been compared to those of Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
. His ballad “Schön Rotraut” — opening with the line “Wie heisst König Ringangs Töchterlein?” — became a popular favorite.
His first published work was the short novel Maler Nolten (“The painter Nolten”, 1832; 6th ed., 1901), a Bildungsroman
Bildungsroman
In literary criticism, bildungsroman or coming-of-age story is a literary genre which focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood , and in which character change is thus extremely important...
and fantastic tale dealing with artist life which revealed his imaginative power and enjoyed great popularity. The novella Mozart auf der Reise nach Prag (“Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
on the way to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
”, 1856) was a humorous examination of the problems of artists in a world uncongenial to art. It is frequently cited as his finest achievement. He also wrote a somewhat fantastic Idylle vom Bodensee, oder Fischer Martin und die Glockendiebe (1846; 2nd ed., 1856), the caprice Das Stuttgarter Hutzelmännlein (1855), and published a collection of hymns, odes, elegies and idylls of the Greeks and Romans, entitled Klassische Blumenlese (1840). He did translations of Anacreon
Anacreon
Anacreon was a Greek lyric poet, notable for his drinking songs and hymns. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets.- Life :...
and Theocritus
Theocritus
Theocritus , the creator of ancient Greek bucolic poetry, flourished in the 3rd century BC.-Life:Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from his writings. We must, however, handle these with some caution, since some of the poems commonly attributed to him have little claim to...
.
Mörike's Gesammelte Schriften (“Collected Writings”) were first published in 1878 (4 vols.). Later editions are those edited by R. Krauss (6 vols., 1905), and the Volksausgabe (“Popular edition”), published by Göschen (4 vols., 1905). Selections from his literary remains were published by R. Krauss in Eduard Mörike als Gelegenheitsdichter (1895), and his correspondence with Hermann Kurz
Hermann Kurz
Hermann Kurz was a German poet and novelist.He was born at Reutlingen. Having studied at the theological seminary at Maulbronn and at the University of Tübingen, he became assistant pastor at Ehningen...
, Moritz von Schwind
Moritz von Schwind
thumb|Moritz von Schwind, c. 1860Moritz von Schwind was an Austrian painter, born in Vienna.Moritz von Schwind received rudimentary training and spent a happy and carefree youth in Vienna. Among his companions was the composer Schubert, some of whose songs he illustrated...
, and Theodor Storm
Theodor Storm
Hans Theodor Woldsen Storm , commonly known as Theodor Storm, was a German writer.-Life:Storm was born in Husum, at the west coast of Schleswig than an independent duchy and ruled by the king of Denmark...
, by J. Bachtold (1885-1891); an edition of Mörike's Ausgewählte Briefe (“Selected letters”), in 2 vols., appeared 1903-1904.
Musical settings
Many of his lyrics were set to music by Hugo WolfHugo Wolf
Hugo Wolf was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, somewhat related to that of the Second Viennese School in concision but utterly unrelated in...
,
Ludwig Hetsch and Fritz Kauffmann. Ignaz Lachner
Ignaz Lachner
Ignaz Lachner , was a German composer and conductor.Ignaz Lachner was born into a musical family at Rain am Lech. He was the second of the three famous Lachner brothers. Lachner's brothers Franz and Vinzenz, were also composers...
set to music his opera Die Regenbrüder. Many of his poems became established folksongs.