Thomas Murner

Albrecht Classen (University of Arizona)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

Born 24 Dec 1475
Died 1537
Activity 1498-1537

Places

Born in Alsace
Active in Germany; Switzerland

Activities

Primary

Satirist
Theologian
Translator

Resources

Murner's Works

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It is a common proverb to urge overly hasty people not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. This pertains to the erroneous notion that in the pre-modern past people tended to take a bath using the same water as numerous other individuals before them, resulting in the water becoming so dirty that a baby could no longer be seen in it. The message hence consists of the warning not to take decisions too quickly or act impulsively without having considered the concrete situation or condition at hand. The proverb was first coined by the German-Alsatian poet Thomas Murner (1475–1537) and then handed down throughout the centuries, but we have mostly forgotten its origin. It is questionable, however, whether Murner was fair in his sarcastic statement about bathing habits at his time, as…

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1787 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Thomas Murner". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15372, accessed 22 February 2025.]