Ludwig Uhland and the Critics

Book excerpt: Critical response to Uhland's work from 19th century to present. Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862) is one of the founders of German literary scholarship and philology, and an important Romantic poet and dramatist. His Gedichte of 1815 contains the bulk of his work, including such famous balladsas Des Sängers Fluch; other significant writings are scholarly studies and editions, such as Walther von der Vogelweide (1822) and Alte hoch- und niederdeutsch Volkslieder. Professor Doerksen deals with the critical response to the entire body of Uhland's work from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. In so doing he provides not only a map of changing literary and critical fashions but also a fascinating picture of cultural and political trends in early and mid-nineteenth century Germany.