Johann Paul Friedrich Richter, Siebenkäs [Siebenkäs]

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At the dawn of German Romanticism, Jean Paul (Johann Paul Friedrich Richter) published his most popular novel

Siebenkäs

under the lengthy title

Blumen-, Frucht- und Dornenstücke oder Ehestand, Tod und Hochzeit des Armenadvokaten F. St. Siebenkäs im Reichsmarktflecken Kuhschnappel

[

Flower, Fruit and Thorn Pieces Or the Married Life, Death and Wedding of the Advocate of the Poor, Firmian Stanislas Siebenkas

] in three volumes (1796-97, 2nd. ed. 1818, reworked). As the bizarre title suggests, this is a humorous work with serious implications: The “thorny pieces” refer to the realistic depiction of married life in a small town, and the inversion of “death” and “wedding” to Siebenkäs' ingenious way of getting out of a deteriorating relationship through faking his death. This…

1514 words

Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "Siebenkäs". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 January 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21602, accessed 23 November 2024.]

21602 Siebenkäs 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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