Translations of German Poetry in American Magazines 1741-1810

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

24815

Title

Translations of German Poetry in American Magazines 1741-1810

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This scholarly volume examines the profound influence of German literature on early American culture through translations published in periodicals between 1741 and 1810. Featuring reprints of poetry by Gessner, Goethe, and Schiller alongside original articles, the text offers a unique glimpse into how American readers first encountered Teutonic thought, bridging cultural gaps before the era of direct European study.

Summary up to 500 words

Edward Ziegler Davis presents a comprehensive study of German literary influence in American magazines prior to 1810, extending his doctoral thesis to analyze how periodicals served as the primary conduit for introducing German authors to the American public before books became the dominant medium. Davis meticulously documents the chronological growth of this influence, noting that short lyric poems often appeared in magazines years before their book publication. The volume highlights the roles of American scholars like Edward Everett and George Bancroft, who studied in Germany and brought German scholarship back to institutions like Harvard. By preserving original 18th and early 19th-century orthography and typography, the book authentically recreates the experience of early American readers, illustrating both the intellectual curiosity of the era and the occasional ignorance regarding German names and words. This collection stands as a vital resource for understanding the transatlantic literary exchange that shaped American intellectual development. The work extends a doctoral thesis, analyzing how periodicals served as the primary conduit for introducing German authors to the American public before books became the dominant medium. Davis reprints translations of poetry by Samuel Gessner, Albrecht von Haller, and Friedrich Schiller, alongside prose works like Goethe's 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' and Schiller's 'The Apparitionist.' The text also includes translations from Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic sources, as well as original poems referencing German history and biography. Davis meticulously documents the chronological growth of this influence, noting that short lyric poems often appeared in magazines years before their book publication. The volume highlights the roles of American scholars like Edward Everett and George Bancroft, who studied in Germany and brought German scholarship back to institutions like Harvard. By preserving original 18th and early 19th-century orthography and typography, the book authentically recreates the experience of early American readers, illustrating both the intellectual curiosity of the era and the occasional ignorance regarding German names and words. This collection stands as a vital resource for understanding the transatlantic literary exchange that shaped American intellectual development.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Poetry
• Periodicals