Explore how the concept of the elegy evolved in early modern German poetry and theory — a focused introduction to the history of the German elegy in the 17th and 18th centuries, presented as a scholarly study that traces definitions, meters, and debates across key writers and schools.
This nonfiction work surveys the origins and shifting ideas about the elegy, showing how critics moved from fixed forms to broader conceptions of mood, subject, and technique. It examines influential figures from Opitz to Gottsched, and tracks how German poetics adapted classical models while dialoguing with broader European theory.
- Learn how the term and form of the elegy were discussed, debated, and redefined by major German scholars.
- See how ideas about meter, rhythm, and subject matter influenced the treatment of elegies in early modern poetry.
- Discover how cross‑cultural influences from classical Greek and Roman models shaped German theory.
- Understand the shift from rigid definitions to a more flexible understanding of the elegy’s range and purpose.
Ideal for readers of literary history and students of German literature who want a clear overview of how the German elegy developed in its formative centuries.